bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deubiquitinase Inhibitors Impair Leukemic Cell Migration Through Cofilin Oxidation and Alteration of Actin Reorganization
Authors: Larbret Frédéric , Biber Pierric , Dubois Nicholas , Ivanov Stoyan , Lafanechere Laurence , Tartare-Deckert Sophie , Deckert Marcel
Published: January 2022

Actin networks are dynamically regulated through constant depolymerization and polymerization cycles. Although the fundamental mechanisms that govern these processes have been identified, the nature and role of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of actin and actin regulatory proteins are not completely understood. Here, we employed Actin CytoFRET, a method that we developed for real time detection of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signals generated by actin dynamics, to screen a small library of PTM-interfering compounds on a biosensor leukemic T cell line. This strategy led to the identification of small molecule inhibitors of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) as potent inducers of actin polymerization and blockers of chemotactic cell migration. The examination of the underlying mechanism further revealed that the actin depolymerizing protein cofilin represents a major effector of DUB inhibitor (DUBi)-induced actin reorganization. We found that DUB blockade results in the accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins and ROS production, associated with cofilin oxidation and dephosphorylation on serine 3, which provokes uncontrolled actin polymerization impairing cell migration. Together, our study highlights DUBs as novel regulators of actin dynamics through ROS-dependent cofilin modulation, and shows that DUBi represent attractive novel tools to impede leukemic cell migration.
Novel Therapeutic Targets and Immune Dysfunction in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Authors: Lapidot Moshe , Saladi Srinivas Vinod , Salgia Ravi , Sattler Martin
Published: January 2022

Advances in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have been disappointing, despite the apparent need for new therapeutic options for this rare and devastating cancer. Drug resistance is common and surgical intervention has brought benefits only to a subset of patients. MPM is a heterogenous disease with a surprisingly low mutation rate and recent sequencing efforts have confirmed alterations in a limited number of tumor suppressors that do not provide apparent insights into the molecular mechanisms that drive this malignancy. There is increasing evidence that epigenetic regulation leads to immune evasion and transformation in MPM. Further, the low efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors is consistent with a suppression of genes involved in the anti-tumor immune response. We review three promising emerging therapeutic targets (STAT3, KDM4A, heparanase) and highlight their potential effects on the immune response.
The Long Pentraxin PTX3 as a New Biomarker and Pharmacological Target in Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Stravalaci Matteo , Ferrara Mariantonia , Pathak Varun , Davi Francesca , Bottazzi Barbara , Mantovani Alberto , Medina Reinhold J. , Romano Mario R. , Inforzato Antonio
Published: January 2022

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are multifactorial, neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases of the eye primarily involving cellular and molecular components of the outer and inner blood-retina barriers (BRB), respectively. Largely contributed by genetic factors, particularly polymorphisms in complement genes, AMD is a paradigm of retinal immune dysregulation. DR, a major complication of diabetes mellitus, typically presents with increased vascular permeability and occlusion of the retinal vasculature that leads, in the proliferative form of the disease, to neovascularization, a pathogenic trait shared with advanced AMD. In spite of distinct etiology and clinical manifestations, both pathologies share common drivers, such as chronic inflammation, either of immune (in AMD) or metabolic (in DR) origin, which initiates and propagates degeneration of the neural retina, yet the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. As a soluble pattern recognition molecule with complement regulatory functions and a marker of vascular damage, long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is emerging as a novel player in ocular homeostasis and a potential pharmacological target in neurodegenerative disorders of the retina. Physiologically present in the human eye and induced in inflammatory conditions, this protein is strategically positioned at the BRB interface, where it acts as a “molecular trap” for complement, and modulates inflammation both in homeostatic and pathological conditions. Here, we discuss current viewpoints on PTX3 and retinal diseases, with a focus on AMD and DR, the roles therein proposed for this pentraxin, and their implications for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
The Structure and Dynamics of Modern United States Federal Case Law
Authors: Adusumilli Keerthi , Brown Bradford , Harrison Joey , Koehler Matthew , Kutarnia Jason , Michel Shaun , Olivier Max , Pfeifer Craig , Slater Zoryanna , Thompson William , Vetter Dianna , Zacharowicz Renee
Published: January 2022

The structure and dynamics of modern United States Federal Case Law are examined here. The analyses utilize large-scale network analysis tools, natural language processing techniques, and information theory to examine all the federal opinions in the Court Listener database, containing approximately 1.3 million judicial opinions and 11.4 million citations. The analyses are focused on modern United States Federal Case Law, as cases in the Court Listener database range from approximately 1926–2020 and include most Federal jurisdictions. We examine the data set from a structural perspective using the citation network, overall and by time and space (jurisdiction). In addition to citation structure, we examine the dataset from a topical and information theoretic perspective, again, overall and by time and space.
The Evolution of Lateral Dose Distributions of Helium Ion Beams in Air: From Measurement and Modeling to Their Impact on Treatment Planning
Authors: Besuglow Judith , Tessonnier Thomas , Kopp Benedikt , Mein Stewart , Mairani Andrea
Published: January 2022

