bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrative analysis of different low-light-tolerant cucumber lines in response to low-light stress
Authors: Li Dandan , Yu Fushun , Zhang Yanzhao , Hu Kaihong , Dai Dongyang , Song Siwen , Zhang Fan , Sa Rina , Lian Hua , Sheng Yunyan
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Low light stress inhibits plant growth due to a line of physiological disruptions in plants, and is one of the major barriers to protected cucumber cultivation in northern China.

Methods

To comprehensively understand the responses of cucumber seedlings to low-light stress, the low-light-tolerant line (M67) and The low-light-sensitive line (M14) were conducted for the analysis of photosynthetic phenotype, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and the expression level of photosynthesis-related genes in leaves under low-light stress and normal light condition (control).

Results

The results showed that there was a sharp decrease in the photosynthate accumulation in the leaves of the sensitive line, M14, resulting in a large decrease in the photosynthetic rate (Pn) (with 31.99%) of leaves compared to that of the control, which may have been caused by damage to chloroplast ultrastructure or a decrease in chlorophyll (Chl) content. However, under the same low-light treatment, there was no large drop in the photosynthate accumulation and even no decrease in Pn and Chl content for the tolerant line, M67. Moreover, results of gene expression analysis showed that the expression level of genes CsPsbQ (the photosystem II oxygen-evolving enhancer protein 3 gene) and Csgamma (ATPase, F1 complex gene) in the M14 leaves decreased sharply (by 35.04% and 30.58%, respectively) compared with the levels in the M67 leaves, which decreased by 14.78% and 23.61%, respectively. The expression levels of genes involved in Chl synthesis and carbohydrate biosynthesis in the leaves of M14 decreased markedly after low-light treatment; in contrast, there were no sharp decreases or changes in leaves of M67.

Discussion

Over all, the ability of cucumber to respond to low-light stress, as determined on the basis of the degree of damage in leaf structure and chloroplast ultrastructure, which corresponded to decreased gene expression levels and ATP phosphorylase activity, significantly differed between different low-light-tolerant lines, which was manifested as significant differences in photosynthetic capacity between them. Results of this study will be a reference for comprehensive insight into the physiological mechanism involved in the low-light tolerance of cucumber.
Fine mapping and candidate gene analysis of proportion of four-seed pods by soybean CSSLs
Authors: Cao Fubin , Wei Ruru , Xie Jianguo , Hou Lilong , Kang Chaorui , Zhao Tianyu , Sun Chengcheng , Yang Mingliang , Zhao Ying , Li Candong , Wang Nannan , Wu Xiaoxia , Liu Chunyan , Jiang Hongwei , Chen Qingshan
Published: January 2023

Soybean yield, as one of the most important and consistent breeding goals, can be greatly affected by the proportion of four-seed pods (PoFSP). In this study, QTL mapping was performed by PoFSP data and BLUE (Best Linear Unbiased Estimator) value of the chromosome segment substitution line population (CSSLs) constructed previously by the laboratory from 2016 to 2018, and phenotype-based bulked segregant analysis (BSA) was performed using the plant lines with PoFSP extreme phenotype. Totally, 5 ICIM QTLs were repeatedly detected, and 6 BSA QTLs were identified in CSSLs. For QTL (qPoFSP13-1) repeated in ICIM and BSA results, the secondary segregation populations were constructed for fine mapping and the interval was reduced to 100Kb. The mapping results showed that the QTL had an additive effect of gain from wild parents. A total of 14 genes were annotated in the delimited interval by fine mapping. Sequence analysis showed that all 14 genes had genetic variation in promoter region or CDS region. The qRT−PCR results showed that a total of 5 candidate genes were differentially expressed between the plant lines having antagonistic extreme phenotype (High PoFSP > 35.92%, low PoFSP< 17.56%). The results of haplotype analysis showed that all five genes had two or more major haplotypes in the resource population. Significant analysis of phenotypic differences between major haplotypes showed all five candidate genes had haplotype differences. And the genotypes of the major haplotypes with relatively high PoFSP of each gene were similar to those of wild soybean. The results of this study were of great significance to the study of candidate genes affecting soybean PoFSP, and provided a basis for the study of molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding and four-seed pods domestication.
JujubeNet: A high-precision lightweight jujube surface defect classification network with an attention mechanism
Authors: Jiang Lingjie , Yuan Baoxi , Ma Wenyun , Wang Yuqian
Published: January 2023

