bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morpho-physiological growth performance and phytoremediation capabilities of selected xerophyte grass species toward Cr and Pb stress
Authors: Farooq Taimoor Hassan , Rafay Muhammad , Basit Hamza , Shakoor Awais , Shabbir Rubab , Riaz Muhammad Umair , Ali Baber , Kumar Uttam , Qureshi Kamal Ahmad , Jaremko Mariusz
Published: September 2022

Being sessile organisms, plants cannot escape unwanted changes in the environment. The rapid human population explosion caused significant environmental problems. Heavy metals produced through various sources can cause severe damage to living organisms. The study was planned to evaluate four grass species’ morpho-physiological growth characteristics and phytoremediation capabilities under chromium (Cr) and lead stress (Pb) in the arid climate. Typha angustifolia, Tragus roxburghii, Aeluropus logopoides, and Cenchrus ciliaris grass species were used for the study. One-year-old stubbles from the Cholistan desert were used for the experiment. Cr treatments in the form of K2Cr2O7 were applied at 0, 20, 40, and 80 mg L–1, whereas Pb was applied as PbCl2 at 0, 50, 200, and 500 mg L–1 as control, low, moderate and high-stress, respectively. After 6 weeks of heavy metals treatments, plants were harvested and analyzed for growth performance and phytoremediation capabilities. Results depicted that, regarding morphological attributes, T. angustifolia performed better, followed by C. ciliaris; no clear pattern was observed for T. roxburghii and A. logopoides. The CO2 assimilation rate (Co2d) and water use efficiency (WUE) increased as the heavy metal stress increased in all species under both metals. In contrast, total chlorophyll content was higher under low stress. Other physiological parameters, such as relative humidity (RHd), net photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (Gs), leaf internal CO2 concentration (Ci) and membrane stability index (MSI) gradually decreased as the Cr, and Pb stress levels increased among all the species. Moreover, Cr and Pb absorption contents of T. angustifolia were higher than the other three species at each stress level. Overall, T. angustifolia thrived against heavy metals stress and showed higher biomass, maximum photosynthetic measurements, WUE and higher metal absorption among all the selected species. Results concluded that although all the selected species behaved fine under stress conditions, T. angustifolia performance was better; thus, it can be used to remediate the soil near industrial estates.
Tissue-specific transcriptomic analysis uncovers potential roles of natural antisense transcripts in Arabidopsis heat stress response
Authors: Jin Jingjing , Ohama Naohiko , He Xiujing , Wu Hui-Wen , Chua Nam-Hai
Published: September 2022

Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are an important class of non-coding ribonucleic acids (RNAs) that have been shown to regulate gene expression. Using strand-specific RNA sequencing, 36,317 NAT pairs were identified, and 5,536 were specifically expressed under heat stress. We found distinct expression patterns between vegetative and reproductive tissues for both coding genes and genes encoding NATs. Genes for heat-responsive NATs are associated with relatively high levels of H3K4me3 and low levels of H3K27me2/3. On the other hand, small RNAs are significantly enriched in sequence overlapping regions of NAT pairs, and a large number of heat-responsive NATs pairs serve as potential precursors of nat-siRNAs. Collectively, our results suggest epigenetic modifications and small RNAs play important roles in the regulation of NAT expression, and highlight the potential significance of heat-inducible NATs.
Job satisfaction and burnout of psychiatric nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in China—the moderation of family support
Authors: Jin Rui
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The study aimed at investigating the state of psychiatric nurses’ job satisfaction, job burnout, and the moderating effect of family support between them in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

Online self-report questionnaires were distributed and 212 psychiatric nurses participated in the research. Pearson correlation analysis, multiple stepwise regression analysis, and simple slope test were used for data analysis.

Results

The results showed that the status of their job satisfaction (53.67 ± 10.72) and burnout (33.62 ± 13.84) did not reach a satisfactory level and job satisfaction had a significant negative impact on job burnout. Meanwhile, family support played a negative moderating role between the two variables.

Conclusion

Psychiatric nurses suffered from job burnout in China during the COVID-19. Family support could have a counterproductive effect when the nurses were experiencing decreasing job satisfaction. It gave suggestions to the medical institutions and the government to improve the psychological well-being of the psychiatric nurses and even of all the medical staff.
Role of celebrity endorsement in promoting employees’ organization identification: A brand-based perspective
Authors: Abdullah Muhammad , Ghazanfar Sidra , Ummar Rakhshan , Shabbir Rizwan
Published: September 2022

