bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lockdown Duration and Training Intensity Affect Sleep Behavior in an International Sample of 1,454 Elite Athletes
Authors: Romdhani Mohamed , Fullagar Hugh H. K. , Vitale Jacopo A. , Nédélec Mathieu , Rae Dale E. , Ammar Achraf , Chtourou Hamdi , Al Horani Ramzi A. , Ben Saad Helmi , Bragazzi Nicola Luigi , Dönmez Gürhan , Dergaa Ismail , Driss Tarak , Farooq Abdulaziz , Hammouda Omar , Harroum Nesrine , Hassanmirzaei Bahar , Khalladi Karim , Khemila Syrine , Mataruna-Dos-Santos Leonardo Jose , Moussa-Chamari Imen , Mujika Iñigo , Muñoz Helú Hussein , Norouzi Fashkhami Amin , Paineiras-Domingos Laisa Liane , Khaneghah Mehrshad Rahbari , Saita Yoshitomo , Souissi Nizar , Trabelsi Khaled , Washif Jad Adrian , Weber Johanna , Zmijewski Piotr , Taylor Lee , Garbarino Sergio , Chamari Karim
Published: June 2022

Objective: To investigate the effect of 1) lockdown duration and 2) training intensity on sleep quality and insomnia symptoms in elite athletes.

Methods: 1,454 elite athletes (24.1 ± 6.7 years; 42% female; 41% individual sports) from 40 countries answered a retrospective, cross-sectional, web-based questionnaire relating to their behavioral habits pre- and during- COVID-19 lockdown, including: 1) Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI); 2) Insomnia severity index (ISI); bespoke questions about 3) napping; and 4) training behaviors. The association between dependent (PSQI and ISI) and independent variables (sleep, napping and training behaviors) was determined with multiple regression and is reported as semi-partial correlation coefficient squared (in percentage).

Results: 15% of the sample spent < 1 month, 27% spent 1–2 months and 58% spent > 2 months in lockdown. 29% self-reported maintaining the same training intensity during-lockdown whilst 71% reduced training intensity. PSQI (4.1 ± 2.4 to 5.8 ± 3.1; mean difference (MD): 1.7; 95% confidence interval of the difference (95% CI): 1.6–1.9) and ISI (5.1 ± 4.7 to 7.7 ± 6.4; MD: 2.6; 95% CI: 2.3–2.9) scores were higher during-compared to pre-lockdown, associated (all p < 0.001) with longer sleep onset latency (PSQI: 28%; ISI: 23%), later bedtime (PSQI: 13%; ISI: 14%) and later preferred time of day to train (PSQI: 9%; ISI: 5%) during-lockdown. Those who reduced training intensity during-lockdown showed higher PSQI (p < 0.001; MD: 1.25; 95% CI: 0.87–1.63) and ISI (p < 0.001; MD: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.72–3.27) scores compared to those who maintained training intensity. Although PSQI score was not affected by the lockdown duration, ISI score was higher in athletes who spent > 2 months confined compared to those who spent < 1 month (p < 0.001; MD: 1.28; 95% CI: 0.26–2.3).

Conclusion: Reducing training intensity during the COVID-19-induced lockdown was associated with lower sleep quality and higher insomnia severity in elite athletes. Lockdown duration had further disrupting effects on elite athletes’ sleep behavior. These findings could be of relevance in future lockdown or lockdown-like situations (e.g., prolonged illness, injury, and quarantine after international travel).
Benefit of Introgression Depends on Level of Genetic Trait Variation in Cereal Breeding Programmes
Authors: Li Yongjun , Shi Fan , Lin Zibei , Robinson Hannah , Moody David , Rattey Allan , Godoy Jayfred , Mullan Daniel , Keeble-Gagnere Gabriel , Hayden Matthew J. , Tibbits Josquin F. G. , Daetwyler Hans D.
Published: June 2022

We investigated the benefit from introgression of external lines into a cereal breeding programme and strategies that accelerated introgression of the favourable alleles while minimising linkage drag using stochastic computer simulation. We simulated genomic selection for disease resistance and grain yield in two environments with a high level of genotype-by-environment interaction (G × E) for the latter trait, using genomic data of a historical barley breeding programme as the base generation. Two populations (existing and external) were created from this base population with different allele frequencies for few (N = 10) major and many (N ~ 990) minor simulated disease quantitative trait loci (QTL). The major disease QTL only existed in the external population and lines from the external population were introgressed into the existing population which had minor disease QTL with low, medium and high allele frequencies. The study revealed that the benefit of introgression depended on the level of genetic variation for the target trait in the existing cereal breeding programme. Introgression of external resources into the existing population was beneficial only when the existing population lacked variation in disease resistance or when minor disease QTL were already at medium or high frequency. When minor disease QTL were at low frequencies, no extra genetic gain was achieved from introgression. More benefit in the disease trait was obtained from the introgression if the major disease QTL had larger effect sizes, more selection emphasis was applied on disease resistance, or more external lines were introgressed. While our strategies to increase introgression of major disease QTL were generally successful, most were not able to completely avoid negative impacts on selection for grain yield with the only exception being when major introgression QTL effects were very large. Breeding programmes are advised to carefully consider the level of genetic variation in a trait available in their breeding programme before deciding to introgress germplasms.
Jasmonate-Responsive Transcription Factors NnWRKY70a and NnWRKY70b Positively Regulate Benzylisoquinoline Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
Authors: Li Jing , Li Yi , Dang Mingjing , Li Shang , Chen Simeng , Liu Ruizhen , Zhang Zeyu , Li Guoqian , Zhang Minghua , Yang Dong , Yang Mei , Liu Yanling , Tian Daike , Deng Xianbao
Published: June 2022

