bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advances in ovarian cancer treatment using a combination of statins with other drugs
Authors: Xia Lei , Ding Shichao , Wang Xuezhen , Zhang Xiaoyu , Zhu Lin , Zhang Hairong , Li Huirong
Published: January 2023

New anti-cancer drugs are constantly being developed, especially targeted drugs. Although these drugs have achieved significant clinical efficacy, they do not play a significant role in ovarian cancer. Moreover, the research cycle and costs of such drugs are often huge. The repositioning of conventional drugs has gradually become a concern. Statins, as traditional lipid-lowering drugs, play a role mainly by inhibiting HMGCR. In recent years, epidemiological studies and in vitro experiments have confirmed its anti-cancer effect, especially the effect of anti-ovarian cancer. The mutation rate of TP53 in ovarian cancer is as high as 95%, while HMGCR is often highly expressed in TP53 mutant tumors. However, the effect of prospective clinical trials is not ideal. This result seems understandable considering that it seems unrealistic for a lipid-lowering drug to completely inhibit tumor growth. Therefore, statins play more synergistic roles in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Because ovarian cancer is a highly heterogeneous tumor, it may be a good choice to deeply understand the mechanism of statins in the treatment of ovarian cancer and achieve precise treatment by combining it with other drugs.
Farrerol prevents Angiotensin II-induced cardiac remodeling in vivo and in vitro
Authors: He Jian , Xu Dengyue , Wang Lu , Yu Xiaohong
Published: January 2023

Cardiovascular disease has become the primary disease that threatens human health and is considered the leading cause of death. Cardiac remodeling, which is associated with cardiovascular disease, mainly manifests as cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Farrerol plays an important role in treating conditions such as inflammation, endothelial injury and tumors, and we speculated that Farrerol may also play an important role in mitigating cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling. We established a model of myocardial remodeling using Angiotensin II (Ang II) with concurrent intraperitoneal injection of Farrerol as an intervention. We used cardiac ultrasound, immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence, Wheat Germ Agglutinin, Dihydroethidium, Western Blot, qPCR and other methods to detect the role of Farrerol in cardiac remodeling. The results showed that Farrerol inhibited Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy; decreased the ratio of heart weight to tibia length in mice; reduced inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidative stress; and reduced the size of cardiomyocytes in vivo. Farrerol inhibited Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, levels of oxidative stress, and the proliferation and migration of fibroblast in vitro. Our results revealed that Farrerol could inhibit Ang II-induced cardiac remodeling. Farrerol may therefore be a candidate drug for the treatment of myocardial remodeling.
Echinacoside exerts antidepressant-like effects through enhancing BDNF-CREB pathway and inhibiting neuroinflammation via regulating microglia M1/M2 polarization and JAK1/STAT3 pathway
Authors: Lu Renrui , Zhang Li , Wang Huihui , Li Meng , Feng Weisheng , Zheng Xiaoke
Published: January 2023

The present study was performed to investigate the antidepressant effect of echinacoside (ECH) using chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced depression mice and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated N9 microglial cells. CUMS treatment was performed on C57BL/6 mice for 28 days, followed by gavaging with different doses of echinacoside (15 and 60 mg/kg) for 21 consecutive days. Sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), tail suspension test (TST), and forced swimming test (FST) were measured to assess the effects of echinacoside on CUMS-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors. After that, the pathological changes of hippocampus were determined by Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining; the neurotransmitters, pro-inflammatory cytokines and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) levels, and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); Iba 1were evaluated by Immunofluorescence assay; Key protein expression levels of CREB/BDNF signal pathway were measured by western blotting. Subsequently, N9 cells were stimulated with 1 μg/ml LPS to induce N9 microglia activation, and were treated with 5–20 μM of echinacoside for 24 h. After that, the levels of NO, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-4, IL-10, and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in N9 cell culture supernatants were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits; morphology and Iba 1 expression level were observed by high-content screening assay; the M1 markers of CD11b, CD86 and M2 markers of CD206 were analyzed by imaging flow cytometry. Results show that treatment with echinacoside reversed CUMS-increased immobility time in OFT, TST, FST and reversed CUMS-reduced sucrose preference in SPT. In addition, echinacoside reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and Iba 1. Moreover, echinacoside significantly increased p-CREB/CREB ratio and BDNF level in hippocampus. Furthermore, echinacoside reduced the secretion of inflammatory factors and inhibited microglia M1 polarization in N9 cells. In conclusion, echinacoside may be beneficial for the treatment of depression diseases through regulating the microglia balance by inhibiting the polarization of microglia to M1 phenotype, and improving hippocampal neurogenesis by the CREB-BDNF signaling pathway.
Traversable Finslerian wormholes supported by phantom energy
Authors: Singh Ksh. Newton , Rahaman Farook , Deb Debabrata , Maurya S. K.
Published: January 2023