Celebrity endorsement has been used for decades to promote products to consumers. As employees are one of the primary stakeholders and are known as second consumers, their concerns about celebrity endorsement effectiveness and pride need attention for building their identification with an organization. This study investigated the internal branding process by examining employees’ brand orientation, celebrity-organization value congruence, and the accuracy of employee portrayal. Data are collected from a leading multinational bank in Pakistan through a structured questionnaire. The results of the study showed that when employees felt celebrity endorsement matched organizational values, the celebrity successfully portrayed actual corporate values. Thus, employees believed that endorsement effectively gained consumers’ attention and built a strong corporate image. The study affirmed that employees’ sense of pride toward their organization motivates them to identify with it. Furthermore, the results showed that value congruence mediates the relationship between brand orientation and endorsement effectiveness, while pride mediates the relationship between endorsement effectiveness and organization identification. Service organizations could use brand orientation to gain accurate employee portrayal that revives their pride and attachment with the organization and enhances corporate identification. The future directions and limitations are discussed.
Exploring the value of organizational support, engagement, and psychological wellbeing in the volunteer context
Authors: Dekel Grace , Geldenhuys Madelyn , Harris Jemma
Published: September 2022

In Australia, young adults are more likely to experience psychological distress than other age-groups. Accordingly, volunteer work engagement may act as an important tool for supporting psychological wellbeing. The present study relies on the job demands–resources model and self-determination theory to help understand the negative consequences of high work demands and the importance of effective organizational support to enhance positive mental health outcomes. To address research gaps, the current study explores these concepts for the young adulthood cohort in not-for-profit organizations. The study aims to explore the relationship between psychological wellbeing, volunteer work engagement, and perceived organizational support. The study used a quantitative, cross-lagged, longitudinal method for collecting data from two online surveys completed 4 weeks apart. The inclusion criteria of participants were volunteers who worked a minimum of 4 h a month (on average), resided in Australia, and were between 19 and 40 years old (N = 202). The main study findings were that perceived organizational support mediated the relationship between psychological wellbeing at time point 1 and volunteer engagement at time point 2. However, perceived organizational support did not mediate volunteer engagement at time point 1 and psychological wellbeing at time point 2. There were no bidirectional effects between volunteer engagement and psychological wellbeing. The findings contributed to the existing literature, suggesting there are overlaps between support mechanisms and motivation between paid and unpaid work. The practical implications for not-for-profit organizations are the importance of providing organizational support for young adult volunteers to improve wellbeing outcomes. Limitations and future study recommendations are presented.
Graph structure analysis of speech production among second language learners of Spanish and Chinese
Authors: Botezatu Mona Roxana , Weissheimer Janaina , Ribeiro Marina , Guo Taomei , Finger Ingrid , Mota Natalia Bezerra
Published: September 2022

Language experience shapes the gradual maturation of speech production in both native (L1) and second (L2) languages. Structural aspects like the connectedness of spontaneous narratives reveal this maturation progress in L1 acquisition and, as it does not rely on semantics, it could also reveal structural pattern changes during L2 acquisition. The current study tested whether L2 lexical retrieval associated with vocabulary knowledge could impact the global connectedness of narratives during the initial stages of L2 acquisition. Specifically, the study evaluated the relationship between graph structure (long-range recurrence or connectedness) and L2 learners’ oral production in the L2 and L1. Seventy-nine college-aged students who were native speakers of English and had received classroom instruction in either L2-Spanish or L2-Chinese participated in this study. Three tasks were used: semantic fluency, phonemic fluency and picture description. Measures were operationalized as the number of words per minute in the case of the semantic and phonemic fluency tasks. Graph analysis was carried out for the picture description task using the computational tool SpeechGraphs to calculate connectedness. Results revealed significant positive correlations between connectedness in the picture description task and measures of speech production (number of correct responses per minute) in the phonemic and semantic fluency tasks. These correlations were only significant for the participants’ L2- Spanish and Chinese. Results indicate that producing low connectedness narratives in L2 may be a marker of the initial stages of L2 oral development. These findings are consistent with the pattern reported in the early stages of L1 literacy. Future studies should further explore the interactions between graph structure and second language production proficiency, including more advanced stages of L2 learning and considering the role of cognitive abilities in this process.
Effect of e-service quality on customer engagement behavior in community e-commerce
Authors: Fan Wenfang , Shao Bingjia , Dong Xiaohua
Published: September 2022

Customer engagement behavior is a critical success factor for community e-commerce. While many community e-commerce websites are currently improving service quality to enhance customer engagement behavior, little is known about how such e-services affect customer engagement behavior. Building upon the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model, this study developed a research model to explain how e-service quality of community e-commerce platform affects customer engagement behavior through customer trust and perceived risk. The research model was empirically evaluated by surveying 326 customers who have shopped through the community e-commerce platforms. The results indicate that e-service quality (system design, intelligent fulfillment, security assurance, and interactive service) positively affects customer engagement behavior. Besides, customer trust and perceived risk play a mediating role between e-service quality and customer engagement behavior. This study offers recommendations to managers on how to build an attractive community e-commerce platform to stimulate customer engagement behavior.
Effects of diagnostic regions on facial emotion recognition: The moving window technique
Authors: Kim Minhee , Cho Youngwug , Kim So-Yeon
Published: September 2022

