bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ECERIFERUM 10 Encoding an Enoyl-CoA Reductase Plays a Crucial Role in Osmotolerance and Cuticular Wax Loading in Arabidopsis
Authors: Fukuda Norika , Oshima Yoshimi , Ariga Hirotaka , Kajino Takuma , Koyama Takashi , Yaguchi Yukio , Tanaka Keisuke , Yotsui Izumi , Sakata Yoichi , Taji Teruaki
Published: June 2022

Acquired osmotolerance induced after salt stress is widespread acrossArabidopsis thaliana(Arabidopsis) accessions (e.g., Bu-5). However, it remains unclear how this osmotolerance is established. Here, we isolated a mutant showing an acquired osmotolerance-defective phenotype (aod2) from an ion-beam-mutagenized M2 population of Bu-5.aod2was impaired not only in acquired osmotolerance but also in osmo-shock, salt-shock, and long-term heat tolerances compared with Bu-5, and it displayed abnormal morphology, including small, wrinkled leaves, and zigzag-shaped stems. Genetic analyses ofaod2revealed that a 439-kbp region of chromosome 4 was translocated to chromosome 3 at the causal locus for the osmosensitive phenotype. The causal gene of theaod2phenotype was identical toECERIFERUM 10(CER10), which encodes an enoyl-coenzyme A reductase that is involved in the elongation reactions of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) for subsequent derivatization into cuticular waxes, storage lipids, and sphingolipids. The major components of the cuticular wax were accumulated in response to osmotic stress in both Bu-5 WT andaod2. However, less fatty acids, primary alcohols, and aldehydes with chain length ≥ C30 were accumulated inaod2. In addition,aod2exhibited a dramatic reduction in the number of epicuticular wax crystals on its stems. Endoplasmic reticulum stress mediated bybZIP60was increased inaod2under osmotic stress. The onlycer10showed the most pronounced loss of epidermal cuticular wax and most osmosensitive phenotype among four Col-0-background cuticular wax-related mutants. Together, the present findings suggest thatCER10/AOD2plays a crucial role in Arabidopsis osmotolerance through VLCFA metabolism involved in cuticular wax formation and endocytic membrane trafficking.
Functional Characterization of Genes Coding for Novel β-D-Glucosidases Involved in the Initial Step of Secoiridoid Glucosides Catabolism in Centaurium erythraea Rafn
Authors: Božunović Jelena , Milutinović Milica , Aničić Neda , Skorić Marijana , Matekalo Dragana , Živković Suzana , Dragićević Milan , Filipović Biljana , Banjanac Tijana , Petrović Luka , Mišić Danijela
Published: June 2022

Secoiridoid glucosides (SGs) are monoterpenoids derived from the iridoid cyclopentane-C-pyran skeleton with β-D glucose linked at C1 position. Coordinated metabolic processes, such as biosynthesis and catabolism of SGs, ensure constitutive presence of these bitter tasting compounds in plant tissues, which plays a decisive role in the defense against pathogens and herbivores. These compounds are susceptible to hydrolysis mediated by enzymes β-glucosidases, and the resulting aglycones are subsequently directed toward different metabolic pathways in plants. Function of two β-D-glucosidases (named CeBGlu1 and CeBGlu2) from centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafn; fam. Gentianaceae), belonging to the glycoside hydrolase 1 (GH1) family, was confirmed using in vitro assays with recombinant proteins, following their heterologous expression in E. coli and His-tag affinity purification. Although they show slightly differential substrate preference, both isoforms display high specificity toward SGs and the organ-specific distribution of transcripts was positively correlated with the content of SGs in diploid and tetraploid C. erythraea plants. Transient overexpression of CeBGlu1 and CeBGlu2 in C. erythraea leaves induced changes in metabolite profiles. The effectiveness of transgene overexpression has been altered by plant ploidy. UHPLC/DAD/(±)HESI − MS2 profiling of leaves of diploid and tetraploid C. erythraea genotypes revealed that the amounts of major SGs; sweroside, swertiamarin, and gentiopicrin was decreased in agroinfiltrated leaves, especially when CeBGlu1 and CeBGlu2 were co-expressed with transgene silencing suppressor p19. The work demonstrates that in planta metabolic engineering adopting transient overexpression of CeBGlu1 and CeBGlu2 is a suitable tool for the modulation of SGs content and glucosides/aglycones ratio, which might have substantial effects on overall phytochemistry of C. erythraea.
Major League Baseball Marketing Strategies and Industry Promotion Approaches
Authors: Chen Meihong , Su Fuzhi , Tai Feng
Published: June 2022