This paper supplements the article (Eur. Phys. J. C 76: 246, 2016) by extending some more new wormhole solutions in the background of Finslerian geometry. Here, we present six more solutions by considering i) a linear equation of state (EoS) pr = ωρ and three different shape functions, ii) a linear relationship between radial and tangential pressure as pt = npr with two different redshift functions and iii) a specific density profile with a linear equation of state pr = ωρ. It is found that all these wormholes are violating null energy condition (NEC) signifying that the throats are opened by exotic matters. Since the equation of state parameters, ω or ωr = pr/ρ for all the solutions are <−1, the corresponding exotic matter is none other than the phantom energy. Further, the two solutions in Case ii) are not asymptotically flat since limr→∞[b(r)/r]↛0. To make it asymptotically flat we matched it with the Schwarzschild vacuum.
Electronic transport and thermoelectric properties of phosphorene nanodisk under an electric field
Authors: Bazrafshan M. Amir , Khoeini Farhad
Published: January 2023

The Seebeck coefficient is an important quantity in determining the thermoelectric efficiency of a material. Phosphorene is a two-dimensional material with a puckered structure, which makes its properties anisotropic. In this work, a phosphorene nanodisk (PDisk) with a radius of 3.1 nm connected to two zigzag phosphorene nanoribbons is studied, numerically, by the tight-binding and non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) methods in the presence of transverse and perpendicular electric fields. Our results show that the change in structure from a zigzag ribbon to a disk form creates an energy gap in the structure, such that for a typical nanodisk with a radius of 3.1 nm, the size of the energy gap is 3.88 eV. Besides, with this change, the maximum Seebeck coefficient increases from 1.54 to 2.03 mV/K. Furthermore, we can control the electron transmission and Seebeck coefficients with the help of the electric fields. The numerical results show that with the increase of the electric field, the transmission coefficient decreases and the Seebeck coefficient changes. The effect of a perpendicular electric field on the Seebeck coefficient is weaker than a transverse electric field. For an applied transverse electric field of 0.3 V/nm, the maximum Seebeck coefficient enhances to 2.09 mV/K.
Weak magnetic fields modulate superoxide to control planarian regeneration
Authors: Kinsey Luke J. , Van Huizen Alanna V. , Beane Wendy S.
Published: January 2023

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling regulates cell behaviors and tissue growth in development, regeneration, and cancer. Commonly, ROS are modulated pharmacologically, which while effective comes with potential complications such as off-target effects and lack of drug tolerance. Thus, additional non-invasive therapeutic methods are necessary. Recent advances have highlighted the use of weak magnetic fields (WMFs, <1 mT) as one promising approach. We previously showed that 200 μT WMFs inhibit ROS formation and block planarian regeneration. However, WMF research in different model systems at various field strengths have produced a range of results that do not fit common dose response curves, making it unclear if WMF effects are predictable. Here, we test hypotheses based on spin state theory and the radical pair mechanism, which outlines how magnetic fields can alter the formation of radical pairs by changing electron spin states. This mechanism suggests that across a broad range of field strengths (0–900 μT) some WMF exposures should be able to inhibit while others promote ROS formation in a binary fashion. Our data reveal that WMFs can be used for directed manipulation of stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue growth in predictable ways for both loss and gain of function during regenerative growth. Furthermore, we examine two of the most common ROS signaling effectors, hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, to begin the identification and elucidation of the specific molecular targets by which WMFs affect tissue growth. Together, our data reveal that the cellular effects of WMF exposure are highly dependent on ROS, and we identify superoxide as a specific ROS being modulated. Altogether, these data highlight the possibilities of using WMF exposures to control ROS signaling in vivo and represent an exciting new area of research.
An ultrathin fiber-based fluorescent imaging probe based on hyperspectral imaging
Authors: Zhang Shuyan , Chua Jian Jun , Tang Wilbert Yao Hwee , Cheng Joseph Yong Xin , Li Xiuting , Olivo Malini
Published: January 2023

Most fluorescent imaging systems use pre-defined filter sets with limited flexibility in the choice of excitation and emission bands and suffer from crosstalk between different fluorophores for multiplexed imaging. When implemented in the context of optical fibers for biological imaging in a remote setting with space constraints, the size of the fiber probe is crucial. To overcome these challenges, we combined the merits of hyperspectral imaging and an ultrathin optical imaging fiber where fluorescent images at 311 spectral bands in the visible range were captured using a liquid crystal tunable filter with a fiber probe of 500 μm in diameter. Fluorescent experiments were performed on quantum dots mixtures and genetically modified E. coli bacteria mixtures to demonstrate the system’s capabilities for multiplexed imaging. Images were first processed using a Fourier transform filtering technique to remove the fiber core pattern artifact. Subsequently, the classification of different types of bacteria samples was calculated using two methods, namely, spectral unmixing with maximum abundance and spectral matching with minimum spectral angle distance. Finally, the spatial distributions of individual bacteria types were overlaid with the mixture image, and the two classification results matched well. A simple-to-use graphic user interface (GUI) platform for the hyperspectral imaging fiber probe system was developed which performs image processing and displays the classification results. The methods and results presented will appeal to the optical fiber-based imaging and hyperspectral imaging communities in general and have great potential for biological imaging applications.
Label-free multimodal non-linear optical imaging of three-dimensional cell cultures
Authors: Zhao Wenying , Sun Dingcheng , Yue Shuhua
Published: January 2023