With regard to facial emotion recognition, previous studies found that specific facial regions were attended more in order to identify certain emotions. We investigated whether a preferential search for emotion-specific diagnostic regions could contribute toward the accurate recognition of facial emotions. Twenty-three neurotypical adults performed an emotion recognition task using six basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. The participants’ exploration patterns for the faces were measured using the Moving Window Technique (MWT). This technique presented a small window on a blurred face, and the participants explored the face stimuli through a mouse-controlled window in order to recognize the emotions on the face. Our results revealed that when the participants explored the diagnostic regions for each emotion more frequently, the correct recognition of the emotions occurred at a faster rate. To the best of our knowledge, this current study is the first to present evidence that an exploration of emotion-specific diagnostic regions can predict the reaction time of accurate emotion recognition among neurotypical adults. Such findings can be further applied in the evaluation and/or training (regarding emotion recognition functions) of both typically and atypically developing children with emotion recognition difficulties.
First language translation involvement in second language word processing
Authors: Zeng Tao , Chen Chen , Guo Jiashu
Published: September 2022

Studies on bilingual word processing have demonstrated that the two languages in a mental lexicon can be parallelly activated. However, it is under discussion whether the activated, non-target language gets involved in the target language. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the first language (L1, the non-target one) translation in the second language (L2, the target one) word processing. The tasks of semantic relatedness judgment and lexical decision were both adopted, to explore the relation of the possible L1 involvement and the task demand. Besides, bilinguals with relatively higher and lower L2 proficiency were recruited, to clarify the potential influence of L2 proficiency. Results showed that the manipulation of L1 translation exerted an influence on bilinguals’ task performances, indicating that L1 translation was involved, but did not just serve as a by-product when bilinguals were processing L2 words. And about the influence of L2 proficiency, the higher proficiency bilinguals performed better than the lower proficiency ones when the L1 translations could be taken advantage of, indicating a better access to L1 translation in L2 word processing, as bilinguals’ L2 proficiency increased. As for the task demands, the L1 translation was partially involved in Experiment 1 while a full involvement was observed in Experiment 2, suggesting a differed depth of L1 translation involvement, if the task demands allowed. The present study supplemented the previous ones due to its participants (the intermediate bilinguals) and tasks (the tasks of semantic relatedness judgment and lexical decision); besides, it provided an interesting view into interpreting the “task schema” of the BIA+ model.
Risk management in digitalized educational environments: Teachers’ information security awareness levels
Authors: Sapanca Hamza Fatih , Kanbul Sezer
Published: September 2022

With the spread of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools and the Internet, Twenty first century technologies have significantly affected human life, and it has been desired to be obtained continuously. It has become challenging to protect information due to the increase in the methods by which malicious people can get information. As a result, it is crucial to determine people’s awareness levels by revealing the risks and threats to information security. In this context, a study was conducted to show the awareness levels of teachers who come after the family in raising conscious individuals in society. For this purpose, a quantitative research method was adopted for the problem and sub-problems that form the basis of the research. The survey model, one of the research designs used within the framework of the quantitative research method, was used. Information Security Awareness Scale was applied to 394 teachers, and according to the results obtained, it was determined that the information security awareness level of the teachers was moderate. According to the attacks and threats sub-dimension, which includes technical issues, it has been determined that the awareness levels of the teachers are at a medium level. The study results show that female teachers’ information security awareness levels are lower than male teachers. In comparison, the awareness levels of those who received information security awareness training and information technology teachers are higher.
The impact of the social isolation in elderly Brazilian mental health (anxiety and depression) during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Sousa Isabella Louise Morais de , Silveira Rodrigo , Takito Mônica Yuri , Pereira Adenilson Leão , Lucianelli-Júnior Dalberto , Carmona Giselle Sousa , Viegas Ana Paula do Vale , Teixeira Francisco Bruno , Santos Ozélia Sousa , Valentin Fernanda Nogueira
Published: September 2022