The sport of baseball is one of the chief pillars of the American sports industry. Major League Baseball (MLB) is the oldest professional sports league in the United States. It has long since formulated comprehensive marketing strategies and global industry promotion approaches that have proved exceptionally successful. Accordingly, the study of MLB's marketing strategies and industry promotion approaches will be crucial for the development of baseball in China and the establishment of an industrial chain. This study employed the literature consultation method, the comparative analysis method, and the inductive method to analyze MLB's localized marketing strategies and development trends in China and obtained the following insights concerning MLB's promotion and industry development efforts in China: (1) MLB has used a “family sport” concept to promote baseball culture and employed a project culture approach to promoting the universal spread of the sport of baseball; (2) MLB has sought to join baseball with school sports as a means of developing baseball talent; (3) MLB has promoted its brand, established a baseball industry chain, and engaged in comprehensive market cultivation; and (4) MLB has strengthened baseball infrastructure and encouraged baseball's rapid development.
Internalizing Mental Health Disorders and Emotion Regulation: A Comparative and Mediational Study of Older Adults With and Without a History of Complex Trauma Exposure
Authors: Pfluger Viviane , Rohner Shauna L. , Eising Carla M. , Maercker Andreas , Thoma Myriam V.
Published: June 2022

Individuals with complex trauma exposure (CTE) in early life (i.e., childhood/adolescence) are at heightened risk for developing problems in various domains of functioning. As such, CTE has repeatedly been linked to internalizing mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, as well as emotion dysregulation across the lifespan. While these correlates of CTE are comparatively well studied up to middle adulthood, they are insufficiently studied in older adulthood. Therefore, this study aimed to (a) compare Swiss older adults with and without a CTE history regarding current and lifetime internalizing mental health disorders and emotion regulation strategies; and (b) to examine the potential mediating role of emotion regulation in the mental health disparities between these groups. A total ofN= 257 participants (age = 49–95 years; 46.3% female) were assessed in a retrospective, cross-sectional study, using two face-to-face interviews. The CTE group (n= 161;Mage= 69.66 years, 48.4% female) presented with significantly more current and lifetime internalizing mental health disorders than the non-affected (nCTE) group (n= 96;Mage= 72.49 years, 42.7% female). The CTE group showed significantly higher emotion suppression and lower emotion reappraisal compared to the nCTE group. Mediation analysis revealed that the two emotion regulation strategies were significant mediators between CTE history and internalizing mental health disorders. Findings emphasize the relevance of emotion (dys-)regulation in understanding mental health disparities in older age and deciding about treatment strategies. Research and practice should pay more attention to the needs of this high-risk group of older individuals.
Age-Related Differences in Amygdala Activation Associated With Face Trustworthiness but No Evidence of Oxytocin Modulation
Authors: Lin Tian , Pehlivanoglu Didem , Ziaei Maryam , Liu Peiwei , Woods Adam J. , Feifel David , Fischer Håkan , Ebner Natalie C.
Published: June 2022

The amygdala has been shown to be responsive to face trustworthiness. While older adults typically give higher face trustworthiness ratings than young adults, a direct link between amygdala response and age-related differences in face trustworthiness evaluation has not yet been confirmed. Additionally, there is a possible modulatory role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in face trustworthiness evaluation, but the results are mixed and effects unexplored in aging. To address these research gaps, young, and older adults were randomly assigned to oxytocin or placebo self-administration via a nasal spray before rating faces on trustworthiness while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. There was no overall age-group difference in face trustworthiness ratings, but older compared to young participants gave higher trustworthiness ratings to ambivalently untrustworthy-looking faces. In both age groups, lower face trustworthiness ratings were associated with higher left amygdala activity. A comparable negative linear association was observed in right amygdala but only among young participants. Also, in the right amygdala, lower and higher, compared to moderate, face trustworthiness ratings were associated with greater right amygdala activity (i.e., positive quadratic (U-shaped) association) for both age groups. Neither the behavioral nor the brain effects were modulated by a single dose of intranasal oxytocin administration, however. These results suggest dampened response to faces with lower trustworthiness among older compared to young adults, supporting the notion of reduced sensitivity to cues of untrustworthiness in aging. The findings also extend evidence of an age-related positivity effect to the evaluation of face trustworthiness.
Negative Associations of Stress and Anxiety Levels With Cytotoxic and Regulatory Natural Killer Cell Frequency in Chronic Tinnitus
Authors: Basso Laura , Boecking Benjamin , Neff Patrick , Brueggemann Petra , El-Ahmad Linda , Brasanac Jelena , Rose Matthias , Gold Stefan M. , Mazurek Birgit
Published: June 2022

Background

Depression and anxiety are known to be associated with stress-induced changes in the immune system. Bothersome tinnitus can be related to stress and often co-occurs with depression and anxiety. This study investigates associations of psychological and audiological tinnitus-related factors with inflammatory parameters and immune cell subsets in chronic tinnitus patients as well as treatment-related effects.

Methods

This longitudinal study of inpatients treated with compact multimodal tinnitus-specific cognitive behavioral therapy included four repeated measurement sessions: baseline (N = 41), treatment end, 7.8-week (N = 35), and 13.8-week follow-up (N = 34). Data collection included audiometric testing, blood sampling, and psychometric questionnaires: Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-20), and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). Flow cytometry was used to analyze immune cell subsets. Statistical analyses comprised correlation and network analysis (cross-sectional), and linear mixed effect models (longitudinal).