Surface Defect Detection (SDD) is a significant research content in Industry 4.0 field. In the real complex industrial environment, SDD is often faced with many challenges, such as small difference between defect imaging and background, low contrast, large variation of defect scale and diverse types, and large amount of noise in defect images. Jujubes are naturally growing plants, and the appearance of the same type of surface defect can vary greatly, so it is more difficult than industrial products produced according to the prescribed process. In this paper, a ConvNeXt-based high-precision lightweight classification network JujubeNet is presented to address the practical needs of Jujube Surface Defect (JSD) classification. In the proposed method, a Multi-branching module using Depthwise separable Convolution (MDC) is designed to extract more feature information through multi-branching and substantially reduces the number of parameters in the model by using depthwise separable convolutions. What’s more, in our proposed method, the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) is introduced to make the model concentrate on different classes of JSD features. The proposed JujubeNet is compared with other mainstream networks in the actual production environment. The experimental results show that the proposed JujubeNet can achieve 99.1% classification accuracy, which is significantly better than the current mainstream classification models. The FLOPS and parameters are only 30.7% and 30.6% of ConvNeXt-Tiny respectively, indicating that the model can quickly and effectively classify JSD and is of great practical value.
Low temperature reduces potato wound formation by inhibiting phenylpropanoid metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis
Authors: Zhang Jiadi , Yao Jia , Mao Linli , Li Qingpeng , Wang Lixia , Lin Qing
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Potato tubers have the healing capacity to prevent surface water transpiration and pathogen invasion after mechanical damage. Previous research has shown the inability to form healing periderm in potatoes under low temperatures, but the potential mechanism is still unclear.

Methods

To explore the effects and mechanisms of low-temperature potato healing, wounded potatoes were stored at low temperature (4°C) and room temperature (22°C), respectively.

Results

In this study, compared with 22°C healing, low temperature reduced the content of hydrogen peroxide, and the down-regulation of StAMY23 inhibited the conversion of starch to sugar, alleviated the degradation of starch, and reduced the content of soluble sugars and sucrose. Meanwhile, inhibition of phenylalanine metabolism by suppression of StPAL1 and St4CL expression reduced lignin accumulation. Low temperature also down-regulated the expression of StKCS6, StFAOH, StGPAT5, and StPrx, causing the lower deposition amount of suberin in wounds of potato tubers.

Discussion

The above results suggested that low temperature led to less wound tissue deposition at the wound surfaces via suppressing phenylpropanoid metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis in potato tubers.
The suppression of TdMRP3 genes reduces the phytic acid and increases the nutrient accumulation in durum wheat grain
Authors: Frittelli Arianna , Botticella Ermelinda , Palombieri Samuela , Masci Stefania , Celletti Silvia , Fontanella Maria Chiara , Astolfi Stefania , De Vita Pasquale , Volpato Mirko , Sestili Francesco
Published: January 2023

Micronutrient malnutrition affects more than half of the world population. Reduced bioavailability of microelements in the raw materials is considered one of the main causes of mineral deficiency in populations whose diet is largely based on the consumption of staple crops. In this context, the production of low phytic acid (lpa) cereals is a main goal of the breeding programs, as phytic acid (PA) binds essential mineral cations such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) precipitating in the form of phytate salts poorly digested by monogastric animals, including humans, due to the lack of phytases in the digestive tract. Since PA limits the bioavailability of microelements, it is widely recognized as an anti-nutritional compound. A Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes (TILLING) approach has been undertaken to silence the genes encoding the TdABCC13 proteins, known as Multidrug-Resistance associated Proteins 3 (TdMRP3), transporters involved in the accumulation of PA inside the vacuole in durum wheat. The TdMRP3 complete null genotypes showed a significant reduction in the content of PA and were able to accumulate a higher amount of essential micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn) compared to the control. The number of spikelets and seeds per spike, traits associated with the agronomic performances, were reduced compared to the control, but the negative effect was in part balanced by the increased grain weight. The TdMRP3 mutant lines showed morphological differences in the root apparatus such as a significant decrease in the number of root tips, root length, volume and surface area and an increase in root average diameter compared to the control plants. These materials represent a promising basis for obtaining new commercial durum wheats with higher nutritional value.
Does Confucian culture affect public service motivation of grassroots public servants? Evidence from China
Authors: Duan Cheche , Jiao Jiaxin , Zhao Chunzhen , Li Yingying
Published: January 2023