The impact of social isolation in the pandemic context on elderly Brazilian mental health is little known, especially about the occurrence of depressive symptoms. In this study, we evaluated elderly people undergoing social isolation in order to identify factors associated with depression and which of these are more important to characterize elderly Brazilians with depression. In a cross-sectional, exploratory, and analytical study of a quantitative nature, the mental profile of elderly individuals subjected to social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic period was used. A total of 450 participants was divided into normal and depressive groups, and a form covering sociodemographic data, opinions/perceptions about the pandemic, and a Reduced Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess participants' mental health. To assess the statistical significance between the variables, chi-square test was applied, considering the p-value <0.05. The effect size was analyzed to identify the magnitude of the difference between groups. To identify the most important characteristics to define the groups Multilayer Perceptron algorithm were applied. We found that elderly people with a depressive profile are (in Multilayer Perceptron rank order) (1) showing signs of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) of low education, (3) being divorced, (4) having more than one mental disorder, (5) reading, watching, or listening to information about COVID-19, and (6) being previously diagnosed with depression. In conclusion, elderly Brazilians in social isolation tend to develop depressive disorders during quarantine. Thus, we can consider that the pandemic requires effective and safe gerontological care and monitoring, especially with regard to mental health.
Advances in optogenetic studies of depressive-like behaviors and underlying neural circuit mechanisms
Authors: Lin Shanshan , Du Yiwei , Xia Yujie , Xie Yumeng , Xiao Ling , Wang Gaohua
Published: September 2022

Backgrounds

The neural circuit mechanisms underlying depression remain unclear. Recently optogenetics has gradually gained recognition as a novel technique to regulate the activity of neurons with light stimulation. Scientists are now transferring their focus to the function of brain regions and neural circuits in the pathogenic progress of depression. Deciphering the circuitry mechanism of depressive-like behaviors may help us better understand the symptomatology of depression. However, few studies have summarized current progress on optogenetic researches into the neural circuit mechanisms of depressive-like behaviors.

Aims

This review aimed to introduce fundamental characteristics and methodologies of optogenetics, as well as how this technique achieves specific neuronal control with spatial and temporal accuracy. We mainly summarized recent progress in neural circuit discoveries in depressive-like behaviors using optogenetics and exhibited the potential of optogenetics as a tool to investigate the mechanism and possible optimization underlying antidepressant treatment such as ketamine and deep brain stimulation.

Methods

A systematic review of the literature published in English mainly from 2010 to the present in databases was performed. The selected literature is then categorized and summarized according to their neural circuits and depressive-like behaviors.

Conclusions

Many important discoveries have been made utilizing optogenetics. These findings support optogenetics as a powerful and potential tool for studying depression. And our comprehension to the etiology of depression and other psychiatric disorders will also be more thorough with this rapidly developing technique in the near future.
Molecular actions of sex hormones in the brain and their potential treatment use in anxiety disorders
Authors: Pillerová Miriam , Borbélyová Veronika , Pastorek Michal , Riljak Vladimír , Hodosy Július , Frick Karyn M. , Tóthová L’ubomíra
Published: September 2022

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mood disorders that can lead to impaired quality of life. Current treatment of anxiety disorders has various adverse effects, safety concerns, or restricted efficacy; therefore, novel therapeutic targets need to be studied. Sex steroid hormones (SSHs) play a crucial role in the formation of brain structures, including regions of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex during perinatal development. In the brain, SSHs have activational and organizational effects mediated by either intracellular or transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors. During perinatal developmental periods, the physiological concentrations of SSHs lead to the normal development of the brain; however, the early hormonal dysregulation could result in various anxiety diorders later in life. Sex differences in the prevalence of anxiety disorders suggest that SSHs might be implicated in their development. In this review, we discuss preclinical and clinical studies regarding the role of dysregulated SSHs signaling during early brain development that modifies the risk for anxiety disorders in a sex-specific manner in adulthood. Moreover, our aim is to summarize potential molecular mechanisms by which the SSHs may affect anxiety disorders in preclinical research. Finally, the potential effects of SSHs in the treatment of anxiety disorders are discussed.
Depression in multiple system atrophy: Views on pathological, clinical and imaging aspects
Authors: Lv Qiuyi , Pan Yuxin , Chen Xing , Wei Jingpei , Wang Wei , Zhang Hua , Wan Jifeng , Li Shiqiang , Zhuang Yan , Yang Baolin , Ma Dayong , Ren Dawei , Zhao Zijun
Published: September 2022

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a common atypical parkinsonism, characterized by a varying combination of autonomic, cerebellar, and pyramidal systems. It has been noticed that the patients with MSA can be accompanied by some neuropsychiatric disorders, in particular depression. However, there is limited understanding of MSA-related depression. To bridge existing gaps, we summarized research progress on this topic and provided a new perspective regarding pathological, clinical, and imaging aspects. Firstly, we synthesized corresponding studies in order to investigate the relationship between depression and MSA from a pathological perspective. And then, from a clinical perspective, we focused on the prevalence of depression in MS patients and the comparison with other populations. Furthermore, the associations between depression and some clinical characteristics, such as life quality and gender, have been reported. The available neuroimaging studies were too sparse to draw conclusions about the radiological aspect of depression in MSA patients but we still described them in the presence of paper. Finally, we discussed some limitations and shortcomings existing in the included studies, which call for more high-quality basic research and clinical research in this field.
How can age-based vaccine allocation strategies be optimized? A multi-objective optimization framework
Authors: Wu Hao , Wang Kaibo , Xu Lei
Published: September 2022