Results

Bootstrapped network analysis showed negative averaged cross-sectional associations of cytotoxic natural killer (NKc) cell frequency (CD56 + CD16+) and PSQ-20 (−0.21 [−0.48, 0]) and of regulatory natural killer (NKreg) cell frequency (CD56 + CD16dim/−) and HADS anxiety (−0.14 [−0.38, 0]). No significant treatment effects were found. A negative predictive effect of baseline PSQ-20 scores (β = −6.22 [−12.18, −0.26], p = 0.041) and a positive predictive effect of baseline ferritin levels (β = 8.90 [2.76, 15.03], p = 0.004) on NKc cell frequency across the repeated measurement sessions were observed.

Conclusion

We observed negative relationships between perceived stress levels and NKc cell frequency and between anxiety levels and NKreg cell frequency in chronic tinnitus patients. These exploratory results suggest stress−/anxiety-related immune alterations in bothersome tinnitus but need to be tested in further confirmatory studies with larger sample sizes. The potential of NK cells as biomarkers of emotional distress in chronic tinnitus should be further investigated.
The Effect of Induced Optimism on Situational Pain Catastrophizing
Authors: Basten-Günther Johanna , Peters Madelon L. , Lautenbacher Stefan
Published: June 2022

Background

There is broad evidence that optimism is associated with less pain, while pain catastrophizing leads to increased pain. The aim of this study was to examine whether experimentally induced optimism can reduce situational pain catastrophizing and whether this relation is moderated by dispositional optimism and/or dispositional pain catastrophizing.

Methods

Situational pain catastrophizing during two thermal stimulations was measured in 40 healthy participants with the Situational Catastrophizing Questionnaire (SCQ). Between the two stimulations, the Best Possible Self (BPS) imagery and writing task was performed to induce situational optimism in the experimental group while the control group wrote about their typical day. Questionnaires were administered to assess dispositional optimism [Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R)] and dispositional pain catastrophizing [Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)].

Results

There was a significant interaction between the optimism induction and trait pain catastrophizing: the association of trait pain catastrophizing with state pain catastrophizing was weakened after the optimism induction. No overall effect of induced optimism on situational pain catastrophizing and no significant moderating influence of trait optimism were found.

Conclusion

The state optimism induction apparently counteracted the manifestation of dispositional pain catastrophizing as situational pain catastrophizing. This implies that high trait pain catastrophizers may have especially benefitted from the optimism induction, which is in line with resilience models stressing the buffering role of optimism.
Exploring Female EFL Teachers’ Professional Agency for Their Sustainable Career Development in China: A Self-Discrepancy Theory Perspective
Authors: Ruan Xiaolei , Toom Auli
Published: June 2022

A large and growing body of literature has investigated the role of teachers’ agency in their career trajectories. However, far too little attention has been paid to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’, especially female EFL teachers’, professional agency for their career development in the Chinese higher education setting. To address this gap, this study explores female EFL teachers’ professional agency from a self-discrepancy theory perspective, namely, how the participating teachers have perceived discrepancies in their professional development and how they have enacted their professional agency to realize sustainable development. Based on a metaphor investigation of 167 teachers and interviews with nine of them, the current study found that (1) there are certain discrepancies between female EFL teachers’ self-guides and actual selves concerning their professional identity construction; (2) female EFL teachers’ professional agency is manifested in the continuum of iteration, practical evaluation, and projectivity processes, as well as in the entity of personal and environmental factors; and 3) female EFL teachers’ professional agency and gender identity are closely intertwined with each other. This study can offer implications for teacher agency research and female teachers’ sustainable development at large.
A CNN-Based Framework for Predicting Public Emotion and Multi-Level Behaviors Based on Network Public Opinion
Authors: Lin Hangfeng , Bu Naiqing
Published: June 2022

Analysis of network public opinion can help to effectively predict the public emotion and the multi-level government behaviors. Due to the massive and multidimensional characteristics of network public opinion data, the in-depth value mining of public opinion is one of the research bottlenecks. Based on Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) and deep learning technologies, this paper proposes an advanced TF-IDF mechanism, namely TF-IDF-COR, to extract text feature representations of public opinions and develops a CNN-based prediction model to predict the tendency of publics' emotion and mental health. The proposed method can accurately judge the emotional tendency of network users. The main contribution of this paper is as follows: (1) based on the advantages of TF-IDF mechanism, we propose a TF-IDF-COR mechanism, which integrates the correlation coefficient of word embeddings to TF-IDF. (2) To make the extracted feature semantic information more comprehensive, CNN and TF-IDF-COR are combined to form an effective COR-CNN model for emotion and mental health prediction. Finally, experiments on Sina-Weibo and Twitter opinion data sets show that the improved TF-IDF-COR and the COR-CNN model have better classification performance than traditional classification models. In the experiment, we compare the proposed COR-CNN with support vector machine, k-nearest neighbors, and convolutional neural network in terms of accuracy and F1 score. Experiment results show that COR-CNN performs much better than the three baseline models.
The Role of Ambiguity Tolerance and Enthusiasm on Chinese University Teachers’ Burnout
Authors: Yang Yan , Xie Juan
Published: June 2022