3D cell cultures recapitulate tissue-specific diversity and better mimic the in vivo conditions compared to 2D cell cultures. Although confocal fluorescence microscopy is probably the most commonly used optical imaging technique to characterize 3D cell cultures, the limited imaging depth greatly hinders its application. Moreover, due to difficult diffusion of fluorescent probes into thick 3D cultures, the optical imaging techniques that rely on exogeneous fluorescent probes are not desirable. To address these problems, non-linear optical (NLO) microscopy uses near infrared light excitation to achieve significant larger imaging depth and gains molecular selectivity in a label-free manner. Taking advantages of 3D optical sectioning capability, submicron resolution, and high speed, label-free multimodal NLO microscopy has offered great promise for regenerative medicine, tumor microenvironment research, and drug discovery. This article overviews and discusses the latest applications of label-free multimodal NLO microscopy as an emerging platform to facilitate 3D cell culture research.
Effects of exogenous auxin on yield in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) when applied at the grain-filling stage
Authors: Feng Zhiwei , Zhao Jing , Nie Mengen , Qu Fei , Li Xin , Wang Juanling
Published: January 2023

Foxtail millet (Setaria italicaL.) is of high nutritious value, which is an important crop in arid and semi-arid regions. The objective of this experiment was to explore the effects of the synthetic auxin naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) on the physiological processes of foxtail millet, and to provide a theoretical basis and technical approaches for its efficient use in millet cultivation. Two foxtail millet varieties (‘Jingu 21’ and ‘Zhangzagu 5’) were treated with six concentrations of NAA from 0-144 mg L-1at the grain-filling stage in field experiments. The photosynthetic pigment contents, gas exchange parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and grain yield were measured in foxtail millet. The results showed that low concentrations of NAA (18-36 mg L-1) increased the contents of photosynthetic pigments, and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, the photosynthetic rate, and the activity of photosystem system II (PS II). At higher NAA concentrations, the facilitation effect of the treatments diminished, showing a clear concentration effect. In this study, yield was significantly and positively correlated with PS II effective quantum yield (Y(II)) and the PSII electron transport rate (ETR), and the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) was significantly and positively correlated with chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance (Gs), Y(II), and ETR. These results also indicated that exogenous NAA application promotes the production of ATP and NADPH by increasing the efficiency of electron transfer within the photosystems and also improved photochemical utilization, which facilitates the fixation and reduction of carbon, ultimately leading to an increase in Pn and increasing grain yield in foxtail millet.
The influence of light microclimate on the lipid profile and associated transcripts of photosynthetically active grape berry seeds
Authors: Garrido Andreia , Conde Artur , De Vos Ric C. H. , Cunha Ana
Published: January 2023

Lipids and oils determine the quality and industrial value of grape seeds. Studies with legume seeds demonstrated the influence of light on lipid metabolism and its association with seed photosynthesis. Grape berry seeds are photosynthetically active till mature stage, but mostly during the green stage and veraison. The objective of this work was to compare the lipid profiles of seeds from white grape berries (cv. Alvarinho) growing at two contrasting light microclimates in the canopy (low and high light, LL and HL respectively), previously reported to have distinct photosynthetic competences. Berries were collected at three developmental stages (green, veraison and mature) and from both microclimates, and the seeds were analyzed for their lipid profiles in an untargeted manner using liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LCMS). The seed lipid profiles differed greatly among berry developmental stages, and to a lesser extend between microclimates. The LL microclimate coincided with a higher relative levels of fatty acids specifically at mature stage, while the HL microclimate led to an up-regulation of ceramides at green stage and of triacylglycerols and glycerophospholipids at mature stage. The seed transcript levels of four key genes (VvACCase1, VvΔ9FAD, VvFAD6 and VvLOXO) involved in fatty acid metabolism were analyzed using real-time qPCR. The lipoxygenase gene (VvLOXO) was down- and up-regulated by HL, as compared to LL, in seeds at green and veraison stages, respectively. These results suggest that seed photosynthesis may play distinct roles during seed growth and development, possibly by fueling different lipid pathways: at green stage mainly towards the accumulation of membrane-bound lipid species that are essential for cell growth and maintenance of the photosynthetic machinery itself; and at veraison and mature stages mainly towards storage lipids that contribute to the final quality of the grape seeds.
Root pruning improves maize water-use efficiency by root water absorption
Authors: Yan Minfei , Zhang Cong , Li Hongbing , Zhang Li , Ren Yuanyuan , Chen Yinglong , Cai Huanjie , Zhang Suiqi
Published: January 2023