Human life is deeply influenced by infectious diseases. A vaccine, when available, is one of the most effective ways of controlling the spread of an epidemic. However, vaccine shortage and uncertain vaccine effectiveness in the early stage of vaccine production make vaccine allocation a critical issue. To tackle this issue, we propose a multi-objective framework to optimize the vaccine allocation strategy among different age groups during an epidemic under vaccine shortage in this study. Minimizing total disease onsets and total severe cases are the two objectives of this vaccine allocation optimization problem, and the multistage feature of vaccine allocation are considered in the framework. An improved Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA2) is used to solve the optimization problem. To evaluate the two objectives under different strategies, a deterministic age-stratified extended SEIR model is developed. In the proposed framework, different combinations of vaccine effectiveness and vaccine production capacity are investigated, and it is identified that for COVID-19 the optimal strategy is highly related to vaccine-related parameters. When the vaccine effectiveness is low, allocating most of vaccines to 0–19 age group or 65+ age group is a better choice under a low production capacity, while allocating most of vaccines to 20–49 age group or 50–64 age group is a better choice under a relatively high production capacity. When the vaccine effectiveness is high, a better strategy is to allocate vaccines to 65+ age group under a low production capacity, while to allocate vaccines to 20–49 age group under a relatively high production capacity.
Barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: A nationwide cross-sectional survey among 109,928 adults in Poland
Authors: Mularczyk-Tomczewska Paulina , Zarnowski Adam , Gujski Mariusz , Jankowski Mateusz , Bojar Iwona , Wdowiak Artur , Krakowiak Jan
Published: September 2022

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has significant socio-economic implications for numerous industries, including healthcare. Disruptions of essential health services were reported by nearly all countries around the world. A detailed assessment of the healthcare uptake is necessary to estimate the potential health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland as well as to identify factors associated with the disturbed access to healthcare during the pandemic.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey was carried out among Internet users in Poland using the computer-assisted web interview technique. Data were collected between October and December 2021. The questionnaire included 32 questions on sociodemographic characteristics, the COVID-19 pandemic, health status, daily habits as well as the use of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Data were obtained from 102928 adults, the mean age was 48.0 ± 14.2 years, and 57.2% were females. Most of the respondents had visited a doctor during the past 12 months (70.4%). Almost half of adults in Poland (49.7%) reported barriers to access health services in the past 12 months. Out of 51,105 respondents who had experienced barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, only 54.3% had visited a doctor in the past 12 months. Long waiting time (39.5%) and temporary closure of healthcare facilities/transformation into a COVID-19 dedicated center (28.8%) were the most common barriers indicated by the respondents. In multivariable logistic regression, female gender, age 18–49 years, lack of higher education, living in cities between 51,000 and 200,000 residents or above 500,000 residents, and having at least one chronic disease were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with higher odds of experiencing barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

This study confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened access to health services in Poland. During the pandemic, new barriers to accessing health services, such as the temporary closure of healthcare facilities for non-COVID patients were revealed. Findings from this study provided patients' perspectives on barriers to accessing health services in Poland that may be used by policymakers to reduce health inequalities.
Building penetration loss measurements and modelling in the 900 and 2100 MHz band for smart meter installation
Authors: Owens David , Ansari Shuja , Cruickshank Haitham , Tafazolli Rahim , Imran Muhammad Ali
Published: September 2022

One of the most significant applications of Internet of Things are smart meters with wireless capabilities. Smart gas and electricity meters can capture half-hourly pricing and consumption data and send automated meter readings to your energy provider, in contrast to regular meters that can only register a running total of energy used. However, the legacy regular meters were not installed with wireless connectivity in mind and are usually found in hard-to-reach places for wireless radio coverage. To understand these scenarios, this paper provides signal strength measurements conducted at the Building Research Establishment determining building penetration losses in both 900 and 2,100 MHz band. We then present a building penetration loss model using these measurements that is practical and cost effective when compared to traditional statistical propagation loss models.
The influence of interdependence and a transparent or explainable communication style on human-robot teamwork
Authors: Verhagen Ruben S. , Neerincx Mark A. , Tielman Myrthe L.
Published: September 2022