Educators face numerous vague conditions in their daily practice and they must manage students with diverse characters that lead to burnout. In addition, tolerance of ambiguity is a term used by educators as the capability to control new, complicated or insoluble situations. Moreover, educator enthusiasm and its effect on instruction was neglected. And due to the essential function that teachers’ burnout plays in the efficiency of their achievement in the scholastic cycle, the present study inspected whether the above-mentioned constructs such as teachers’ ambiguity tolerance and enthusiasm can influence their burnout on one hand and on the other hand if these constructs can predict the teachers’ burnout or not. For the objective of the study, a group of 495 female and male Chinese university teachers in 18 provinces of China were asked to fill out the three scales, namely, teacher enthusiasm, ambiguity tolerance, and burnout. The primary results of the research, achieved through running Spearman Rho, specify that there are constructive relationships between ambiguity tolerance, enthusiasm and by employing multiple regression analysis; it is revealed that both variables, namely ambiguity tolerance, enthusiasm were the predictors of teachers’ burnout, while ambiguity tolerance was a better predictor. Accordingly, based on these findings, it can be concluded that both of these factors affect teachers’ burnout in the teaching process. In addition, this study can provide additional implications for academic scholars and experts in academic settings.
Tough Love: Impact of High-Performance Work System on Employee Innovation Behavior
Authors: Zhu Fuyun , Gao Ying , Chen Xiaotun
Published: June 2022

Based on the social exchange theory, this paper discusses the impact of high-performance work system (HPWS) on employee innovation behavior, constructs the mediating model of challenge stress and the moderated mediation model, and explores the influence mechanism of HPWS on employee innovation behavior under the management mode of combining strictness and love formed by “strictness” under the effect of challenge stress and “love” given by perceived organizational support. Through hierarchical regression analysis of 227 employees’ survey data, the results show that HPWS positively influences employee innovation behavior. Challenge stress partially mediates the above relationship, and perceived organizational support positively moderates the mediating effect of challenge stress between HPWS and employee innovation behavior.
Form-Focused Instruction, Technology, and Limitations: An Investigation of Past Research and Future Possibilities
Authors: Schenck Andrew
Published: June 2022

Modern studies that integrate technology with form-focused instruction (FFI) are useful, yet analysis of grammatical or learner differences is often limited. Without consistent examination of all factors that influence the efficacy of FFI, it is no surprise that results are often inconsistent. Recent synthesis of research concerning Korean, Persian, and Chinese learners suggests that grammatical difficulty (collectively defined by grammatical complexity, learner proficiency, and L1) determines when providing input is more effective, and when prompting a learner to produce output is more effective. Results suggest that input and explicit information may help learners produce language more accurately when grammatical difficulty is high (e.g., a grammatical feature is complex and learner proficiency is low). Conversely, compelling a learner to produce output appears to increase accuracy when difficulty of a grammatical feature is low (e.g., a grammatical feature is not complex and proficiency is high). More experimental research is needed to confirm results. Such research may provide a holistic perspective needed to tailor computer software to learner needs.
Massive Distance Education: Barriers and Challenges in Shifting to a Complete Online Learning Environment
Authors: Yeh Ching-Yi , Tsai Chin-Chung
Published: June 2022

The global pandemic has dramatically changed how the world functions and impacted all sectors of society including all educational institutions. Government and educators respond with immediate online teaching and learning for all students. Massive distance education has been drawn into the picture to provide non-stop learning in most countries worldwide. This study focuses on examining different orders of barriers educators have encountered during the Covid-19 pandemic. The barriers to massive online teaching and learning included the first-order barrier (technological or external barrier), the second-order barrier (internal barrier or teachers' and parents' beliefs), the third-order barrier (design thinking barrier), and the 2.5th order barrier (the classroom management barrier). Both teachers and students are suffering from unstable or limited internet connectivity and it directly hinders students' rights in the massive online education. Teachers are facing the need for sudden pedagogical redesign while parents are enduring the burden of providing all kinds of support for their children's online learning at home. Some learners are experiencing videoconferencing fatigue and struggling with overwhelming resources and an excessive amount of technology time. This study also identifies a group of forgotten learners, the videoconferencing refugees, who have limited access to the Internet and lost their learning opportunities. From a global perspective, shifting to massive online education may be possible with all four orders of barriers being overcome.
Learning Information Ethical Decision Making With a Simulation Game
Authors: Lin Weijane , Wang Jui-Ying , Yueh Hsiu-Ping
Published: June 2022

Taking advantage of the nature of games to deal with conflicting desires through contextual practices, this study illustrated the formal process of designing a situated serious game to facilitate learning of information ethics, a subject that heavily involves decision making, dilemmas, and conflicts between personal, institutional, and social desires. A simulation game with four mission scenarios covering critical issues of privacy, accuracy, property, and accessibility was developed as a situated, authentic and autonomous learning environment. The player-learners were 40 college students majoring in information science and computer science as pre-service informaticists. In this study, they played the game and their game experiences and decision-making processes were recorded and analyzed. The results suggested that the participants’ knowledge of information ethics was significantly improved after playing the serious game. From the qualitative analysis of their behavioral features, including paths, time spans, and access to different materials, the results supported that the game designed in this study was helpful in improving participants’ understanding, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information ethics issues, as well as their judgments. These findings have implications for developing curricula and instructions in information ethics education.
Inclusive Leadership and Innovative Performance: A Multi-Level Mediation Model of Psychological Safety
Authors: Li Tong , Tang Ningyu
Published: June 2022