Root systems are an important component of plants that impact crop water-use efficiency (WUE) and yield. This study examined the effects of root pruning on maize yield, WUE, and water uptake under pot and hydroponic conditions. The pot experiment showed that root pruning significantly decreased root/shoot ratio. Both small root pruning (cut off about 1/5 of the root system, RP1) and large root pruning (cut off about 1/3 of the root system, RP2) improved WUE and root hydraulic conductivity (Lpr) in the residual root system. Compared with that in the un-cut control, at the jointing stage, RP1 and RP2 increased Lpr by 43.9% and 31.5% under well-watered conditions and 27.4% and 19.8% under drought stress, respectively. RP1 increased grain yield by 12.9% compared with that in the control under well-watered conditions, whereas both pruning treatments did not exhibit a significant effect on yield under drought stress. The hydroponic experiment demonstrated that root pruning did not reduce leaf water potential but increased residual root hydraulic conductivity by 26.2% at 48 h after root pruning under well-watered conditions. The foregoing responses may be explained by the upregulation of plasma membrane intrinsic protein gene and increases in abscisic acid and jasmonic acid in roots. Increased auxin and salicylic acid contributed to the compensated lateral root growth. In conclusion, root pruning improved WUE in maize by root water uptake.
CACPU-Net: Channel attention U-net constrained by point features for crop type mapping
Authors: Bian Yuan , Li LinHui , Jing WeiPeng
Published: January 2023

Crop type mapping is an indispensable topic in the agricultural field and plays an important role in agricultural intelligence. In crop type mapping, most studies focus on time series models. However, in our experimental area, the images of the crop harvest stage can be obtained from single temporal remote sensing images. Only using single temporal data for crop type mapping can reduce the difficulty of dataset production. In addition, the model of single temporal crop type mapping can also extract the spatial features of crops more effectively. In this work, we linked crop type mapping with 2D semantic segmentation and designed CACPU-Net based on single-source and single-temporal autumn Sentinel-2 satellite images. First, we used a shallow convolutional neural network, U-Net, and introduced channel attention mechanism to improve the model’s ability to extract spectral features. Second, we presented the Dice to compute loss together with cross-entropy to mitigate the effects of crop class imbalance. In addition, we designed the CP module to additionally focus on hard-to-classify pixels. Our experiment was conducted on BeiDaHuang YouYi of Heilongjiang Province, which mainly grows rice, corn, soybean, and other economic crops. On the dataset we collected, through the 10-fold cross-validation experiment under the 8:1:1 dataset splitting scheme, our method achieved 93.74% overall accuracy, higher than state-of-the-art models. Compared with the previous model, our improved model has higher classification accuracy on the parcel boundary. This study provides an effective end-to-end method and a new research idea for crop type mapping. The code and the trained model are available on https://github.com/mooneed/CACPU-Net.
Large-scale analyses of angiosperm Flowering Locus T genes reveal duplication and functional divergence in monocots
Authors: Liu Hongling , Liu Xing , Chang Xiaojun , Chen Fei , Lin Zhenguo , Zhang Liangsheng
Published: January 2023

FLOWERING LOCUS T(FT) are well-known key genes for initiating flowering in plants. Delineating the evolutionary history and functional diversity ofFTgenes is important for understanding the diversification of flowering time and how plants adapt to the changing surroundings. We performed a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis ofFTgenes in 47 sequenced flowering plants and the 1,000 Plant Transcriptomes (1KP) database with a focus on monocots, especially cereals. We revealed the evolutionary history ofFTgenes. TheFTgenes in monocots can be divided into three clades (I, II, and III), whereas only one monophyletic group was detected in early angiosperms, magnoliids, and eudicots. Multiple rounds of whole-genome duplications (WGD) events followed by gene retention contributed to the expansion and variation ofFTgenes in monocots. Amino acid sites in the clade II and III genes were preferentially under high positive selection, and some sites located in vital domain regions are known to change functions when mutated. Clade II and clade III genes exhibited high variability in important regions and functional divergence compared with clade I genes; thus, clade I is more conserved than clade II and III. Genes in clade I displayed higher expression levels in studied organs and tissues than the clade II and III genes. The co-expression modules showed that some of theFTgenes might have experienced neofunctionalization and subfunctionalization, such as the acquisition of environmental resistance. Overall,FTgenes in monocots might form three clades by the ancient gene duplication, and each clade was subsequently subjected to different selection pressures and amino acid substitutions, which eventually led to different expression patterns and functional diversification. Our study provides a global picture ofFTgenes’ evolution in monocots, paving a road for investigatingFTgenes’ function in future.
Whole genome resequencing identifies candidate genes and allelic diagnostic markers for resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum infection in cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Authors: Zhang Chong , Xie Wenping , Fu Huiwen , Chen Yuting , Chen Hua , Cai Tiecheng , Yang Qiang , Zhuang Yuhui , Zhong Xin , Chen Kun , Gao Meijia , Liu Fengzhen , Wan Yongshan , Pandey Manish K. , Varshney Rajeev K. , Zhuang Weijian
Published: January 2023