Public service motivation contains distinctive cultural characteristics. Different cultural backgrounds shape public service motives with different connotations and levels. However, the traditional cultural values rooted in historical development and socialization process have not received enough attention in the research on public service motivation. In order to investigate the influence of Confucian culture based on Chinese scenes on public service motivation, in the current study we collected 1308 representative questionnaires from 12 cities in central and eastern China, and adopted the dual fixed effect model and moderating effect model to verify six hypotheses. The empirical results showed that Confucian culture has different effects on public service motivation from four dimensions, namely, attraction to politics and policy making (APP), commitment to public interest (CPI), compassion (COM), and self-sacrifice (SS). The paternalistic leadership plays a part in moderating the influence of Confucian culture on public service motivation. This study not only expands the cross-cultural applicability of the theory of public service motivation in non-western countries, but also supplements the evidence of research on public service motivation in East Asian countries. In practice, it is necessary for the organizations to consider the importance of specific cultural values for organizational culture and personal value orientation.
Effect of nursing interventions based on the Kano model on symptom relief and parental psychological behavior in children with febrile seizures
Authors: Zhu Zaiyun , Chen Liping , Li Kai
Published: January 2023

Purpose

To analyze the effect of nursing interventions based on the Kano model on symptom relief and parental psychological behavior in children with febrile seizures (FS).

Methods

A total of 104 children with FS and their corresponding families admitted to our hospital from January 2021 to April 2022 as the research object. All children were divided into 2 groups according to their nursing regimen during treatment. Children who received general nursing interventions were enrolled in the general group (n = 52) and children who received nursing interventions based on the Kano model were enrolled in the Kano group (n = 52). In this study, an investigation was first conducted to analyze the attributes of the caring care service needs of the families of children with FS. Then, we compared 4 aspects of symptom relief during the hospital stay of the 2 groups of children, including FS seizure frequency, time to cessation of convulsions, time to recovery of consciousness and time to fever reduction. The parent symptom questionnaire (PSQ) was used to assess the psychological behavior of the two groups of children during the hospital stay. The Chinese perceived stress scale (CPSS) and the symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90) were used to assess the psychological behavior of the two groups of their families during the children’s hospitalization. Finally, a questionnaire was administered on the satisfaction of this nursing intervention.

Results

In terms of symptom relief, the children in the Kano group had less frequent of FS seizure than the general group, and the time to cessation of convulsions, time to recovery of consciousness and time to fever reduction were all earlier than in the genera group (p < 0.05). In terms of children’s psychological behavior, the impulsivity-hyperactivity, anxiety, hyperactivity index and learning problems scores in the PSQ of the children in the Kano group were lower than those in the general group after the intervention (p < 0.05). In terms of family psychological behavior, the psychological behavioral problems of the families of the children in both groups improved after the intervention, and the CPSS scores of tension and dis-control, as well as the total SCL-90 score of the families of the children in the Kano group were lower than those of the general group (p < 0.05). In terms of family satisfaction, the Kano group was significantly better than the general group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The implementation of the nursing interventions based on the Kano model for children with FS was successful in dramatically reducing the clinical signs and symptoms of the children and meeting the psychological and behavioral needs of the children and their families.
The gold-standard treatment for social anxiety disorder: A roadmap for the future
Authors: Chowdhury Nayeefa , Khandoker Ahsan H.
Published: January 2023

Exposure therapy (ET), which follows the Pavlovian extinction model, is regarded as the gold-standard treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD). The prospect of virtual reality in lieu of a traditional laboratory setting for the treatment of SAD has not been rigorously explored. The aim of the review was to summarize, find gaps in the current literature, and formulate future research direction by identifying two broad research questions: the comparative efficacy between in vivo ET and virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) and the effectiveness of the Pavlovian extinction model in treating SAD. The criteria for effectiveness were effect size, relapse prevention, attrition rate and ecological validity. A literature search on recent randomized controlled trials yielded a total of 6 original studies (N=358), excluding duplication and overlapping participants. All studies supported that VRET was as effective as in vivo ET. Behavioral therapy that follows classical conditioning principles has a high attrition and relapse rate. Comparisons were drawn between the efficacy of the Pavlovian extinction model and other existing models, including third-wave approaches. The neural markers are suggested to be included as efficacy measures in treating SAD. The gold-standard treatment for SAD requires a paradigm shift through rigorous longitudinal comparative studies.
Using social media for assessment purposes: Practices and future directions
Authors: Alonzo Dennis , Oo Cherry Zin , Wijarwadi Wendi , Hannigan Caitlin
Published: January 2023

The use of social media across the world is rapidly increasing, and schools are advancing its use for learning, teaching, and assessment activities. Despite growing evidence for their accessibility and affordances for educational purposes, very little attention has been paid to their use in assessment. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), this paper is an initial step to explore how social media have been used and reported in the literature, and describe some key challenges. A total of 167 articles were initially accessed from three databases, but only 17 were relevant after applying the exclusion criteria. Results show that the most dominant social media used in assessment are Facebook and Twitter. Also, the assessment practices are limited to sending and discussing assessment tasks, following up on progress, giving feedback, and engaging in self and peer assessment. Key issues include the trustworthiness of the assessment process and outputs, limited features of social media platforms, technical support, time commitment between teachers and students, and intersections of social and academic engagements. We discuss the implications of these findings with the critical gaps in the theorisation of using social media for assessment purposes.
Measuring flexibility: A text-mining approach
Authors: Grajzel Katalin , Acar Selcuk , Dumas Denis , Organisciak Peter , Berthiaume Kelly
Published: January 2023