Taking both individual and team levels into consideration has been called for years in terms of research on leadership. Inclusive leadership, a trending leadership style emerging from the global needs of managing the increasingly diversified workplace nowadays, has yet been rarely studied at both levels. To answer these calls, we specifically analyzed the relationship between inclusive leadership, team psychological safety, and innovative performance via a multilevel analysis. The results are based on a study of 356 employees from 90 working teams. Individual perceptions of inclusive leadership are positively related to the individual innovative performance through the mediation of individual psychological safety. Team perceptions of inclusive leadership are positively related to the team innovative performance through the mediation of team psychological safety. Moreover, team perceptions of inclusive leadership are positively related to the individual innovative performance through the cross-level mediation of individual psychological safety. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.
Group Imagery Rescripting on Childhood Memories Delivered via Telehealth: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Tenore Katia , Mancini Alessandra , Luppino Olga Ines , Mancini Francesco
Published: June 2022

Background

Imagery Rescripting (ImR) has proved to be effective in the treatment of different mental disorders as an integral part of broader clinical protocols or as a standalone technique. ImR has also been successfully incorporated as part of group Schema Therapy treatment; however, to the best of our knowledge, it has never been assessed as a standalone technique in a group setting.

Aim

In this study, we focused on ImR delivered via telehealth in groups and we aimed to assess whether group ImR is effective in responding to basic emotional needs, in changing participants’ affective state, and in reducing dysfunctional beliefs. We also wanted to assess whether memory realism is associated with a greater effectiveness of the technique.

Methods

A total of 52 participants were presented with 3 ImR sessions on childhood memories related to the current dysfunctional belief that elicited more suffering.

Results

The technique was effective in facilitating the retrieval of a memory in almost the entire sample (in the range of 92.3–100%). Overall, memory realism values (level of vividness, ability to immerse, and participants’ distance from the images) were high in all three sessions. Almost all participants were reported having their needs met during ImR (89.7%). Importantly, need satisfaction was associated with the ability to immerse in the image. In addition, the intensity of the dysfunctional belief decreased significantly from pre-test to Session 3. The technique also changed the affective state, reducing arousal. Importantly, we also observed a general reduction in shame levels from the first to the third session.

Conclusion

A telehealth delivered ImR group intervention on childhood memories provides cognitive and emotional improvement. Along with the ability to satisfy the patient’s basic emotional needs, the technique seems to be effective in modifying maladaptive beliefs encapsulated in memory.
Uptake of Covid-19 Preventive Measures Among 10 Immigrant Ethnic Groups in Norway
Authors: Gele Abdi , Sheikh Naima Said , Kour Prabhjot , Qureshi Samera A.
Published: June 2022

Background

A pessimistic view of the impact of Covid-19 on immigrants has generated an interest in exploring the role of socio-economic and cultural factors on excess infection, hospitalization and death among immigrants. Nowhere in the world is such interest more palpable than in Western countries, including Norway. An expanding amount of literature has demonstrated that preexisting socio-economic inequalities have affected Covid-19 control programs through a disruption of immigrants' uptake to preventive measures. Nonetheless, until very recently, no qualitative research has been conducted to address the impact of socio-economic and socio-cultural factors on immigrants' uptake on preventive measures of Covid-19 in Norway.

Methods

An interview-based qualitative study consisting of 88 participants (49 women and 39 men) from 10 immigrant ethnic groups were carried out. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling and snowballing. In-depth interviews were held through telephone or online for those who have experience in the use of zoom or teams. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

We found that participants' attitudes toward the pandemic in general, and more specifically their adherence to preventive measures, have increased over time. However, the number of barriers that hinder immigrants from adhering to preventive measures were identified and classified more broadly into three main subthemes: (1) socio-economic barriers; (2) socio-cultural barriers, and (3) other barriers. Socio-economic barriers include overcrowded households, working in first-line jobs, education and language. Socio-cultural barriers include collectivist culture, religious fatalism and risk perception toward the pandemic.

Conclusion

To reduce the health inequality that arises from overcrowded housing, there is a need for a long-term strategy to help improve the housing situation of low-income immigrant families that live in overcrowded households. In addition, increasing health literacy and more generally, the integration of immigrants, may also reduce the effect of socio-cultural factors on an immigrant's uptake of preventive measures.
Attitudes to Cannabis Use and Public Prevention Information Among Young Adults: A Qualitative Interview Study With Implications for Prevention Practice
Authors: Kvillemo Pia , Strandberg Anna K. , Gripenberg Johanna
Published: June 2022

Background

Cannabis use carries an increased risk of ill health and social problems, especially when initiated at a young age. Drug use is influenced by individual beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes, which are, in turn, governed by social and environmental factors. In recent years, a less restrictive attitude toward cannabis has been observed in many countries, with concerns about increased cannabis use among young people. The aim of the current study was to gain a deeper understanding of young adults' attitudes toward cannabis use and public prevention information about cannabis.