Bacterial wilt disease (BWD), caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a major challenge for peanut production in China and significantly affects global peanut field productivity. It is imperative to identify genetic loci and putative genes controlling resistance to R. solanacearum (RRS). Therefore, a sequencing-based trait mapping approach termed “QTL-seq” was applied to a recombination inbred line population of 581 individuals from the cross of Yueyou 92 (resistant) and Xinhuixiaoli (susceptible). A total of 381,642 homozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 98,918 InDels were identified through whole genome resequencing of resistant and susceptible parents for RRS. Using QTL-seq analysis, a candidate genomic region comprising of 7.2 Mb (1.8–9.0 Mb) was identified on chromosome 12 which was found to be significantly associated with RRS based on combined Euclidean Distance (ED) and SNP-index methods. This candidate genomic region had 180 nonsynonymous SNPs and 14 InDels that affected 75 and 11 putative candidate genes, respectively. Finally, eight nucleotide binding site leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) putative resistant genes were identified as the important candidate genes with high confidence. Two diagnostic SNP markers were validated and revealed high phenotypic variation in the different resistant and susceptible RIL lines. These findings advocate the expediency of the QTL-seq approach for precise and rapid identification of candidate genomic regions, and the development of diagnostic markers that are applicable in breeding disease-resistant peanut varieties.
The intertwining of Zn-finger motifs and abiotic stress tolerance in plants: Current status and future prospects
Authors: Moulick Debojyoti , Bhutia Karma Landup , Sarkar Sukamal , Roy Anirban , Mishra Udit Nandan , Pramanick Biswajit , Maitra Sagar , Shankar Tanmoy , Hazra Swati , Skalicky Milan , Brestic Marian , Barek Viliam , Hossain Akbar
Published: January 2023

Environmental stresses such as drought, high salinity, and low temperature can adversely modulate the field crop’s ability by altering the morphological, physiological, and biochemical processes of the plants. It is estimated that about 50% + of the productivity of several crops is limited due to various types of abiotic stresses either presence alone or in combination (s). However, there are two ways plants can survive against these abiotic stresses; a) through management practices and b) through adaptive mechanisms to tolerate plants. These adaptive mechanisms of tolerant plants are mostly linked to their signalling transduction pathway, triggering the action of plant transcription factors and controlling the expression of various stress-regulated genes. In recent times, several studies found that Zn-finger motifs have a significant function during abiotic stress response in plants. In the first report, a wide range of Zn-binding motifs has been recognized and termed Zn-fingers. Since the zinc finger motifs regulate the function of stress-responsive genes. The Zn-finger was first reported as a repeated Zn-binding motif, comprising conserved cysteine (Cys) and histidine (His) ligands, in Xenopus laevis oocytes as a transcription factor (TF) IIIA (or TFIIIA). In the proteins where Zn2+ is mainly attached to amino acid residues and thus espousing a tetrahedral coordination geometry. The physical nature of Zn-proteins, defining the attraction of Zn-proteins for Zn2+, is crucial for having an in-depth knowledge of how a Zn2+ facilitates their characteristic function and how proteins control its mobility (intra and intercellular) as well as cellular availability. The current review summarized the concept, importance and mechanisms of Zn-finger motifs during abiotic stress response in plants.
Identification and gene expression analysis of cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase and demethylase genes in Amaranthus cruentus L. under heavy metal stress
Authors: Lancíková Veronika , Kačírová Jana , Hricová Andrea
Published: January 2023

Amaranth has become increasingly popular due to its highly nutritious grains and ability to tolerate environmental stress. The mechanism underlying defense and adaptation to environmental stress is a complicated process involving DNA methylation and demethylation. These epigenetic features have been well documented to play an important role in plant stress response, including heavy metal-induced stress. This study was aimed at the identification and analysis of cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase (C5-MTase) and demethylase (DMTase) genes in Amaranthus cruentus. Eight C5-MTase and two DMTase genes were identified and described in response to individual heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Mn) and their combination (Cd/Pb, Cd/Zn, Pb/Zn) in root and leaf tissues. Studied heavy metals, individually and in combinations, differentially regulated C5-MTase and DMTase gene expression. Interestingly, most of the genes were transcriptionally altered under Zn exposure. Our results suggest that identified amaranth MTase and DMTase genes are involved in heavy metal stress responses through regulating DNA methylation and demethylation level in amaranth plants.
Genome-wide association study of yield-related traits in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under normal and drought treatment conditions
Authors: Zhao Jie , Sun Lijing , Gao Huimin , Hu Mengyun , Mu Liming , Cheng Xiaohu , Wang Jianbing , Zhao Yun , Li Qianying , Wang Peinan , Li Hui , Zhang Yingjun
Published: January 2023