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a large aquatic plant that accumulates pharmacologically significant benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs). However, little is known about their biosynthesis and regulation. Here, we show that the two group III WRKY transcription factors (TFs), NnWRKY70a and NnWRKY70b, positively regulate the BIA biosynthesis in lotus. Both NnWRKY70s are jasmonic acid (JA) responsive, with their expression profiles highly correlated to the BIA concentration and BIA pathway gene expression. A dual-luciferase assay showed that NnWRKY70a could transactivate the NnTYDC promoter, whereas NnWRKY70b could activate promoters of the three BIA structural genes, including NnTYDC, NnCYP80G, and Nn7OMT. In addition, the transient overexpression of NnWRKY70a and NnWRKY70b in lotus petals significantly elevated the BIA alkaloid concentrations. Notably, NnWRKY70b seems to be a stronger BIA biosynthesis regulator, because it dramatically induced more BIA structural gene expressions and BIA accumulation than NnWRKY70a. A yeast two-hybrid assay further revealed that NnWRKY70b physically interacted with NnJAZ1 and two other group III WRKY TFs (NnWRKY53b and NnWRKY70a), suggesting that it may cooperate with the other group III WRKYs to adjust the lotus BIA biosynthesis via the JA-signaling pathway. To illustrate the mechanism underlying NnWRKY70b-mediated BIA regulation in the lotus, a simplified model is proposed. Our study provides useful insights into the regulatory roles of WRKY TFs in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.
Fine Mapping and Characterization of an Aphid-Resistance Gene in the Soybean Landrace Fangzheng Moshidou
Authors: Yang Jing , Liu Guangyang , Tang Junyong , Wang Xiujun , Diao Yanling , Su Yang , Sun Dan , Shang Jiawei , Guo Yong , Qiu Li-Juan
Published: June 2022

The soybean aphid poses a severe threat to soybean quality and yield by sucking phloem sap and transmitting plant viruses. An early-maturing and highly resistant soybean landrace, Fangzheng Moshidou, with markedly reduced aphid colonization has been identified by screening of aphid-resistant soybean accessions. In a population derived from the cross of Fangzheng Moshidou with the susceptible cultivar Beifeng 9, resistance was conferred by a single dominant gene. Three linked markers, Satt114, Satt334, and Sct_033, on chromosome 13 were identified by bulked-segregant analysis. Additional simple-sequence repeat and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were developed for gene mapping. The resistance of Fangzheng Moshidou was fine-mapped to the interval between the SNP markers YCSNP20 and YCSNP80, corresponding to 152.8 kb in the Williams 82 assembly 2 genome. This region was near the reported loci Rag2 and Rag5 but did not overlap the interval containing them. A unique haplotype is described for Fangzheng Moshidou that distinguishes it from soybean accessions PI 587972, PI 594879, and PI 567301B in the interval containing Rag2 and Rag5. These results indicate that Fangzheng Moshidou harbors a novel gene at a tightly linked resistance locus, designated as RagFMD. Fourteen candidate genes were annotated in the fine-mapping region, including seven NBS-LRR genes, which are usually considered resistance genes in plant defense. Most of these candidate genes showed variations distinguishing the resistant and susceptible parents and some genes also showed differences in expression between the two parental lines and at several times after aphid infestation. Isolation of RagFMD would advance the study of molecular mechanisms of soybean aphid resistance and contribute to precise selection of resistant soybeans.
A Key Molecular Regulator, RNA G-Quadruplex and Its Function in Plants
Authors: Liu Haifeng , Chu Zhaohui , Yang Xiaofei
Published: June 2022

RNA structure plays key roles in plant growth, development, and adaptation. One of the complex RNA structures is the RNA G-quadruplex (RG4) where guanine-rich sequences are folded into two or more layers of G-quartets. Previous computational predictions of RG4 revealed that it is widespread across the whole transcriptomes in many plant species, raising the hypothesis that RG4 is likely to be an important regulatory motif in plants. Recently, with the advances in both high-throughput sequencing and cell imaging technologies, RG4 can be detected in living cells as well as at the genome-wide scale. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of recent developments in new methods for detecting RG4 in plants. We also summarize the new functions of RG4 in regulating plant growth and development. We then discuss the possible role of RG4 in adapting to environmental conditions along with evolutionary perspectives.
Social Workers’ Choice Making in Supporting Nature Activities by Parents and Children in Shelters
Authors: Peters Elise , Hovinga Dieuwke , Maas Jolanda , Schuengel Carlo
Published: June 2022