In creativity research, ideational flexibility, the ability to generate ideas by shifting between concepts, has long been the focus of investigation. However, psychometric work to develop measurement procedures for flexibility has generally lagged behind other creativity-relevant constructs such as fluency and originality. Here, we build from extant research to theoretically posit, and then empirically validate, a text-mining based method for measuring flexibility in verbal divergent thinking (DT) responses. The empirical validation of this method is accomplished in two studies. In the first study, we use the verbal form of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) to demonstrate that our novel flexibility scoring method strongly and positively correlates with traditionally used TTCT flexibility scores. In the second study, we conduct a confirmatory factor analysis using the Alternate Uses Task to show reliability and construct validity of our text-mining based flexibility scoring. In addition, we also examine the relationship between personality facets and flexibility of ideas to provide criterion validity of our scoring methodology. Given the psychometric evidence presented here and the practicality of automated scores, we recommend adopting this new method which provides a less labor-intensive and less costly objective measurement of flexibility.
Research on the efficiency evaluation of the integration of technology and finance in China’s strategic emerging industries
Authors: Yang Qing , Zhao Kunqiang , Cao Lanjuan , Wang Xiaohua , Guo Qizhe , Liu Xingxing
Published: January 2023

The combination of technology and finance has a great potential impact on regional social and economic development, and strategic emerging industries are the convergence of technological innovation and financial support, the development of which have great significance for industrial structure adjustment and industrial quality improvement. The geographical distribution of emerging strategic industries in China is uneven. We selected 18 provinces with relatively concentrated emerging industries. 206 STI board enterprises in 2020 were collected. A three-stage DEA model was used to measure the input–output efficiency of the integrated development of science and technology finance. Also, we used a regression model to examine the path of integrated development of science and technology innovation and financial support. The research finds that the development of strategic emerging industries has a large demand for financial support and obvious regional differences, and the government plays a strong guiding role in their development as well. At the end of the research, countermeasures and suggestions for the development of strategic emerging industries are given.
Neuro-functional modeling of near-death experiences in contexts of altered states of consciousness
Authors: Romand Raymond , Ehret Günter
Published: January 2023

Near-death experiences (NDEs) including out-of-body experiences (OBEs) have been fascinating phenomena of perception both for affected persons and for communities in science and medicine. Modern progress in the recording of changing brain functions during the time between clinical death and brain death opened the perspective to address and understand the generation of NDEs in brain states of altered consciousness. Changes of consciousness can experimentally be induced in well-controlled clinical or laboratory settings. Reports of the persons having experienced the changes can inform about the similarity of the experiences with those from original NDEs. Thus, we collected neuro-functional models of NDEs including OBEs with experimental backgrounds of drug consumption, epilepsy, brain stimulation, and ischemic stress, and included so far largely unappreciated data from fighter pilot tests under gravitational stress generating cephalic nervous system ischemia. Since we found a large overlap of NDE themes or topics from original NDE reports with those from neuro-functional NDE models, we can state that, collectively, the models offer scientifically appropriate causal explanations for the occurrence of NDEs. The generation of OBEs, one of the NDE themes, can be localized in the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) of the brain, a multimodal association area. The evaluated literature suggests that NDEs may emerge as hallucination-like phenomena from a brain in altered states of consciousness (ASCs).
The effect of neurolinguistic programming on academic achievement, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking of EFL learners
Authors: Zhang Xiuyun , Davarpanah Nikoo , Izadpanah Siros
Published: January 2023

Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is a method of personal communication. This study aimed to determine the effect of NLP strategies on academic achievement, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. Although NLP has been studied, more studies still need to be conducted on this variable contributing to language learning success. This experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design with the control group in 2021. Sampling was conducted through the multistage cluster random sampling (MCRS) method, and based on the Cambridge placement test (2010), 50 students proved to be at an advanced level and participated in this study. To test the hypotheses, an ANCOVA test was employed. Participants were randomly divided into two control (25 people) and experimental groups (25 people). They were performed on the experimental group during 12 sessions of 90 min of the strategic training in NLP. In the experimental group, the mean and std of critical thinking was 16.24 ± 2.59 in the pretest, which increased to 18.88 ± 2.77 in the posttest; the mean and std of academic achievement was 155.02 ± 15.90 in the pretest, which rose to 171.70 ± 10.83 in the posttest and the mean and std of emotional intelligence was 96.51 ± 12.44 in the pretest, which increased to 118.28 ± 6.18 in the posttest. The results of data analysis by covariance method showed that NLP was practical on learners' academic achievement, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. Justifications and implications for the study's findings and suggestions for further research are presented.
Gender difference in functional activity of 4-months-old infants during sleep: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study
Authors: Wang Kai , Ji Xiang , Li Ting
Published: January 2023