The primary goal of modern wheat breeding is to develop new high-yielding and widely adaptable varieties. We analyzed four yield-related agronomic traits in 502 wheat accessions under normal conditions (NC) and drought treatment (DT) conditions over three years. The genome-wide association analysis identified 51 yield-related and nine drought-resistance-related QTL, including 13 for the thousand-grain weight (TGW), 30 for grain length (GL), three for grain width (GW), five for spike length (SL) and nine for stress tolerance index (STI) QTL in wheat. These QTL, containing 72 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), explained 2.23 – 7.35% of the phenotypic variation across multiple environments. Eight stable SNPs on chromosomes 2A, 2D, 3B, 4A, 5B, 5D, and 7D were associated with phenotypic stability under NC and DT conditions. Two of these stable SNPs had association with TGW and STI. Several novel QTL for TGW, GL and SL were identified on different chromosomes. Three linked SNPs were transformed into kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers. These results will facilitate the discovery of promising SNPs for yield-related traits and/or drought stress tolerance and will accelerate the development of new wheat varieties with desirable alleles.
What future are you talking about? Efficacy of Life Design Psy-Lab, as career guidance intervention, to support university students’ needs during COVID-19 emergency
Authors: Camussi Elisabetta , Meneghetti Daria , Sbarra Maria Luisa , Rella Riccardo , Grigis Paolo , Annovazzi Chiara
Published: January 2023

The pandemic increased world’s uncertainty, and led to deep change in daily habits, generating disorientation, and inevitably affecting people life and professional plans. Young adults and students’ future perspective and satisfaction with life were widely affected, especially for those facing school/ work transitions. Nevertheless, it was of primary importance for career guidance psychologists to intervene to support students despite having to navigate “on sight” and with little literature available. This paper will thus describe how the Life Design Psy-Lab, a career guidance service from Bicocca University (Milan, Italy) implemented a thematic online group intervention with 103 students enrolled. The intervention was based on the theoretical model of Life Design and was performed by career counselling psychologists. The intervention’s goal was to foster students’ development of skills and mindset to face complexity and unpredictability, shifting their time perception from an uncertain present to a more optimistic future scenario. The intervention’s impact was assessed using pre and post online questionnaires. Results show how students increased their precepted level in a set of skills to face change and complexity after participating to the intervention. In more detail, students’ precepted levels of career adaptability, courage, time perspective and resilience rose. Also, data show how the intervention strengthened students’ life satisfaction. This paper will thus contribute to expand the growing yet still newborn set of knowledge about career guidance interventions in times of COVID-19 emergency, specifically addressing the issue of design interventions that can improve young adults’ skills to visualize and project present and future for themselves, especially during uncertain times.
Measurement invariance of the comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire in dual-earner parents with adolescent children in Chile
Authors: Del Valle Carola , Miranda Horacio , Orellana Ligia , Grunert Klaus G. , Schnettler Berta
Published: January 2023

The Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ) has been evaluated in international studies, but the evaluation of its psychometric properties in Spanish, and in particular for parents of adolescents is still limited, and the invariance of measurement according to gender has not been evaluated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: (1) To adapt the five-factor model of the CFPQ instrument to Spanish; (2) To examine the psychometric properties of this adaptation; and (3) To evaluate the measurement invariance of the model to verify the equivalence of measurement of the perceptions of food parenting practices between mothers and fathers belonging to nuclear, dual-earner families with adolescent children. Participants were 946 mothers and fathers from Southern Chile. Results showed that the conceptual equivalence for the CFPQ was achieved. An exploratory factor analysis was performed for a five-factor model: Monitoring, Child control, Restriction for weight control, Modeling and Environment. Horn’s parallel analysis identified four factors, while factor loading analysis determined the removal of the environment factor. Confirmatory factor analysis presented good reliability values. Convergent and discriminant validity was confirmed, and medium-to-high levels of goodness of fit were obtained, eliminating two items. Results supported a final model of four factors and 19 items. Multigroup analysis of the measurement model verified the configural and metric invariance between fathers and mothers, while the scalar and strict partial invariance was verified. These findings are a relevant guide to measure factorial scores in the four-factor model of the CFPQ, establishing a characterization of feeding practices of parents and adolescents.
Reproducibility of the brief religious coping inventory with African athletes’ sample using ordinal factor analytical approach
Authors: Agormedah Edmond Kwesi , Quansah Frank , Srem-Sai Medina , Ankomah Francis , Hagan John Elvis , Schack Thomas
Published: January 2023

Background

Previous studies have revealed that religious coping strategy is common among athletes due to the stressful experiences before and during competitions as part of the mental preparations they go through, the uncertainty of sporting outcomes, and other organizational issues they encounter. This research assessed the reproducibility of the Brief Religious Coping (RCOPE) instrument in an African setting using athletes’ samples from different countries. Particularly, the research sought to assess the (1) factor structure of Brief RCOPE with an African sample, (2) construct validity of the RCOPE measure, and (3) measurement invariance of the RCOPE instrument based on gender and nationality.