To start clinical trials with the first clinical treatment planning system supporting raster-scanned helium ion therapy, a comprehensive database of beam characteristics and parameters was required for treatment room-specific beam physics modeling at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT). At six different positions in the air gap along the beam axis, lateral beam profiles were systematically measured for 14 initial beam energies covering the full range of available energies at HIT. The 2D-array of liquid-filled ionization chambers OCTAVIUS from PTW was irradiated by a pencil beam focused at the central axis. With a full geometric representation of HIT’s monitoring chambers and beamline elements in FLUKA, our Monte Carlo beam model matches the measured lateral beam profiles. A second set of measurements with the detector placed in a water tank was used to validate the adjustments of the initial beam parameters assumed in the FLUKA simulation. With a deviation between simulated and measured profiles below ±0.8 mm for all investigated beam energies, the simulated profiles build part of the database for the first clinical treatment planning system for helium ions. The evolution of beamwidth was also compared to similar simulations of the clinically available proton and carbon beam. This allows a choice of treatment modality based on quantitative estimates of the physical beam properties. Finally, we investigated the influence of beamwidth variation on patient treatment plans in order to estimate the relevance and necessary precision limits for lateral beam width models.
The Systolic and Diastolic Cardiac Function of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Evaluation of Left Ventricular Strain and Torsion Using Conventional and Speckle Tracking Echocardiography
Authors: Yang Qing-mei , Fang Jian-xiu , Chen Xiao-yan , Lv Hong , Kang Chun-song
Published: January 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to quantify left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain and torsion in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and evaluate their systolic and diastolic function using conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography.

Methods: Forty-seven patients with T2DM were divided into a group without microvascular complications (the DM A group) and a group with microvascular complications (the DM B group), while another 27 healthy participants acted as the control group. All the participants had had an echocardiography examination. All the original data were imported into EchoPAC workstation for the analysis and quantification of LV strain and torsion.

Results: Compared with the control group, the LV end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and ejection fraction of the DM A and DM B groups showed no significant differences, but the global longitudinal strain and the global circular strain were reduced in the DM B group. There were significant differences in the left ventricular relative wall thickness (RWT), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), the early mitral valvular blood flow velocity peak/left ventricular sidewall mitral annulus late peak velocity, left ventricular sidewall mitral annulus early peak velocity/left ventricular sidewall mitral annulus late peak velocity, isovolumic relaxation time, peak twisting, peak untwisting velocity (PUV), untwisting rate (UntwR), time peak twisting velocity (TPTV), and time peak untwisting velocity (TPUV) between the DM A, DM B, and control groups. While the peak twisting velocity (PTV) was slower in the DM B group compared with the control group, the RWT, PTV, PUV, UntwR, TPTV, and TPUV in the DM B group were significantly different from the DM A group.

Conclusion: The cardiac function of patients with T2DM in its early stages, when there are no microvascular complications, could be monitored with the analysis of two-dimensional strain and torsion.
Transcriptome Profiling Based on Larvae at Different Time Points After Hatching Provides a Core Set of Gene Resource for Understanding the Metabolic Mechanisms of the Brood-Care Behavior in Octopus ocellatus
Authors: Bao Xiaokai , Liu Xiumei , Yu Benshu , Li Yan , Cui Mingxian , Wang Weijun , Feng Yanwei , Xu Xiaohui , Sun Guohua , Li Bin , Li Zan , Yang Jianmin
Published: January 2022

The metabolic processes of organisms are very complex. Each process is crucial and affects the growth, development, and reproduction of organisms. Metabolism-related mechanisms inOctopus ocellatusbehaviors have not been widely studied. Brood-care is a common behavior in most organisms, which can improve the survival rate and constitution of larvae.Octopus ocellatuscarried out this behavior, but it was rarely noticed by researchers before. In our study, 3,486 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on transcriptome analysis ofO. ocellatus. We identify metabolism-related DEGs using GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. Then, we construct protein–protein interaction networks to search the functional relationships between metabolism-related DEGs. Finally, we identified 10 hub genes related to multiple gene functions or involved in multiple signal pathways and verified them using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Protein–protein interaction networks were first used to study the effects of brood-care behavior on metabolism in the process of growing ofO. ocellatuslarvae, and the results provide us valuable genetic resources for understanding the metabolic processes of invertebrate larvae. The data lay a foundation for further study the brood-care behavior and metabolic mechanisms of invertebrates.
Transient Receptor Potential-Vanilloid (TRPV1-TRPV4) Channels in the Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar. A Focus on the Pineal Gland and Melatonin Production
Authors: Nisembaum Laura Gabriela , Loentgen Guillaume , L’Honoré Thibaut , Martin Patrick , Paulin Charles-Hubert , Fuentès Michael , Escoubeyrou Karine , Delgado María Jesús , Besseau Laurence , Falcón Jack
Published: January 2022