Visiting a natural environment such as a garden or park helps people to recover from stressful circumstances. Women’s shelters and homeless shelters have started to integrate nature in their work, especially for families who seek temporary refuge, with the aim to support parents’ functioning and resilience. For professionals who want to facilitate engagement with nature among their clients, it may be helpful to learn how other professionals choose nature activities for the support of parents. The current study was aimed to uncover how social workers choose a nature activity for the support of parents, resulting in a model that can be used as a reflective tool among shelter professionals. The model is based on an analysis of actions of professionals, captured in case descriptions written by shelter professionals about parenting supportive nature activities that they facilitated for families under their care. The model shows that social workers promoted a back-and-forth between children’s exploration away from the parent and being with the parent. In facilitating these interactions, social workers used nature as an environment with stress reducing and strengthening capacities for parents and as an environment with supportive qualities for children’s play. A dimensional framework was extracted that described how professionals may choose activities.
Cognitive Structure of College Students and Teaching Strategies of Ideological and Political Education Under Educational Psychology
Authors: Zhao Jing
Published: June 2022

The ideological and political education (IPE) situation is constantly developing and changing. In modern globalization, the ideological education of college students has received great attention. The purpose is to strengthen morality and cultivate people as the basic point of a college education. The principles of educational psychology are adopted to integrate IPE into the whole process of college teaching and help students develop healthily for a long time. First, IPE psychology’s concept and subject attribute under educational psychology are expounded. Next, the concept and development of cognitive structure theory are introduced. Moreover, educational constructivist measures are analyzed. Furthermore, the cognitive structure of college students’ self-cognition and IPE is interpreted and analyzed using cognitive psychology. Then, a questionnaire is designed to study the influencing factors of political education strategies in colleges. Finally, the questionnaire is collected to summarize the influencing factors and put forward optimization strategies. The results show that using the principles of educational psychology and cognitive psychology to investigate can accurately understand modern college students’ self-cognitive structure and ideological and political cognitive structure. The opportunity factor greatly impacts the IPE strategy of college students. More than 97% think that it has an impact, of which more than 51% think that it has a great impact and more than 21% think that it is the decisive factor. Challenge factors greatly impact college students’ IPE strategies. More than 97% think they have an impact, of which more than 55% think they have a great impact, and more than 24% think they are decisive factors. It shows that educational psychology is conducive to the progress of political education in colleges and the improvement of college students’ ideological and political levels. This exploration provides a new direction for educational psychology research in ideological and political work.
Recognition and Analysis of Sports on Mental Health Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Li LingSong , Li HaiXia
Published: June 2022

This paper presents the purpose of sport recognition of mental health for users and analyzes and studies the recognition of mental health by sports based on deep learning. The recognition model of sport mental health state composed of data layer, logic layer and display layer is built. After fusing human health data with deep learning algorithm, the feature of human health mutual information is extracted, the feature into the recognition model of mental health state is inputted, and the recognition results of sport mental health mode after forward and reverse operation are outputted. The recognition data of sports on mental health status are obtained, which correspond to the link flowing through during multi-level transmission, calibrate the multi-level transmission point, and fuse and process the recognition information of sports on mental health status. The experimental results show that the loss value of the research method when analyzing the effect of sports on mental health enhancement is the smallest, the output result is reliable, can effectively improve the body mass index (BMI) of the human body, has the most controllable amount of data, and has good performance.
Parenting Style and Emotional Well-Being Among Adolescents: The Role of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration
Authors: Abidin Fitri Ariyanti , Yudiana Whisnu , Fadilah Syipa Husni
Published: June 2022

The research examined the relationship between supportive parenting styles (warmth, structure, and autonomy support) and emotional well-being and whether they are mediated by basic psychological need satisfaction. It also explores thwarting parenting styles (rejection, chaos, and coercion) that may be associated with emotional ill-being, mediated by basic psychological needs frustration. This study involved 394 Indonesian adolescents aged 11–15 years old (49.5% boys, 50.5% girls) as the participants. We employed the structural equation model (SEM) analysis to evaluate the hypotheses. The research found that basic psychological needs satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between supportive parenting styles and emotional well-being; basic psychological needs frustration fully mediated the relationship between thwarting parenting styles and emotional ill-being (Chi-Square = 434.39; df = 220; p = 0.000; RMSEA = 0.05; CFI = 0.91; GFI = 0.91; SRMR = 0.05). Interestingly, the findings indicate that the thwarting parenting style positively influences basic psychological needs satisfaction. The research concludes that supportive parenting enhances the well-being of adolescents by satisfying their basic psychological needs. However, thwarting parental behaviors did not forestall the satisfaction of needs. The way Indonesian adolescents perceived the thwarting parenting style was discussed.
Metacognitive Strategies and Development of Critical Thinking in Higher Education
Authors: Rivas Silvia F. , Saiz Carlos , Ossa Carlos
Published: June 2022