Humans and robots are increasingly working together in human-robot teams. Teamwork requires communication, especially when interdependence between team members is high. In previous work, we identified a conceptual difference between sharing what you are doing (i.e., being transparent) and why you are doing it (i.e., being explainable). Although the second might sound better, it is important to avoid information overload. Therefore, an online experiment (n = 72) was conducted to study the effect of communication style of a robot (silent, transparent, explainable, or adaptive based on time pressure and relevancy) on human-robot teamwork. We examined the effects of these communication styles on trust in the robot, workload during the task, situation awareness, reliance on the robot, human contribution during the task, human communication frequency, and team performance. Moreover, we included two levels of interdependence between human and robot (high vs. low), since mutual dependency might influence which communication style is best. Participants collaborated with a virtual robot during two simulated search and rescue tasks varying in their level of interdependence. Results confirm that in general robot communication results in more trust in and understanding of the robot, while showing no evidence of a higher workload when the robot communicates or adds explanations to being transparent. Providing explanations, however, did result in more reliance on RescueBot. Furthermore, compared to being silent, only being explainable results a higher situation awareness when interdependence is high. Results further show that being highly interdependent decreases trust, reliance, and team performance while increasing workload and situation awareness. High interdependence also increases human communication if the robot is not silent, human rescue contribution if the robot does not provide explanations, and the strength of the positive association between situation awareness and team performance. From these results, we can conclude that robot communication is crucial for human-robot teamwork, and that important differences exist between being transparent, explainable, or adaptive. Our findings also highlight the fundamental importance of interdependence in studies on explainability in robots.
Clinical utility and future direction of speaking valve: A review
Authors: Lian Suna , Teng Liying , Mao Zhi , Jiang Hongying
Published: September 2022

This paper summarizes and analyzes the clinical research progress of the speaking valve in recent years, including the structure and function of the speaking valve, the impact of the speaking valve on the patient’s vocalization or speech, the impact on ventilator weaning and tracheal intubation and extubation, and the effect on aspiration and swallowing function, the impact on patient mobility and quality of life. Related issues in clinical use are also described.
Feline lymphoma of the nervous system. Immunophenotype and anatomical patterns in 24 cases
Authors: Mandara Maria Teresa , Domini Alessia , Giglia Giuseppe
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to describe the specific localization and anatomical pattern of 24 feline lymphomas of the nervous system for which the immunophenotype was identified by immunohistochemistry investigations to support the potential specific correlation between subtypes and anatomical patterns. In total 10 tumors affected the spinal cord, eight the brain, four the peripheral nerves, one involved both the brain and the spinal cord, and one simultaneously the brain and the optic nerves. Twenty two tumors were primary lymphomas. The affected animals were 8 years of mean age. Tumors developed as an extra-axial mass (11 cases), intra-axial mass (six cases), leptomeningeal lymphomatosis (three cases), and neurolymphomatosis (five cases). One of them expressed both leptomeningeal lymphomatosis and neurolymphomatosis patterns. Two intra-axial brain lymphomas showed an angiotropic pattern. The optic chiasm was the most involved site for neurolymphomatosis. Immunolabeling was performed using anti-CD3, CD20, CD79a, PAX5, MUM-1, CD56, and anti-CD44 antibodies. In total, 12 tumors consisted of B cell lymphomas, and six of T cell lymphomas, two cases were double-reactive lymphomas while two cases consisted of non-B non-T lymphomas. B cell lymphoma affected animals of 6.4 years of mean age, while the T cell lymphoma affected older animals (mean age of 11.1 years). Extra-axial tumors mainly consisted of B cell lymphomas (8/11). Neurolymphomatosis expressed different immunophenotypes, and the B cell phenotype was the most prevalent in the optic chiasm. Two leptomeningeal lymphomatoses expressed T cell immunophenotype. For the first time, plasmacytoid differentiation was found for angiotropic lymphoma and neurolymphomatosis. All the cases, except one, were CD56-negative. CD44-expression confirmed a common malignant potential for all the anatomical patterns of the nervous system lymphoma in cats. Immunophenotype of feline lymphoma of the nervous system and its potential association with specific anatomical patterns should be strongly required in the diagnostic workup and clinical approach to this tumor especially when its primary origin is confirmed.
Computed tomographic appearance of transcaval ureter in two dogs and three cats: A novel CVC congenital malformation
Authors: Spediacci Carlotta , Longo Maurizio , Specchi Swan , Pey Pascaline , Rabba Silvia , Mavraki Eirini , Di Giancamillo Mauro , Panopoulos Ioannis
Published: September 2022