Methods

A qualitative interview study was conducted among 32 anonymous informants aged 18–29 years in the Stockholm region. Participants were recruited through purposeful sampling, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted using a digital video calling platform. A qualitative content analysis of the interviews was performed to generate categories and codes for cannabis use and attitudes toward prevention information.

Results

Both cannabis users and abstainers perceived some risks with cannabis; however, for many users, the positive effects appeared to outweigh any expected harm. Furthermore, the existing public information was perceived as less credible because of an excessive focus on harm. The informants expressed a desire for neutral facts about the effects of cannabis, delivered by credible senders. Moreover, they felt that prevention information should be delivered by individuals whom young people look up to or with whom they can identify, for example, people with authority or famous people such as influencers. The informants also underlined the importance of dialogue with the target group and taking young people's experiences into account when providing information about cannabis.

Conclusion

Current risk awareness associated with cannabis use among young adults is insufficient to prevent them from using cannabis. Public prevention information should preferably combine a fact-based focus on risks with recognition of cannabis' short-term desired effects, delivered by credible senders with authority or those with whom young people can identify.
A Survey on Machine Learning and Internet of Medical Things-Based Approaches for Handling COVID-19: Meta-Analysis
Authors: Band Shahab S. , Ardabili Sina , Yarahmadi Atefeh , Pahlevanzadeh Bahareh , Kiani Adiqa Kausar , Beheshti Amin , Alinejad-Rokny Hamid , Dehzangi Iman , Chang Arthur , Mosavi Amir , Moslehpour Massoud
Published: June 2022

Early diagnosis, prioritization, screening, clustering, and tracking of patients with COVID-19, and production of drugs and vaccines are some of the applications that have made it necessary to use a new style of technology to involve, manage, and deal with this epidemic. Strategies backed by artificial intelligence (A.I.) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been undeniably effective to understand how the virus works and prevent it from spreading. Accordingly, the main aim of this survey is to critically review the ML, IoT, and the integration of IoT and ML-based techniques in the applications related to COVID-19, from the diagnosis of the disease to the prediction of its outbreak. According to the main findings, IoT provided a prompt and efficient approach to tracking the disease spread. On the other hand, most of the studies developed by ML-based techniques aimed at the detection and handling of challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Among different approaches, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Support Vector Machine, Genetic CNN, and pre-trained CNN, followed by ResNet have demonstrated the best performances compared to other methods.
Research on the Formation Mechanism of Health Insurance Fraud in China: From the Perspective of the Tripartite Evolutionary Game
Authors: Fei Yun , Fu Yi , Yang Dong-xiao , Hu Chang-hao
Published: June 2022

The problem of fraud in China's health insurance has existed for a long time and is becoming more serious, which needs to be solved urgently. This article constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model to study the formation mechanism of the Health Insurance fraud, game participants including medical administrative organization (MAO, a government department responsible for health insurance supervision), medical institutions (MI, such as hospitals), and insured individuals (II, who participating in medical and healthcare insurance). By analyzing the equilibrium of the tripartite evolutionary game, this paper makes an in-depth study on the formation and resolution of health insurance fraud. The results show that: (1) How to prevent the fraud behavior of the medical institutions is the difficulty and core of the problem. It is necessary to achieve effective supervision of the MAO, improve the internal management of the MI and give play to the supervisory role of the II. (2) The regulatory behavior of the MAO needs to focus on protecting the interests of the II, not only to encourage them to actively play the role of supervision and reporting but also to prevent their collusion with MI. (3) On the one hand, the MAO needs to strengthen supervision and increase the punishment for fraud. On the other hand, they also need to take incentive measures to guide all subjects to form a sound internal management mechanism.
Scientists Spy on Treefrogs Using Plastic Pipes in Trees
Authors: Carlson Carolyn A. , Carlson Jane E.
Published: June 2022

Have you ever spied on a treefrog? These nocturnal creatures can be hard to observe, cloaking their lives in mystery. They hatch as legless swimmers but quickly transform into adults with camouflaged skin for daytime hiding and sticky toepads for hunting in tree branches by night. Yet even the most secretive, high-climbing treefrog cannot escape from pollution, new enemies, and habitat loss. Scientists want to know how treefrogs are coping with these threats, so we spy on them in a clever way: we hang small plastic pipes from trees, which mimic the dark cavities where treefrogs love to rest. Since 2011, we have counted treefrogs inside thousands of pipes, yet with so many mysteries, our work will continue for years. One pipe at a time, treefrogs are sharing their secrets about which threats harm them most, helping us better protect and manage the beautiful trees and waters they call home.
Electron Anisotropies in Magnetotail Dipolarization Events
Authors: Birn Joachim , Hesse Michael , Runov Andrei
Published: June 2022