Methods

The study surveyed a convenient sample of 300 athletes, including 164 male and 136 female athletes, from 3 African countries (Benin, Ghana, and Nigeria) who participated in the 2018 West African University Games. The Brief RCOPE instrument was administered to the athletes for validation purposes before the competition. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using the ordinal factor analytic approach.

Results

This validation study confirmed the two-factor dimension (positive and negative religious coping) of the Brief RCOPE measure. Further, all items for each of the dimensions of the inventory contributed significantly to the measure of the Brief RCOPE domains. The positive and negative religious coping dimensions contributed more than half of the variance of their respective indicators. Measurement invariance across gender and nationality was confirmed.

Conclusion

Sufficient evidence was gathered to support the interpretation and use of the Brief RCOPE measure. Coaches and sports psychologists could adopt the Brief RCOPE measure to understand the mental or thought patterns of religious athletes based on existential concerns or stress accrued from impending competitions to inform appropriate religious coping interventions. This notwithstanding, the Minimum Clinical Important Difference (MCID) of the Brief RCOPE should be further investigated to enhance the utility of the instrument for use in intervention-based studies.
Post-traumatic stress disorders among children and adolescents in conflict-affected zones of Amhara region, February 2022
Authors: Biset Gebeyaw , Goshiye Debrnesh , Melesse Negesse , Tsehay Mekonnen
Published: January 2023

Background

To date, conflict is causing extreme social crises worldwide, with children representing the most vulnerable group, often experiencing severe trauma and violence in conflict-ridden areas. Posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSDs) are the most widely reported psychological problem in the aftermath of conflict. However, less attention has been given to children living in conflict-prone areas of the world.

Objective

The present study aimed to assess posttraumatic stress disorders among children and adolescents in conflict-affected zones of the Amhara region in Ethiopia from January to February 2022.

Method

A community-based cross-sectional study was employed from January to February 2022. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participants. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was designed to collect the desired data. Data were verified, coded, and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 24 statistical software.

Result

A total of 846 children with a response rate of 94.33% were screened for trauma. Subsequently, 557 (69.80%) children had experienced trauma. Of these 557 children who had experienced trauma, 203 (36.45%) developed posttraumatic stress disorders. Based on these results, this study recommends that mass screening of children and adolescents for posttraumatic stress disorders and rehabilitation services be undertaken, including resilience training and psychosocial support.
No common factor for illusory percepts, but a link between pareidolia and delusion tendency: A test of predictive coding theory
Authors: Lhotka Magdalena , Ischebeck Anja , Helmlinger Birgit , Zaretskaya Natalia
Published: January 2023

Predictive coding theory is an influential view of perception and cognition. It proposes that subjective experience of the sensory information results from a comparison between the sensory input and the top-down prediction about this input, the latter being critical for shaping the final perceptual outcome. The theory is able to explain a wide range of phenomena extending from sensory experiences such as visual illusions to complex pathological states such as hallucinations and psychosis. In the current study we aimed at testing the proposed connection between different phenomena explained by the predictive coding theory by measuring the manifestation of top-down predictions at progressing levels of complexity, starting from bistable visual illusions (alternating subjective experience of the same sensory input) and pareidolias (alternative meaningful interpretation of the sensory input) to self-reports of hallucinations and delusional ideations in everyday life. Examining the correlation structure of these measures in 82 adult healthy subjects revealed a positive association between pareidolia proneness and a tendency for delusional ideations, yet without any relationship to bistable illusions. These results show that only a subset of the phenomena that are explained by the predictive coding theory can be attributed to one common underlying factor. Our findings thus support the hierarchical view of predictive processing with independent top-down effects at the sensory and cognitive levels.
Improving quality of teaching and child development: A randomised controlled trial of the leadership for learning intervention in preschools
Authors: Siraj Iram , Melhuish Edward , Howard Steven J. , Neilsen-Hewett Cathrine , Kingston Denise , De Rosnay Marc , Huang Runke , Gardiner Julian , Luu Betty
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Substantial research indicates that high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) confers a wide range of benefits for children, yet quality in ECEC remains inconsistent. Given the variability in training and qualifications, one strategy for improving ECEC quality is in-service professional development (PD).

Methods

The current study evaluated an evidence-based in-service PD programme, Leadership for Learning, via a cluster randomised controlled trial involving 83 ECEC services and 1,346 children in their final year of pre-school.