Transcaval ureter is a rarely reported human congenital malformation of the prerenal segment of the inferior vena cava (IVC) not yet reported in veterinary medicine. The objective of this multicenter retrospective case series study was to describe the computed tomography (CT) features of transcaval ureters in dogs and cats. Patients referring to pre- and post-contrast CT exams of the abdomen and presenting this abnormality were retrospectively included. Multiple qualitative features were described for each ureteral abnormality detected. Three cats and two dogs with transcaval ureter were identified consisting of a segmental duplication of the CVC at the prerenal level creating a vascular ring through which the ureter extended, identified as a double-barrel gun sign. The malformation was divided into two types according to the symmetry of the caval branches and location in relation to the aorta, namely, type I symmetrical branches and right-lateral to the aorta, and type II asymmetrically branches and right-dorsal to the aorta. In one case, the malformation was associated with hydroureter and mild pyelectasis. In three cases, the anomaly was incidental and, in the remaining two cases, the clinical significance was uncertain. This is the first study describing the presence of transcaval ureter in dogs and cats. CT was a suitable method for the diagnosis of transcaval and a focal double-barrel gun sign of the CVC is proposed as the hallmark feature of this anomaly. The clinical relevance of this congenital vascular malformation is unclear and needs to be further investigated.
Association Between the Use of Tobacco Products and Food Insecurity Among South Korean Adults
Authors: Kang Seo Young , Cho Hong-Jun
Published: September 2022

Objectives: Food insecurity is the most basic form of human deprivation; thus, strategies to eradicate poverty should include policies to improve food insecurity. This study investigated the association between the use of tobacco products and food insecurity.

Methods: We analyzed 21,063 adults from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013–2015, 2019. The OR and 95% CI for food insecurity was calculated in each category of the status of tobacco products use and sociodemographic characteristics using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Results: Of 21,063 participants, 7.3% belonged to the food insecurity group. The OR (95% CI) for food insecurity was 1.34 (1.08–1.65) among current users of any tobacco products compared with those who had never used any tobacco product. The odds for food insecurity were higher among those with secondhand smoke exposure, younger participants, those with lower household income, lower levels of education, manual workers or people without occupation, and separated/widowed/divorced participants.

Conclusion: Use of any tobacco products was associated with food insecurity among South Korean adults. Tobacco control could improve food insecurity.
Morpho-Functional Traits in Pura Raza Menorquina Horses: Genetic Parameters and Relationship with Coat Color Variables
Authors: Perdomo-González Davinia I. , García de Paredes Rocío de las Aguas , Valera Mercedes , Bartolomé Ester , Gómez María Dolores
Published: September 2022

The studbook of Pura Raza Menorquina horses only permits the use of black-coated animals with a small quantity of white marks as breeding stock. Its breeding program uses linear morpho-functional traits as selection criteria. Our aim was to estimate the genetic parameters of linear morpho-functional traits, and reveal relationship of quality of black coat color (QB) and percentage of white marks (WM) with the other morphological and functional linear traits in this breed. A total of 46 linear traits were scored by four appraisers using seven classes, with a total of 772 records from 333 animals (≥4 years old). Univariate animal models using a Bayesian approach were used, with a pedigree of 757 animals. Sex (two) and appraiser-season (13) were included as fixed effects, age as a linear covariate, and permanent environmental and additive genetic as random effect. The heritabilities of the morpho-functional traits were low to medium (0.09–0.58) and matched the range in the bibliography. Heritabilities for coat color traits were 0.36 for QB and 0.23 for WM. The highest genetic correlations were obtained between QB and upper neck line (0.816) and between WM and form of the hoof (0.638). The negative signs of most of the genetic correlations between WM and the functional traits is also remarkable, contributing to the selection of functional traits against the presence of white marks in this population. A clear genetic differentiation was observed between animals with better breeding values for QB and WM, corroborated by a study on founders. In conclusion, QB and WM could show different genetic backgrounds.
Multilocus Sequence Genotype Heterogeneity in Streptococcus uberis Isolated from Bovine Mastitis in the Czech Republic
Authors: Zouharova Monika , Nedbalcova Katerina , Kralova Natalie , Slama Petr , Matiaskova Katarina , Matiasovic Jan
Published: September 2022

The ubiquitous occurrence and high heterogeneity of Streptococcus uberis strains cause difficulties in the development and implementation of effective control strategies in dairy herds. In this study, S. uberis strains from 74 farms, obtained predominantly from subclinical, acute, and chronic recurrent mastitis, as well as from udder surface swabs and milk from healthy udders, were analysed for their genetic diversity using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Isolates were tested for the presence of the genes encoding the virulence factors using polymerase chain reaction. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using a microdilution assay including 14 antimicrobials. The virulence profiles and antimicrobial (AMR) profiles of the isolates were assembled and the overall heterogeneity was evaluated. Among the 124 isolates, 89 MLST genotypes, 7 different virulence profiles, and 12 AMR profiles were identified. The large number of different MLST allelic profiles in this study points to the high heterogeneity of strains in dairy herds in the Czech Republic. Isolates of a certain MLST genotype may possess a different set of virulence factor genes. We detected up to three different resistance profiles within a single MLST genotype. The results of our study showed that fully susceptible isolates coexisted with resistant or even multiresistant isolates in the same herd. Multiple genotypes within a herd were detected on many farms (up to seven MLST genotypes and four AMR profiles in one herd). This heterogenic population structure might suggest that environmental transmission is the predominant route of infection in herds in the Czech Republic.
Can Ponies (Equus Caballus) Distinguish Human Facial Expressions?
Authors: Merkies Katrina , Sudarenko Yuliia , Hodder Abigail J.
Published: September 2022