More and more often, we hear that higher education should foment critical thinking. The new skills focus for university teaching grants a central role to critical thinking in new study plans; however, using these skills well requires a certain degree of conscientiousness and its regulation. Metacognition therefore plays a crucial role in developing critical thinking and consists of a person being aware of their own thinking processes in order to improve them for better knowledge acquisition. Critical thinking depends on these metacognitive mechanisms functioning well, being conscious of the processes, actions, and emotions in play, and thereby having the chance to understand what has not been done well and correcting it. Even when there is evidence of the relation between metacognitive processes and critical thinking, there are still few initiatives which seek to clarify which process determines which other one, or whether there is interdependence between both. What we present in this study is therefore an intervention proposal to develop critical thinking and meta knowledge skills. In this context, Problem-Based Learning is a useful tool to develop these skills in higher education. The ARDESOS-DIAPROVE program seeks to foment critical thinking via metacognition and Problem-Based Learning methodology. It is known that learning quality improves when students apply metacognition; it is also known that effective problem-solving depends not only on critical thinking, but also on the skill of realization, and of cognitive and non-cognitive regulation. The study presented hereinafter therefore has the fundamental objective of showing whether instruction in critical thinking (ARDESOS-DIAPROVE) influences students’ metacognitive processes. One consequence of this is that critical thinking improves with the use of metacognition. The sample was comprised of first-year psychology students at Public University of the North of Spain who were undergoing the aforementioned program; PENCRISAL was used to evaluate critical thinking skills and the Metacognitive Activities Inventory (MAI) for evaluating metacognition. We expected an increase in critical thinking scores and metacognition following this intervention. As a conclusion, we indicate actions to incentivize metacognitive work among participants, both individually via reflective questions and decision diagrams, and at the interactional level with dialogues and reflective debates which strengthen critical thinking.
Engagement in and Benefits of a Short-Term, Brief Psychotherapy Intervention for PTSD During Pregnancy
Authors: Kornfield Sara L. , Johnson Rachel L. , Hantsoo Liisa V. , Kaminsky Rachel B. , Waller Rebecca , Sammel Mary , Epperson C. Neill
Published: June 2022

Trauma-related symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common during pregnancy and have adverse effects on pregnancy and birth outcomes, post-partum maternal mental health, and child development. The arousal symptoms associated with PTSD, including heightened or dysregulated physiology, may contribute to these adverse outcomes. Low-income minoritized women may be at highest risk given more lifetime exposure to trauma and limited access to mental health care. While evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD exist, none are targeted to non-treatment seeking individuals nor specifically integrated with prenatal care. Thus, we developed and tested the efficacy of a short-term (four sessions) brief (30–45 min) psychotherapeutic intervention designed to address PTSD symptoms in pregnant women receiving prenatal care at two urban medical centers. Participants were 32 pregnant women with an average gestational age of 18.5 weeks at the time of enrollment. The sample was overwhelmingly non-Caucasian, single, and reported very low income. Participants completed measures of trauma-related symptoms (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, PCL), and depression (Edinburgh post-natal Depression Scale, EPDS) at baseline, twice during treatment, post-treatment, and at 10–14 weeks post-partum. The intervention was successful at significantly decreasing symptoms of PTSD (PCL score = −20.27, 95% CI: −25.62, −14.92, P < 0.001, W = −7.43) and depression (EPDS score = −4.81, 95% CI: −7.55, −2.06, P = 0.001, W = −3.23) by the final session. These benefits were sustained at post-treatment and post-partum follow ups. Future research should further explore the effectiveness of this treatment in a randomized controlled trial.
Trends in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Needs in China From 1990 to 2030: A Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort Modeling Study
Authors: Chen Ningjing , Fong Daniel Yee Tak , Wong Janet Yuen Ha
Published: June 2022

Background

Disability and medical expenses caused by musculoskeletal disorders in China had a great impact on the global health and economy. Rehabilitation is essential for dealing with musculoskeletal disorders. However, China's musculoskeletal rehabilitation needs remain unknown. This study aimed to examine the secular trends for musculoskeletal rehabilitation needs in China from 1990 to 2030.

Methods

Data on musculoskeletal rehabilitation needs were extracted from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) repository. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated to reflect fluctuations in the age-standardized rates. The Bayesian age-period-cohort models were used to project rehabilitation needs.

Results

The number of prevalent cases and years lived with disability (YLD) counts in need of musculoskeletal rehabilitation increased greatly in China from 1990 to 2019. There will be 465.9 million Chinese people in need of rehabilitation, with the age-standardized prevalence rate increasing to 21,151.0 [2.5–97.5% predictive interval (95% PI) 14,872.6–27,429.3] per 100,000 persons in 2030. Similarly, the YLD counts will increase to 40.1 million, with the age-standardized YLD rate increasing to 1,811.2 (95% PI 1,232.5–2,390.0) per 100,000 persons in 2030.