Anisotropic electron distributions can be a major source of free energy for the generation of microinstabilities and waves. Here we investigate specifically anisotropies of the suprathermal electrons associated with dipolarization events in the geomagnetic tail. The investigation is based on an MHD simulation of magnetotail reconnection, flow bursts and dipolarization. This simulation is used to trace test particles in the electromagnetic fields of the MHD simulation and investigate their acceleration and contributions to flux increases. The simulated velocity distributions yield anisotropies which can be dominantly parallel (“cigar”-shaped), perpendicular (“pancake”-shaped) to the magnetic field, or a combination thereof (e.g., “rolling-pin”-shaped), depending on location, relative timing, and energy.
Effect of Bradyrhizobium japonicum Strains and Inorganic Nitrogen Fertilizer on the Growth and Yield of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc) Accessions
Authors: Bitire Tope Daniel , Abberton Michael , Oyatomi Olaniyi , Babalola Olubukola Oluranti
Published: June 2022

This study was set up to compare the inoculation of Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains and the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers (urea with 46% nitrogen) on the growth and yield of Bambara groundnut accessions. The study results suggest that the benefits of Bradyrhizobium japonicum (B. japonicum) strain inoculation are greater and that the strain could reduce reliance and the excess amount spent by farmers to procure inorganic fertilizers and avoid the negative effect of N fertilizer on the environment after its use. Field studies were conducted in two different geographical locations, in Ibadan (Ib) and Ikenne (Ik), Nigeria, during the rainy season between August and December in 2019 and 2020. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in both locations and seasons and was replicated three times, with each block representing each replicate. It had a 10 × 6 factorial arrangement with one block holding the 10 accessions of Bambara groundnut inoculated with four B. japonicum strains. The second block had N fertilizer application and the third control block was without inoculation or fertilizer application. The 10 accessions of Bambara groundnut used in the study were as follows: TVSu-378, TVSu-506, TVSu-787, TVSu-1606, TVSu-1698, TVSu-1739, TVSu-710, TVSu-365, TVSu-475, and TVSu-305. Six seeds of each accession were coated with each of the four B. japonicum strains, namely, FA3, USDA110, IRJ2180A, and RACA6, before planting them in the field in both locations during the rainy season. In the next block, urea as N fertilizer (46% nitrogen) was applied to the uninoculated seedlings of accessions of Bambara groundnut 2 weeks after planting (WAP). The third block was the control with zero inoculation and zero fertilizer application. Data collected were subjected to an analysis of variance and mean and were separated using Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at a p > 0.05 level of probability. It was found that FA3 inoculation significantly enhanced the growth traits of the accessions than other strains and N fertilizer application. In both locations and seasons, at 7 weeks after planting (WAP) and 12 WAP, plant height (19.54 and 22.71 cm), number of branches (33.63 and 62.77), number of leaves (116.54 and 209.25), terminal leaf length (5.62 and 6.00 cm), and width (2.09 and 2.56 cm) were recorded. The yield and yield components recorded at harvest were as follows: pod length (13.27 cm), pod width (9.08 mm), seed length (9.39 mm), seed width (6.92 mm), weight of 100 seeds (56.85 g), and yield/ha (750.72 kg). The yield and yield components were also significantly influenced by the inoculation of FA3 and RACA6 than other inoculated strains and N fertilizer application in both locations and seasons.
Case Report: Idiopathic Traumatic Neuroma of the Gallbladder Without Previous Surgery
Authors: Lin Tianyu , Bissessur Abdul Saad , Zhu Yingjie , Fukuyama Teruko , Ding Guoping , Cao Liping
Published: June 2022

Traumatic neuroma mostly results from nerve injury caused by surgery or trauma. Traumatic neuroma of the gallbladder without prior abdominal surgery is extremely rare, and we termed it “idiopathic traumatic neuroma of the gallbladder.” Due to its rarity and a lack of specific clinical and radiological features, it is most commonly misdiagnosed. In our case, the patient was admitted to our hospital for cholangiocarcinoma. Repeated abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans preoperatively indicated hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Due to insufficient future liver remnant, we planned preoperative percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage and percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization based on multidisciplinary team consultation. The patient was then admitted 1 month later for surgery. We performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and an extensive laparoscopic right hepatectomy as gallbladder carcinoma was strongly suspected intraoperatively. However, the final diagnosis was traumatic neuroma of the gallbladder confirmed by pathological examination. Traumatic neuroma of the gallbladder is very rare, and we hope to provide some references for diagnosis by reporting our case and reviewing the literature on this topic so that extensive treatment can be avoided, thus improving patients’ quality of life. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of traumatic neuroma without prior surgery in the English literature since 1996.
Rapid, Sensitive, and Species-Specific Detection of Conventional and Recombinant Herpesvirus of Turkeys Vaccines Using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Coupled With a Lateral Flow Device Readout
Authors: Mescolini Giulia , Baigent Susan J. , Catelli Elena , Nair Venugopal K.
Published: June 2022