Sex differences emerge early in infancy. A number of earlier studies have investigated the resting-state network of infant sleep states, and there have been many studies using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine the effects of infant language learning on changes in oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin levels. However, studies examining sex differences from the resting-state network of infant sleep states are scarce. This study uses an open access dataset of task-free hemodynamic activity in 4-month-old infants during sleep by fNIRS, to identify some difference between male and female infants. We used Power Spectral Density showing at which frequencies the data variation/variance is high. We have also analyzed some gender differences by analyzing the relationship between individual channels, the degree of activation, etc. The results of this study showed that female and male infants had different Power Spectral Density for oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin at rest, showing stronger differences at frontoparietal network, somatomotor network, visual network and dorsal network. This may be due to the differences in the timing or extent of development of those networks. These differences will provide some assistance in future studies of the early education of male and female infants.
Prevalence and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder and symptoms in people with chronic somatic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Lunkenheimer Frederike , Garatva Patricia , Steubl Lena , Baumeister Harald
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Comprehensive evidence on prevalence and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms (PTSS) in people with chronic somatic diseases (CD) is lacking.

Objective

To systematically and meta-analytically examine prevalence and incidence of PTSD and PTSS in people with CD compared with people without CD.

Methods

MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched from inception (1946) to June 2020. Studies reporting point, 12-month, lifetime prevalence, or 12-month incidence of PTSD and PTSS in people with CD were selected and reviewed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines by two independent reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed by a combination of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration for non-comparative studies. Pooled estimates were calculated using random effects meta-analyses. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic.

Results

Data were extracted from studies reporting on point prevalence (k = 60; n = 21,213), 12-month prevalence (k = 3; n = 913), and lifetime prevalence (k = 6; n = 826). 12-month incidence estimates were not available. The pooled estimate for the point prevalence of PTSD (k = 41) across CD was 12.7% (95% CI, 8.6 to 18.4%) and 19.6% regarding PTSS (13.2 to 28.1%; k = 24). Individuals with cerebrovascular disorder (k = 4) showed the highest pooled point prevalence for PTSD (23.6%, 95% CI, 16.8 to 32.0%), those with cardiovascular diseases the lowest (6.6%, 1.9 to 20.9%; k = 5). The pooled 12-month prevalence of PTSD (k = 3) was 8.8% (95% CI, 5.5 to 13.5%) and the lifetime prevalence (k = 6) was 12.1% (7.6 to 18.5%). Pooled estimates of PTSD prevalence in people with compared to those without CD showed an odds ratio of 9.96 (95% CI, 2.55 to 38.94; k = 5).

Conclusion

Post-traumatic stress disorder and PTSS are common and substantially higher in people with compared to those without CD. Earlier detection and treatment of this comorbidity might improve mental and physical health, reduce the incidence of further diseases, and reduce mortality.

Clinical trial registration

https://osf.io/9xvgz, identifier 9xvgz.
Model predicting social acceptance behavior to implement ELV policy: Exploring the role of knowledge toward ELV policy on social acceptance in Malaysia
Authors: Ali Hasani Mohd , Sitinjak Charli , Md Said Muhamad Helmi , Hassim Jady Zaidi , Ismail Rozmi , Simic Vladimir
Published: January 2023

Effective management of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) represents a sound strategy to mitigate global climate change. ELVs are contaminants that pollute water, air, soil, and landscape. This waste flow must be adequately treated, but no proper rule oversees the disposal of ELV waste in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the extent of implementing the ELV policy and the social readiness in implementing environmentally friendly ELV disposal in Malaysia. The questionnaire seeks public input on critical ELV concerns such as public perception of the phenomena, environmental and safety standards, and recycling and treatment facilities. This research uses a cross-sectional design with 448 respondents in the survey. Fit models in structural equation modeling are evaluated using a variety of goodness-of-fit indicators to ensure an actual hypothesis. This study's advantages include the availability of representative samples and allowing for comparable and generalizable conclusions to larger communities throughout Malaysia. It is found that personal experience is significantly correlated with social readiness. The cause of ELV vehicles knowledge was the vital mediator, along with recycling costs knowledge. Thus, knowledge regarding ELV management costs is the most decisive mediation variable to predict public acceptance. The recommended strategy to reduce resentment and rejection of ELV policy is to disseminate information about the negative ELV impact on environmental and social sustainability.
The longitudinal association between internet addiction and depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Zhao Li , Li Xiang , Yang Qin , Peng Yinhui , Jiang Lihua , Jia Peng , Shi Wei
Published: January 2023