Conclusions

Increasing trends in musculoskeletal rehabilitation needs were found from 1990 to 2019, which will be anticipated through 2030. Rehabilitation is suggested to be integrated into primary care settings.
Self-Control as Conceptual Framework to Understand and Support People Who Use Drugs During Sex
Authors: Platteau Tom , Florence Eric , de Wit John B. F.
Published: June 2022

Few theory-informed interventions to support people who use drugs during sex have been conceptualized and developed. We conceptualize sexualized drug use, also referred to as chemsex or pharmacosex, as a self-control challenge, and draw on extant theory and research to propose intervention approaches that can be tailored to meet the differing needs of people who engage in sexualized drug use. We draw on a continuum perspective of sexualized drug use, in particular chemsex, and discuss the role of reasoned and automatic processes in behavioral decisions, as well as critical components of effective self-control of behavior. A self-control approach can empower people to tackle their sexualized drug use, and classify their experienced sex-related drug use as problematic. Self-control encompasses clarifying one's goals and identifying strategies to mitigate behaviors to achieve these goals, despite competing pharmacosex desires. Our approach to self-control sexualized drug use contains three critical components: goal setting, goal enactment, and goal progress appraisal and goal adjustment. Goals should be formulated specific, ambitious yet realistic, and tailored to the individual's needs and wishes. Goals may target aspects of drug use, protecting sexual health and mitigating negative impacts. Implementing goal enactment implies translating goals into concrete (short-term) actions to move toward the higher-order goal via goal intentions and action/coping plans. During the goal progress appraisal and adjustment stage, people compare their actual with their planned behavior. This reflection may result in goal adjustment through feedback loops to adjust their goals and action/coping plans. We propose that our self-control approach can guide the development of interventions to effectively support people to prevent or limit pharmacosex, and helps to effectively mitigate or reduce negative impacts via self-help, peer support or professional support, offered via personal counseling or digital tools.
Cross Country Determinants of Investors' Sentiments Prediction in Emerging Markets Using ANN
Authors: Rao Ananth , M. V. Manoj Kumar , Moonesar Immanuel Azaad , Atalla Shadi , Prashanth B. S. , Joshi Gaurav , Soni Tarun K. , Le Thi , Verma Anuj , Marashdeh Hazem
Published: June 2022

The paper models investor sentiments (IS) to attract investments for Health Sector and Growth in emerging markets, viz., India, Mainland China, and the UAE, by asking questions such as: What specific healthcare sector opportunities are available in the three markets? Are the USA-IS key IS predictors in the three economies? How important are macroeconomic and sociocultural factors in predicting IS in these markets? How important are economic crises and pandemic events in predicting IS in these markets? Is there contemporaneous relation in predicting IS across the three countries in terms of USA-IS, and, if yes, is the magnitude of the impact of USA-IS uniform across the three countries' IS? The artificial neural network (ANN) model is applied to weekly time-series data from January 2003 to December 2020 to capture behavioral elements in the investors' decision-making in these emerging economies. The empirical findings confirmed the superiority of the ANN framework over the traditional logistic model in capturing the cognitive behavior of investors. Health predictor—current health expenditure as a percentage of GDP, USA IS predictor—spread, and Macro-factor GDP—annual growth % are the common predictors across the 3 economies that positively impacted the emerging markets' IS behavior. USA (S&P 500) return is the only common predictor across the three economies that negatively impacted the emerging markets' IS behavior. However, the magnitude of both positive and negative impacts varies across the countries, signifying unique, diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and market features in each of the 3 economies. The results have four key implications: Firstly, US market sentiments are an essential factor influencing stock markets in these countries. Secondly, there is a need for developing a robust sentiment proxy on similar lines to the USA in the three countries. Thirdly, investment opportunities in the healthcare sector in these economies have been identified for potential investments by the investors. Fourthly, this study is the first study to investigate investors' sentiments in these three fast-emerging economies to attract investments in the Health Sector and Growth in the backdrop of UN's 2030 SDG 3 and SDG 8 targets to be achieved by these economies.
Integrating Complementary Medicine Into the Care of Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Brief Report on the Preliminary Framework and Implementation of an Educational Program
Authors: Lam Chun Sing , Au Kwok Yin , Hung Hing Yu , Chou Ho Wing , Leung Alex Wing Kwan , Li Chi Kong , Koon Ho Kee , Cheung Yin Ting
Published: June 2022

Background

Existing educational programs typically include limited information on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) for survivors of childhood cancer.

Objectives

This brief report presents the preliminary results of an educational program that aims to promote the safe and effective use of Chinese medicine (CM) among survivors in Hong Kong.

Methods

Survivors of childhood cancer, their caregivers, and oncology practitioners were invited to participate in a program that consists of two didactic seminars and a written educational booklet that disseminated information on the use of CM. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate participants' receptivity toward and perceived relevance of the program. The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework was used to discuss the impact of the intervention.

Results

Reach: A total of 174 participants attended the seminars, and the seminar recording received over 380 views on social media platforms since April 2021. The hardcopy of the educational booklet was distributed to 43 recipients. The web-version of the booklet was sent to 67 participants and downloaded 143 times. Efficacy: The majority found that the content of the seminar useful (mean score = 5.04/6 points), especially the CM exercise (mean score = 4.88/6 points) and dietary advice (mean score = 4.99/6 points). Intention to adopt: The survivors (or their caregivers) reported that they would adopt advice on food therapies (83.3%) and traditional Chinese health exercises (55.6%) during survivorship.

Conclusion

The preliminary data on patient preferences will be applied to further develop educational materials and to establish a TCIM referral network within the cancer survivor community.
Biomarkers for Early Detection of Renal Injury in Fetuses With Congenital Urinary Tract Obstruction
Authors: Kostic Dusan , Kato André Henrique Teruaki , Lima Laila , Palmeira Patricia , Francisco Rossana Pulcineli Vieira , Bunduki Victor , Koch Vera Hermina Kalika
Published: June 2022

Objective

To investigate a selection of renal injury biomarkers in fetal congenital lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) and their potential to identify renal damage in significant obstructive patterns, eventually to benefit fetal intervention and predict the outcome in terms of survival.