Marek's disease, an economically important disease of chickens caused by virulent serotype 1 strains of the Mardivirus Marek's disease virus (MDV-1), is effectively controlled in the field by live attenuated vaccine viruses including herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT)—both conventional HVT (strain FC126) and, in recent years, recombinant HVT viruses carrying foreign genes from other avian viruses to protect against both Marek's disease and other avian viral diseases. Testing to monitor and confirm successful vaccination is important, but any such test must differentiate HVT from MDV-1 and MDV-2, as vaccination does not prevent infection with these serotypes. End-point and real-time PCR tests are widely used to detect and differentiate HVT, MDV-1 and MDV-2 but require expensive specialist laboratory equipment and trained operators. Here, we developed and validated two tube-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification tests coupled with detection by lateral flow device readout (LAMP-LFD): an HVT-specific test to detect both conventional and recombinant HVT strains, and a second test using novel LAMP primers to specifically detect the Vaxxitek® recombinant HVT. Specificity was confirmed using DNA extracted from virus-infected cultured cells, and limit of detection was determined using plasmid DNA carrying either the HVT or Vaxxitek® genome. The LAMP-LFD tests accurately detected all HVT vaccines, or Vaxxitek® only, in crude DNA as well as purified DNA extracted from field samples of organs, feathers, or poultry house dust that were confirmed positive for HVT by real-time PCR. These LAMP-LFD tests have potential for specific, rapid, simple, and inexpensive detection of HVT vaccines in the field.
Integrated Analysis of Transcriptome mRNA and miRNA Profiles Reveals Self-Protective Mechanism of Bovine MECs Induced by LPS
Authors: Chen Ling , Liu Xiaolin , Li Zhixiong , Wang Jian , Tian Rongfu , Zhang Huilin
Published: June 2022

Many studies have investigated the molecular crosstalk between mastitis-pathogens and cows by either miRNA or mRNA profiles. Here, we employed both miRNA and mRNA profiles to understand the mechanisms of the response of bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs) to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by RNA-Seq. The total expression level of miRNAs increased while mRNAs reduced after LPS treatment. About 41 differentially expressed mRNAs and 45 differentially expressed miRNAs involved in inflammation were screened out. We found the NFκB-dependent chemokine, CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL6, IL8, and CX3CL1 to be strongly induced. The anti-apoptosis was active because BCL2A1 and BIRC3 significantly increased with a higher expression. The effects of anti-microbe and inflammation were weakly activated because TNF, IL1, CCL20, CFB, S100A, MMP9, and NOS2A significantly increased but with a low expression, IL6 and β-defensin decreased. These activities were supervised by the NFKBIA to avoid excessive damage to bMECs. The bta-let-7a-5p, bta-miR-30a-5p, bta-miR-125b, and bta-miR-100 were essential to regulate infection process in bMECs after LPS induction. Moreover, the lactation potential of bMECs was undermined due to significantly downregulated SOSTDC1, WNT7B, MSX1, and bta-miR-2425-5p. In summary, bMECs may not be good at going head-to-head with the pathogens; they seem to be mainly charged with sending out signals for help and anti-apoptosis for maintaining lives after LPS induction.
Microbiome-Metabolome Responses in Ruminal Content and Feces of Lactating Dairy Cows With N-Carbamylglutamate Supplementation Under Heat Stress
Authors: Li Yan , Ma Ning , Ren Liyuan , Wang Meimei , Hu Linqi , Shen Yizhao , Cao Yufeng , Li Qiufeng , Li Jianguo , Gao Yanxia
Published: June 2022

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) supplementation on metabolic profile and microbiota in ruminal content and feces of lactating dairy cows under heat stress (HS). Forty-eight lactating Holstein cows (154 ± 13.6 days in milk) were assigned randomly to four treatments (n = 12), to receive 0, 15, 20, or 25 g/day of commercial NCG (proportion: 97.7%) for the period of 60 days. The recorded ambient temperature–humidity index (THI) suggested that the cows were exposed to HS for almost the entire experimental period (average THI: 80.6). Samples of ruminal content and feces were collected at the end of the trial (day 60) to determine the biological effects of NCG supplementation on metabolome and microbiota using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing techniques, respectively. Results showed that NCG supplementation enhanced the levels of ruminal microbial protein, total volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and the molar proportion of propionate in the rumen, but lowered the ruminal pH, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and the ratio of acetate to propionate. NCG at doses of 20 and 25 g/day reduced the community richness and diversity of ruminal microbiota with the decrease of Shannon and Simpson diversity. Compositions of ruminal and fecal microbiotas were altered by NCG, and the PICRUSt results revealed that metabolic pathways of the bacteria, such as amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and pyruvate metabolism, were enriched in NCG groups. Distinct changes in the metabolomic profile of ruminal fluid were observed between the control and NCG groups. Changes of 26 metabolites mainly involved in arginine metabolism, glutamate metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism were observed associated with NCG supplementation. These results provided new insights into the effects of NCG on metabolomic profile and microbiota in ruminal content and feces, and the optimal dose of NCG supplemented to dairy cows was 20 g/hd/day, which contributed to understanding the effects of NCG on HS in lactating dairy cows.