Results

Results indicated significant improvements in teaching quality across treatment centres and child development outcomes in language, numeracy and social-emotional development.

Discussion

This study provides strong support for making evidence-informed PD routinely available for ECEC practitioners.
Analysis of the rate of working women’s acceptance of partner violence and cultural reflections in Cypriot society
Authors: Başak Neşe , Bulut Serin Nergüz
Published: January 2023

This case study aims to measure the level of acceptance of violence among women and couples and to reveal the level of acceptance within and outside the families of women who have participated in working life. The concepts of anger and violence, physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and economic violence, which are the sub-components of violence, violence in dating, and marital relations are examined separately according to Feminism and Social Learning Theory approaches. The Working Group was formed by applying questionnaires to 50 participants from the cities of Kyrenia, Güzelyurt, Lefke, Nicosia, and Magusa and determining the 20 participants with the highest level of acceptance of violence. The 11 people who agreed to the study were interviewed for a Dec of 1 week and 5 sessions ranging from 20 to 30 min. It is observed that women who are subjected to violence have a deep sense of helplessness and accept their helplessness, as well as those women resort to various passive solutions, such as silence and avoiding attitudes that make their partner angrier. The sense of helplessness, as a result of chronic depression, makes it inevitable to experience suicide cases. This study will be particularly important in terms of revealing the levels of domestic and non-family violence exposure and acceptance of violence by women who have participated in working life.
The strategies of exercise intervention for adolescent depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Zhang Chang Sheng , Cheng Liang , Chen Xiaoan , Wang Yi , Wei Shuguang , Sun Jinxiu
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise intervention, and analyze exercise intervention strategies for adolescent depression through a meta-analysis of RCTs.

Methods

Accordance to PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Medline, EBSCO, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, ProQuest, and CNKI were searched for eligible records. Peer-reviewed studies were included if they met the following criteria: population (mean age of 10–18 years), intervention (physical activity, sport, or exercise), and outcomes (depression, adherence, ITT, dropout, adverse events, follow-up report). The protocol of this systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022321683). Effect sizes calculations and methodological quality of exercise intervention (TESTEX scale) were carried out. The certainty of evidence was assessed by GRADE framework.

Results

Thirteen randomized controlled trials were eligible for this review, which comprised a total of 433 adolescents. Compared with the control treatment, the effect of exercise on adolescent depression was moderate (SMD = −0.65, 95%CI: −1.03 to −0.27, p < 0.01). Heterogeneity was substantial (T2 = 0.30, I2 = 67%, p < 0.01). The moderating effect analysis showed that exercise intervention characteristics (organization form, exercise frequency, exercise intensity, exercise type, and single exercise session duration) of included studies varied greatly revealing multiple factors that may impact the antidepressant effect of exercise on adolescent depression (I2 > 50%, p < 0.05). Three studies show that the positive effect of exercise on reducing depression in adolescents remained 40 weeks after the intervention. Moreover, owing to the included studies contained methodological limitations, the certainty of evidence was reduced to moderate level.

Conclusion

This study shows that exercise intervention has a moderate and sustained positive effect on adolescent depression. Our results recommended that adolescents with depression undertake moderate to high intensity group mixed exercise for more than 12 weeks, 20 to 60 min/time, more than 3 times/week. Additionally, our study also shows that the antidepressant effects remained for a long time after the end of exercise interventions. However, following the GRADE framework, we rated the certainty of evidence the primary meta-analysis as moderate evidence due to some limitations of included studies. Therefore, rigorous studies are still needed to verify the results.

Systematic review registration

[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=321683], identifier [CRD42022321683].
The role of organizational citizenship behavior and patriotism in sustaining public health employees’ performance
Authors: Rizaie Mohammad Eqbal , Horsey Emmanuel Mensah , Ge Zhangzhi , Ahmad Nisar
Published: January 2023

Employee performance during health crises is currently one of the most alarming global concerns. Owing to its significance, scholars assessed factors that improve such performance. However, such improvements in performance require public health employees’ discretionary behavior. We investigate the impact of organizational citizenship behavior and patriotism on employee performance, shifting the focus of the healthcare industry’s employee performance conversation to how it can be sustained. We used cross-section data from 541 Chinese public health employees who made up the final sample in this study, which has been shown to be appropriate for investigations utilizing a quantitative method. The results of our empirical analysis demonstrate that organizational citizenship behavior positively contributes to sustaining employee performance. We found the same to be true about the positive mediating effect of patriotism on the aforementioned relationship. The findings offer insights into how a country’s performance at both local and international levels propels and sustains the job performance of its citizenry. Thus, governments should be more efficient and ensure they maintain a robust institutional environment. This study provides theoretical and empirical evidence based on a research survey of the roles of organizational citizenship behavior and patriotism that sustain employee performance in China’s public health sector, in particular during health crises.