Study Design

Ten fetuses with congenital LUTO were submitted to fetal urine analysis that included six renal injury biomarkers: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), retinol-binding protein (RBP), cystatin C (uCyC), and microalbuminuria (µALB). The results were compared with urinary parameters of patients born with LUTO and healthy newborns.

Result

The majority of fetal biomarker levels showed significantly higher values when compared to all groups at birth with exception of KIM-1 and μALB. RBP and uCyC performed with 100% accuracy to identify severe renal damage in fetal LUTO.

Conclusion

Urine CyC, NGAL, RBP, and TGF-ß1 demonstrated high capability of identifying significant renal impairment due to severe LUTO and may contribute to currently used fetal medicine diagnostic parameters.
Reducing Motion Sickness When Reading With Head-Mounted Displays By Using See-Through Background Images
Authors: Suwa Tsukasa , Sato Yuki , Wada Takahiro
Published: June 2022

With the development of virtual reality technology, head-mounted displays (HMDs) have been increasingly used to view or read 2D content while in vehicles. When 2D content is displayed in a fixed position on an HMD, the visual appearance does not change even with head movements, and body movements cannot be perceived while watching 2D content. This may cause visual-vestibular conflict and severe motion sickness. This study investigates whether motion sickness when reading 2D content fixed to the HMD coordinate system can be reduced by allowing readers to perceive body movements through video see-through images obtained from the front camera of the HMD in situations where the body vibrates. Twenty participants performed 20-minutes reading tasks in which they read a book fixed to the HMD coordinate while seated in a vibration device. Two background conditions of the book were explored: 1) the white background condition—not allowing participants to perceive their movements visually, and 2) the camera background condition—allowing participants to perceive their movements visually through see-through images. Evaluation of motion sickness using the Misery Scale, which is an 11-point questionnaire, showed that motion sickness after task completion was significantly lower in the camera background condition than in the white background condition. This result suggests that motion sickness can be relieved, provided that the users perceive their motion in the peripheral vision through the camera image, even if they gaze at 2D content fixed in the HMD coordinate system in the central vision. This study helps promote the use of HMDs by alleviating motion sickness.
Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), and Frailty: Is There any Room for Good Outcome in the Elderly Undergoing Emergency Surgery?
Authors: Fransvea Pietro , Costa Gianluca , Lepre Luca , Capolupo Gabriella Teresa , Carannante Filippo , Puccioni Caterina , Costa Alessandro , La Greca Antonio , Giovinazzo Francesco , Sganga Gabriele ,   on behalf of the IGo-GIPS study group
Published: June 2022

Background

Patients with MetS or SIRS experience higher rates of mortality and morbidity, across both cardiac and noncardiac surgery. Frailty assessment has acquired increasing importance in recent years as it predisposes elderly patients to a worse outcome. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of MetS, SIRS, and with or without frailty on elderly patients undergoing emergency surgical procedures.

Methods

We analyzed data of all patients with nonmalignant diseases requiring an emergency surgical procedure from January 2017 to December 2020. The occurrence of MetS was identified using modified definition criteria used by the NCEP-ATP III Expert Panel: obesity, hypertension, diabetes, or if medication for high triglycerides or for low HDL cholesterol was taken. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was evaluated according to the original consensus study (Sepsis-1). The frailty profile was investigated by the 5-modified Frailty Index (5-mFI) and the Emergency Surgery Frailty Index (EmSFI). Postoperative complications have been reported and categorized according to the Clavien–Dindo (C–D) classification system. Morbidity and mortality have been mainly considered as the 30-day standard period definition.

Results

Of the 2,318 patients included in this study, 1,010 (43.6%) fulfilled the criteria for MetS (MetsG group). Both 5-Items score and EmsFI showed greater fragility in patients with MetS. All patients with MetS showed more frequently a CACI index greater than 6. The occurrence of SIRS was higher in MetSG. LOS was longer in patients with MetS (MetSG 11.4 ± 12 days vs. n-MetSG 10.5 ± 10.2 days, p = 0.046). MetSG has a significantly higher rate of morbidity (353 (35.%) vs. 385 (29.4%), p = 0.005). The mortality rate in patients with MetS (98/1010, 10%) was similar to that in patients without it (129/1308, 10%). Considering patients with MetS who developed SIRS and those who had frailty or both, the occurrence of these conditions was associated with a higher rate of morbidity and mortality.