Communication within a species is essential for access to resources, alerting to dangers, group facilitation and social bonding; human facial expressions are considered to be an important factor in one’s ability to communicate with others. Evidence has shown that dogs and horses are able to distinguish positive and negative facial expressions by observing photographs of humans, however there is currently no research on how facial expressions from a live human are perceived by horses. This study investigated how ponies distinguish facial expressions presented by live actors. Trained actors (n = 2), using the human Facial Action Coding System, displayed four facial expressions (anger, sadness, joy and neutral) individually to twenty ponies. Heart rate and behaviors of the ponies including first monocular eye look, eye look duration (right and left side bias) and latency to approach were observed. A generalized linear mixed model (GLIMMIX) using Sidak’s multiple comparisons of least squared means determined that when exposed to anger expressions ponies looked more often with their left eye first and when exposed to joy, looked more often with their right eye first (p = 0.011). The ponies spent more time looking at angry expressions (p = 0.0003) in comparison to other expressions. There was no variation in heart rate across expressions (p > 0.89). Regardless of human facial expression, ponies looked longer (p = 0.0035), took longer to approach (p = 0.0297) and displayed more oral behaviours (p < 0.0001) with one actor than the other indicating increased arousal or negative valence. Ponies with more experience as a lesson mount had lower heart rates (p < 0.0001) carried their head lower (p < 0.0001), kept their left ear on the actor (p < 0.03) and exhibited more oral behaviours (p < 0.0001) than ponies with less experience. This study demonstrates that ponies are able to distinguish facial expressions presented by a live human, but other factors also contribute to their responses to humans.
In Vitro Antiparasitic Activities of Monovalent Ionophore Compounds for Human and Canine Leishmaniases
Authors: Calvo Alvarez Estefanía , D’Alessandro Sarah , Proverbio Daniela , Spada Eva , Perego Roberta , Taramelli Donatella , Basilico Nicoletta , Parapini Silvia
Published: September 2022

The leishmaniases are vector-borne parasitic diseases affecting humans and animals, with high mortality rates in endemic countries. Infected dogs represent the main reservoir of infection. Disease control is mainly based on chemotherapy, which, at present, shows serious drawbacks both in humans and dogs. Therefore, the discovery or repurposing of new treatments is mandatory. Here, three monovalent ionophores (salinomycin, monensin, nigericin) were tested against promastigotes of Leishmania (L.) infantum, Leishmania tropica, and Leishmania braziliensis, and against amastigotes of L. infantum within human and, for the first time, canine macrophages. All three drugs were leishmanicidal against all Leishmania spp. promastigotes with IC50 values between 7.98 and 0.23 µM. Monensin and nigericin showed IC50 values < 1 µM, whereas salinomycin was the least active compound (IC50 > 4 µM). Notably, the ionophores killed L. infantum amastigotes within human THP-1 cells with IC50 values ranging from 1.67 to 1.93 µM, but they only reduced by 27–37% the parasite burden in L. infantum-infected canine macrophages, showing a host-specific efficacy. Moreover, a selective higher toxicity against canine macrophages was observed. Overall, repurposed ionophores have the potential to be further investigated as anti-Leishmania agents, but different drug options may be required to tackle human or canine leishmaniases.
The Influence of Environmental Variables on Home Range Size and Use in the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, China
Authors: Yao Gang , Fan Yuanying , Li Dayong , Hull Vanessa , Shen Limin , Li Yanhong , Hu Jie
Published: September 2022

Accurate descriptions of home ranges can provide important information for understanding animal ecology and behavior and contribute to the formulation of conservation strategies. We used the grid cell method and kernel density estimation (KDE) to estimate the home range size of golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve. We also used Moran’s eigenvector maps analysis and variation partitioning to test the influence of environmental variables on home range use. The seasonal home range size was 15.4 km2 in spring, 11.6 km2 in summer, 13.7 km2 in autumn, and 15.6 km2 in winter, based on the grid cell method. The seasonal core area of 50% KDE was 9.86 km2 in spring, 5.58 km2 in summer, 7.20 km2 in autumn, and 4.23 km2 in winter. The environmental variables explained 63.60% of home range use intensity in spring, 72.21% in summer, 26.52% in autumn, and none in winter, and some environmental variables contributed to the spatial variation in home range use intensity. Water sources, tree density, and dominant trees of Chinese wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera) were the important environmental factors determining home range use. These environmental factors require protection to ensure the survival of the golden snub-nosed monkey.