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic and related prevention policies, such as home quarantine or online courses, could increase the risks of experiencing internet addiction and mental health problems among Chinese adolescents. There is a lack of longitudinal evidence to show the association between internet addiction symptoms and psychological consequences (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms).

Objective

This study aimed to explore the association between internet addiction and depressive and anxiety symptoms before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods

An effective sample of 7,958 Chinese adolescents was recruited for this two-wave longitudinal survey conducted over a six-month interval. All participants completed two-wave surveys before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal cross-lagged path model was used to analyze the associations between internet addiction and depressive and anxiety symptoms after controlling for four covariates (i.e., age, sex, minority, and COVID-19 influence).

Results

Higher depressive and anxiety symptoms before COVID-19 significantly predicted severe internet addiction during COVID-19. Results showed a significant bidirectional relationship between internet addiction and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the prevalence of internet addiction displayed an increasing trend over the two waves. Conversely, a reduced prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms was observed over the two waves.

Conclusion

This current study provided valuable evidence that psychological problems and internet addiction significantly influenced each other before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Consequently, the presence of psychological problems before and during the COVID-19 outbreak could indicate internet addiction. Thus, depression- and anxiety-related psychotherapies should be developed to prevent internet addiction among Chinese adolescents.
Implementation of a novel ultrasound training programme for midwives in Malawi: A mixed methods evaluation using the RE-AIM framework
Authors: Viner Alexandra C. , Malata Monica P. , Mtende Medrina , Membe-Gadama Gladys , Masamba Martha , Makwakwa Enita , Bamuya Catherine , Lissauer David , Stock Sarah J. , Norman Jane E. , Reynolds Rebecca M. , Magowan Brian , Freyne Bridget , Gadama Luis , Cunningham-Burley Sarah , Nyondo-Mipando Linda , Chipeta Effie
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Despite recommendation that all women receive an ultrasound in pregnancy prior to 24 weeks', this remains unavailable to many women in low-income countries where trained practitioners are scarce. Although many programmes have demonstrated efficacy, few have achieved longterm sustainability, with a lack of information about how best to implement such programmes. This mixed-methods study aimed to evaluate the implementation of a novel education package to teach ultrasound-naive midwives in Malawi basic obstetric ultrasound, assessing its impact in the context of the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework.

Methods

The study ran across six sites in Malawi between October 2020 and June 2021, encompassing three phases; pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation. Twenty nine midwives underwent a bespoke education package with matched pre and post course surveys assessed their knowledge, attitudes and confidence and “hands on” assessments evaluating practical skills. Training evaluation forms and in-depth interviews explored their satisfaction with the package, with repeat assessment and remote image review evaluating maintenance of skills.

Results

28/29 midwives completed the training, with significant increases in knowledge, confidence and practical skills. Adherence to the education package varied, however many changes to the proposed methodology were adaptive and appeared to facilitate the efficacy of the programme. Unfortunately, despite reporting approval regarding the training itself, satisfaction regarding supervision and follow up was mixed, reflecting the difficulties encountered with providing ongoing in-person and remote support.

Conclusion

This programme was successful in improving trainees' knowledge, confidence and skill in performing basic obstetric ultrasound, largely on account of an adaptive approach to implementation. The maintenance of ongoing support was challenging, reflected by trainee dissatisfaction. By evaluating the success of this education package based on its implementation and not just its efficacy, we have generated new insights into the barriers to sustainable upscale, specifically those surrounding maintenance.
The science of soft robot design: A review of motivations, methods and enabling technologies
Authors: Stella Francesco , Hughes Josie
Published: January 2023