Conclusion

Impact of MetS and SIRS on elderly surgical patient outcomes has yet to be fully elucidated. The present study showed a 43.6% incidence of MetS in the elderly population. In conclusion, age per se should be not considered anymore as the main variable to estimate patient outcomes, while MetS and Frailty should have always a pivotal role.
Breast Meat Fatty Acid Profiling and Proteomic Analysis of Beijing-You Chicken During the Laying Period
Authors: Zhang Jian , Zhuang Hong , Cao Jing , Geng Ailian , Wang Haihong , Chu Qin , Yan Zhixun , Zhang Xiaoyue , Zhang Yao , Liu Huagui
Published: June 2022

The disparity in fatty acids (FA) composition exhibits a significant impact on meat quality, however, the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying this trait in chicken are far from clear. In this study, a total of 45 female Beijing-You chicken (BYC) hens, fed on the same diet, were collected at the slaughter age of 150, 300, or 450 days (D150, D300, and D450) from sexual maturation stage to culling stage (15 birds per age). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and tandem mass tag labeling technology based on liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (TMT-LC-MS/MS) analysis strategies were applied to profile FA compositions and to compare differential expressed proteins (DEPs) between these different slaughter ages, respectively. The FA profiling showed that increasing hen ages resulted in increased contents of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Proteomic analyses showed a total of 4,935 proteins in chicken breast muscle with the false discovery rate (FDR) < 1% and 664 of them were differentially expressed (fold change > 1.50 or < 0.67 and P < 0.01). There were 410 up- and 116 down-regulated proteins in D150 vs. D300 group, 32 up- and 20 down-regulated in D150 vs. D450 group, and 72 up- and 241 down-regulated in D300 vs. D450 group. A total of 57 DEPs related to FA/lipid-related metabolisms were obtained according to the enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). These DEPs were involved in 21 significantly enriched (P < 0.05) pathways, including well-known pathways for FA synthesis (metabolism, desaturation, and elongation) and the signaling pathways for lipid metabolism (PPAR, adipocytokine, calcium, VEGF, MAPK, and Wnt). In addition, there existed several representative DEPs (FABP, FABP3, apoA-I, apoA-IV, apoC-III, apoB, VTG1, and VTG2) involved in the regulation of FA/lipid transportation. The construction of the interaction networks indicated that HADH, ACAA2, HADHA, ACSL1, CD36, CPT1A, PPP3R1, and SPHK1 were the key core nodes. Finally, eight DEPs were quantified using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) to validate the results from TMT analysis. These results expanded our understanding of how the laying age affects the FA compositions and metabolism in hen breast meat.
Multi-View Graph Fusion for Semi-Supervised Learning: Application to Image-Based Face Beauty Prediction
Authors: Dornaika Fadi , Moujahid Abdelmalik
Published: June 2022

Facial Beauty Prediction (FBP) is an important visual recognition problem to evaluate the attractiveness of faces according to human perception. Most existing FBP methods are based on supervised solutions using geometric or deep features. Semi-supervised learning for FBP is an almost unexplored research area. In this work, we propose a graph-based semi-supervised method in which multiple graphs are constructed to find the appropriate graph representation of the face images (with and without scores). The proposed method combines both geometric and deep feature-based graphs to produce a high-level representation of face images instead of using a single face descriptor and also improves the discriminative ability of graph-based score propagation methods. In addition to the data graph, our proposed approach fuses an additional graph adaptively built on the predicted beauty values. Experimental results on the SCUTFBP-5500 facial beauty dataset demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm compared to other state-of-the-art methods.
Eyes versus Eyebrows: A Comprehensive Evaluation Using the Multiscale Analysis and Curvature-Based Combination Methods in Partial Face Recognition
Authors: Lionnie Regina , Apriono Catur , Gunawan Dadang
Published: June 2022

This work aimed to find the most discriminative facial regions between the eyes and eyebrows for periocular biometric features in a partial face recognition system. We propose multiscale analysis methods combined with curvature-based methods. The goal of this combination was to capture the details of these features at finer scales and offer them in-depth characteristics using curvature. The eye and eyebrow images cropped from four face 2D image datasets were evaluated. The recognition performance was calculated using the nearest neighbor and support vector machine classifiers. Our proposed method successfully produced richer details in finer scales, yielding high recognition performance. The highest accuracy results were 76.04% and 98.61% for the limited dataset and 96.88% and 93.22% for the larger dataset for the eye and eyebrow images, respectively. Moreover, we compared the results between our proposed methods and other works, and we achieved similar high accuracy results using only eye and eyebrow images.
Wavelet Decomposition and Machine Learning Technique for Predicting Occurrence of Spiders in Pigeon Pea
Authors: Paul Ranjit Kumar , Vennila Sengottaiyan , Yeasin Md , Yadav Satish Kumar , Nisar Shabistana , Paul Amrit Kumar , Gupta Ajit , Malathi Seetalam , Jyosthna Mudigulam Karanam , Kavitha Zadda , Mathukumalli Srinivasa Rao , Prabhakar Mathyam
Published: June 2022

Influence of weather variables on occurrence of spiders in pigeon pea across locations of seven agro-climatic zones of India was studied in addition to development of forecast models with their comparisons on performance. Considering the non-normal and nonlinear nature of time series data of spiders, non-parametric techniques were applied with developed algorithm based on combinations of wavelet–regression and wavelet–artificial neural network (ANN) models. Haar wavelet filter decomposed each of the series to extract the actual signal from the noisy data. Prediction accuracy of developed models, viz., multiple regression, wavelet–regression, and wavelet–ANN, tested using root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), indicated better performance of wavelet–ANN model. Diebold Mariano (DM) test also confirmed that the prediction accuracy of wavelet–ANN model, and hence its use to forecast spiders in conjunction with the values of pest–defender ratios, would not only reduce insecticidal sprays, but also add ecological and economic value to the integrated pest management of insects of pigeon pea.
A Simple Method for the Prediction of Human Concentration–Time Profiles and Pharmacokinetics of Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADC) from Rats or Monkeys
Authors: Mahmood Iftekhar
Published: June 2022

Knowledge of human concentration–time profiles from animal data can be useful during early drug development. The objective of this study is to predict human concentration–time profiles of antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) and subsequently predict pharmacokinetic parameters in humans from rats or monkeys. Eight methods with different exponents of volume of distribution (0.8–1) as well as exponents of clearance (0.85), along with the exponents of volume of distribution for 5 ADCs, were used to predict human concentration–time profiles. The PK parameters were also scaled to humans from monkeys or rats using fixed exponents and compared with the PK parameters predicted from predicted human concentration–time profiles. The results of the study indicated that the exponent 0.9 and the combination of exponents of 0.9 and 0.8 (two exponents, 0.8 and 0.9, were used) were the best method to predict human concentration–time profiles and, subsequently, human PK parameters. The predicted PK parameters from fixed exponents were comparable with the predicted PK parameters estimated from human concentration–time profiles. The proposed methods are applicable to rats or monkeys with the same degree of accuracy. Overall, the proposed methods are robust, accurate, and cost- and time-effective.
Prevalence and Molecular Characteristics of Polymyxin-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Chinese Tertiary Teaching Hospital
Authors: Xiao Chenlu , Zhu Yan , Yang Zhitao , Shi Dake , Ni Yuxing , Hua Li , Li Jian
Published: June 2022

Polymyxin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major threat to public health globally. We investigated the prevalence of polymyxin-resistant P. aeruginosa in a Chinese teaching hospital and determined the genetic and drug-resistant phenotypes of the resistant isolates. P. aeruginosa isolates identified by MALDI-TOF MS were collected across a 3-month period in Ruijin Hospital. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by a Vitek-2 Compact system with broth dilution used to determine polymyxin B (PMB) susceptibility. Polymyxin-resistant isolates were further characterized by molecular typing using PCR, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and whole-genome sequencing. Phylogenetic relationships were analyzed using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) from the whole-genome sequencing. Of 362 P. aeruginosa isolates collected, 8 (2.2%) isolates from separate patients across six wards were polymyxin-resistant (MIC range, PMB 4–16 μg/mL and colistin 4–≥16 μg/mL). Four patients received PMB treatments (intravenous, aerosolized and/or topical) and all patients survived to discharge. All polymyxin-resistant isolates were genetically related and were assigned to five different clades (Isolate 150 and Isolate 211 being the same ST823 type). Genetic variations V51I, Y345H, G68S and R155H in pmrB and L71R in pmrA were identified, which might confer polymyxin resistance in these isolates. Six of the polymyxin-resistant isolates showed reduced susceptibility to imipenem and meropenem (MIC range ≥ 16 μg/mL), while two of the eight isolates were resistant to ceftazidime. We revealed a low prevalence of polymyxin-resistant P. aeruginosa in a Chinese teaching hospital with most polymyxin-resistant isolates being multidrug-resistant. Therefore, effective infection control measures are urgently needed to prevent further spread of resistance to the last-line polymyxins.
Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida albicans Isolated from Tongue and Subgingival Biofilm of Periodontitis Patients
Authors: Radunovic Milena , Barac Milena , Kuzmanovic Pficer Jovana , Pavlica Dusan , Jovanovic Aleksandar , Pucar Ana , Petrovic Sanja
Published: June 2022

The subgingival biofilm, as the most complex microbial community, has been proven to be reservoir of Candida spp. The main concept of this study was to investigate if there is a difference between the sensitivity of Candida albicans (C. albicans) isolated from tongue and subgingival areas of periodontitis patients to antifungal agents. The aim of the study was to determine: (1) the distribution of different Candida species in the tongue and subgingival samples of periodontitis patients; (2) the susceptibility of Candida albicans strains from tongue and subgingival biofilm to the effects of commonly used antifungal agents: fluconazole, amphotericin B and itraconazole; (3) the correlation between the susceptibility of Candida albicans and clinical periodontal parameters. Tongue and subgingival biofilm samples of periodontitis subjects (N = 163) were examined. Susceptibility was tested when the same Candida species was isolated from both sites (17 subjects). Candida spp. were isolated in 23.3% of tongue and 21.5% of the subgingival samples. All isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B, while 64.71% of tongue and 52.94% of subgingival isolates were susceptible to fluconazole. A low frequency of itraconazole susceptibility was observed for tongue (17.64%) and subgingival isolates (11.76%). The correlations between full-mouth plaque score and Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for tongue isolates were strongly positive for all antimycotics. Positive correlation was also observed between moderate periodontal destruction and MICs for tongue and subgingival isolates. The susceptibility of C. albicans to antifungals correlate with oral hygiene and moderate periodontal destruction. There is no difference in antifungal susceptibility between tongue and subgingival isolates.