Novel technologies, fabrication methods, controllers and computational methods are rapidly advancing the capabilities of soft robotics. This is creating the need for design techniques and methodologies that are suited for the multi-disciplinary nature of soft robotics. These are needed to provide a formalized and scientific approach to design. In this paper, we formalize the scientific questions driving soft robotic design; what motivates the design of soft robots, and what are the fundamental challenges when designing soft robots? We review current methods and approaches to soft robot design including bio-inspired design, computational design and human-driven design, and highlight the implications that each design methods has on the resulting soft robotic systems. To conclude, we provide an analysis of emerging methods which could assist robot design, and we present a review some of the necessary technologies that may enable these approaches.
Enrollment and retention of female sex workers in HIV care in health facilities in Mbarara city
Authors: Arinaitwe Bridget , Ariho Philbert , Naturinda Christine Hilda , Byoleko Brian , Base Anitah , Atwijukiire Humphrey , Matavu Hariat , Kabami Jane , Obua Celestine , Wakida Edith K. , Otwine Anne
Published: January 2023

Background

Sex work is a global driver of the HIV epidemic, and the risk of acquiring HIV is 13 times higher for female sex workers (FSWs) compared to the general population. The enrollment and retention of FSWs in HIV care is a challenge and has been a major contributing factor to increased new HIV infections.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study among 30 FSWs and 21 healthcare workers (HCWs) working in antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics at the selected three primary health facilities in Mbarara City, Southwestern Uganda. The study participants were enrolled by both purposive and snowball sampling techniques. We obtained informed consent from all the participants, and data were collected using in-depth interviews and thematically analyzed.

Results

Three themes emerged as facilitators toward enrollment and retention of FSWs into HIV care, namely, (1) good health living, (2) receptive HCWs and availability of health services, and (3) community outreach services and peer support. The barriers are summarized into four major themes: (1) stigma, community discrimination, and beliefs; (2) social obstacles; (3) adverse effects of ART; and (4) inadequate services at the health facilities.

Conclusion

FSWs are challenged by unsupportive environments and communities where they live and work, which hinders their enrollment and retention in HIV care. Creating awareness of the utilization of HIV care services and extending such services to hotspot communities could enhance the response of HIV-positive FSWs to ART.
Weather or not? The role of international sanctions and climate on food prices in Iran
Authors: Zamanialaei Maryam , Brown Molly E. , McCarty Jessica L. , Fain Justin J.
Published: January 2023

Introduction

The scarcity of resources have affected food production, which has challenged the ability of Iran to provide adequate food for the population. Iterative and mounting sanctions on Iran by the international community have seriously eroded Iran's access to agricultural technology and resources to support a growing population. Limited moisture availability also affects Iran's agricultural production. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of inflation, international sanctions, weather disturbances, and domestic crop production on the price of rice, wheat and lentils from 2010 to 2021 in Iran.

Method

Data were obtained from the statistical yearbooks of the Ministry of Agriculture in Iran, Statistical Center of Iran, and the Central Bank of Iran. We analyzed econometric measures of food prices, including CPI, food inflation, subsidy reform plan and sanctions to estimate economic relationships. After deflating the food prices through CPI and detrending the time series to resolve the non-linear issue, we used monthly Climate Hazards group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) precipitation data to analyze the influence of weather disturbances on food prices.

Results and discussion

The price of goods not only provides an important indicator of the balance between agricultural production and market demand, but also has strong impacts on food affordability and food security. This novel study used a combination of economic and climate factors to analyze the food prices in Iran. Our statistical modeling framework found that the monthly precipitation on domestic food prices, and ultimately food access, in the country is much less important than the international sanctions, lowering Iran's productive capability and negatively impacting its food security.
Prophylactic abdominal drainage following appendectomy for complicated appendicitis: A meta-analysis
Authors: Liao Jiankun , Zhou Jiansheng , Wang Jialei , Xie Guisheng , Wei Haotang
Published: January 2023

Background

To date, the value of prophylactic abdominal drainage (AD) following appendectomy in patients with complicated appendicitis (CA), including adults and children, has yet to be determined. This paper presents a meta-analysis of the effects of prophylactic AD on postoperative complications in patients with CA, with the goal of exploring the safety and effectiveness of prophylactic AD.

Methods

PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for relevant articles published before August 1, 2022. The primary outcomes were the complication rates [overall incidence of postoperative complications, incidence of intra-abdominal abscess (IAA), wound infection (WI), and postoperative ileus (PI), and the secondary outcome was the perioperative outcome]. The meta-analysis was performed with STATA V. 16.0A.

Results

A total of 2,627 articles were retrieved and 15 high-quality articles were eventually included after screening, resulting in a total of 5,123 patients, of whom 1,796 received AD and 3,327 did not. The results of this meta-analysis showed that compared with patients in the non-drainage group, patients in the drainage group had longer postoperative length of hospitalization (LOH) (SMD = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.01–1.35, P = 0.046), higher overall incidence of postoperative complications (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.19–0.81, P = 0.01), higher incidence of WI (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.08–0.51, P = 0.01) and PI (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.57–1.54, P = 0.01), the differences were statistically significant. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of IAA (OR = 0.10, 95% CI: −0.10 to 0.31, P = 0.31) between the two groups. The results of subgroup meta-analysis showed that in the adult subgroup, the overall incidence of postoperative complications in the drainage group was higher than that in the non-drainage group (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.37–0.96, P = 0.01). However, there were no significant differences in IAA (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: −0.28 to 0.64, P = 0.45) and WI (OR = 0.13, 95% CI: (−0.40 to 0.66, P = 0.63) and PI (OR = 2.71, 95% CI: −0.29 to 5.71, P = 0.08). In the children subgroup, there were no significant differences in the incidence of IAA (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: −0.06 to 1.09, P = 0.08) between the two groups. The overall incidence of postoperative complications (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.02–0.90, P = 0.04), incidences of WI (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.14–0.71, P = 0.01) and PI (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.10–1.39, P = 0.02) were significantly higher than those in the non-drainage group.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis concluded that prophylactic AD did not benefit from appendectomy, but increased the incidence of related complications, especially in children with CA. Thus, there is insufficient evidence to support the routine use of prophylactic AD following appendectomy.
An early clinical comparative study on total knee arthroplasty with kinematic alignment using specific instruments versus mechanical alignment in varus knees
Authors: Wen Liang , Wang Zhiwei , Ma Desi , Zhao Xiaoxiong
Published: January 2023

Background

The kinematic alignment technique, as one of the alignment options for total knee arthroplasty, has attracted increasing attention from orthopedic surgeons and has been increasingly performed in the most populous countries in the world. The purpose of this study is to explore and compare the early clinical outcomes of total knee arthroplasty with KA using specific instruments vs. mechanical alignment in our nation.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who underwent unilateral total knee arthroplasty for knee osteoarthritis with varus deformity. Depending on the alignment method, patients were divided into a kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty (KA-TKA) group and a mechanically aligned total knee arthroplasty (MA-TKA) group. The hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle before and after surgery, the knee joint clinical score (KS-C), the knee joint functional score (KS-F) and the forgotten joint score (FJS) at 3 months and 2 years after surgery were recorded and statistically analyzed.

Results

A total of 126 patients were enrolled, including 65 in the KA-TKA group and 61 in the MA-TKA group. The mean follow-up period was 30.8 months. The postoperative HKA angle was not significantly different at the 2-year follow-up between the two groups (P > 0.05). The KS-C, KS-F and FJS scores in the KA-TKA group were higher than those in the MA-TKA group at 3 months after surgery, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). At the 2-year follow-up, the KS-C, KS-F and FJS scores in the KA-TKA group were higher than those in the MA-TKA group, and the difference in the KS-C and FJS scores was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Patients who underwent KA-TKA had a postoperative lower limb alignment similar to that of those who underwent MA-TKA. The clinical outcomes of KA-TKA were superior to those of MA-TKA in terms of clinical performance, knee function and subjective sensation up to 2 years after surgery.
Individualized surgical treatment of giant tuberculum sellae meningioma: Unilateral subfrontal approach vs. endoscopic transsphenoidal approach
Authors: Li Yang , Zhang Chao , Su Jun , Qin Chaoying , Wang Xiangyu , Li Yue , Liu Qing
Published: January 2023

Objective

Giant tuberculum sellae meningiomas (TSMs) are deeply located in the suprasellar region and extensively compressed or encased in the surrounding neurovascular structures, making gross total resection (GTR) without postoperative visual impairment challenging. The authors presented individualized unilateral subfrontal approach and endoscopic transsphenoidal approach (ETSA) in a series of patients and elaborated on their advantages and indications in resecting giant TSMs.

Methods

A total of 38 patients with giant TSMs operated by a single surgeon between March 2012 and November 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients underwent unilateral subfrontal approach and ETSA according to preoperative imaging characteristics. Tumor characteristics, surgical details, preoperative symptoms, and neurological outcomes of TSMs patients were collected and analyzed.

Results

In 31 patients operated with the unilateral subfrontal approach, total resection (Simpson grade I or II) was achieved in 27 patients (87.0%), while 6 patients (85.7%) achieved GTR in 7 patients using ETSA. The postoperative visual improvement was maintained in 22 (81.5%) and 5 patients (83.3%). Recurrence or progression was only observed in 2 (7.4%) patients operated with the unilateral subfrontal approach. There was no mortality in our series.

Conclusions

Preoperative imaging and visual function are important for surgical approach selection. Maximum tumor resection and optic nerve protection can be achieved concurrently by taking advantage of these surgical approaches. The cerebral artery protection strategies and individualized surgical techniques provide great utility in improving a patient's quality of life.