Fish are ectotherm, which rely on the external temperature to regulate their internal body temperature, although some may perform partial endothermy. Together with photoperiod, temperature oscillations, contribute to synchronizing the daily and seasonal variations of fish metabolism, physiology and behavior. Recent studies are shedding light on the mechanisms of temperature sensing and behavioral thermoregulation in fish. In particular, the role of some members of the transient receptor potential channels (TRP) is being gradually unraveled. The present study in the migratory Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, aims at identifying the tissue distribution and abundance in mRNA corresponding to the TRP of the vanilloid subfamilies, TRPV1 and TRPV4, and at characterizing their putative role in the control of the temperature-dependent modulation of melatonin production—the time-keeping hormone—by the pineal gland. In Salmo salar, TRPV1 and TRPV4 mRNA tissue distribution appeared ubiquitous; mRNA abundance varied as a function of the month investigated. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry indicated specific labeling located in the photoreceptor cells of the pineal gland and the retina. Additionally, TRPV analogs modulated the production of melatonin by isolated pineal glands in culture. The TRPV1 agonist induced an inhibitory response at high concentrations, while evoking a bell-shaped response (stimulatory at low, and inhibitory at high, concentrations) when added with an antagonist. The TRPV4 agonist was stimulatory at the highest concentration used. Altogether, the present results agree with the known widespread distribution and role of TRPV1 and TRPV4 channels, and with published data on trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), leading to suggest these channels mediate the effects of temperature on S. salar pineal melatonin production. We discuss their involvement in controlling the timing of daily and seasonal events in this migratory species, in the context of an increasing warming of water temperatures.
Genomic Selection for Wheat Blast in a Diversity Panel, Breeding Panel and Full-Sibs Panel
Authors: Juliana Philomin , He Xinyao , Marza Felix , Islam Rabiul , Anwar Babul , Poland Jesse , Shrestha Sandesh , Singh Gyanendra P. , Chawade Aakash , Joshi Arun K. , Singh Ravi P. , Singh Pawan K.
Published: January 2022

Wheat blast is an emerging threat to wheat production, due to its recent migration to South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Because genomic selection (GS) has emerged as a promising breeding strategy, the key objective of this study was to evaluate it for wheat blast phenotyped at precision phenotyping platforms in Quirusillas (Bolivia), Okinawa (Bolivia) and Jashore (Bangladesh) using three panels: (i) a diversity panel comprising 172 diverse spring wheat genotypes, (ii) a breeding panel comprising 248 elite breeding lines, and (iii) a full-sibs panel comprising 298 full-sibs. We evaluated two genomic prediction models (the genomic best linear unbiased prediction or GBLUP model and the Bayes B model) and compared the genomic prediction accuracies with accuracies from a fixed effects model (with selected blast-associated markers as fixed effects), a GBLUP + fixed effects model and a pedigree relationships-based model (ABLUP). On average, across all the panels and environments analyzed, the GBLUP + fixed effects model (0.63 ± 0.13) and the fixed effects model (0.62 ± 0.13) gave the highest prediction accuracies, followed by the Bayes B (0.59 ± 0.11), GBLUP (0.55 ± 0.1), and ABLUP (0.48 ± 0.06) models. The high prediction accuracies from the fixed effects model resulted from the markers tagging the 2NS translocation that had a large effect on blast in all the panels. This implies that in environments where the 2NS translocation-based blast resistance is effective, genotyping one to few markers tagging the translocation is sufficient to predict the blast response and genome-wide markers may not be needed. We also observed that marker-assisted selection (MAS) based on a few blast-associated markers outperformed GS as it selected the highest mean percentage (88.5%) of lines also selected by phenotypic selection and discarded the highest mean percentage of lines (91.8%) also discarded by phenotypic selection, across all panels. In conclusion, while this study demonstrates that MAS might be a powerful strategy to select for the 2NS translocation-based blast resistance, we emphasize that further efforts to use genomic tools to identify non-2NS translocation-based blast resistance are critical.
Identification and Functional Analysis of Four RNA Silencing Suppressors in Begomovirus Croton Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus
Authors: Zhai Ying , Roy Anirban , Peng Hao , Mullendore Daniel L. , Kaur Gurpreet , Mandal Bikash , Mukherjee Sunil Kumar , Pappu Hanu R.
Published: January 2022

Croton yellow vein mosaic virus (CYVMV), a species in the genus Begomovirus, is a prolific monopartite begomovirus in the Indian sub-continent. CYVMV infects multiple crop plants to cause leaf curl disease. Plants have developed host RNA silencing mechanisms to defend the threat of viruses, including CYVMV. We characterized four RNA silencing suppressors, namely, V2, C2, and C4 encoded by CYVMV and betasatellite-encoded C1 protein (βC1) encoded by the cognate betasatellite, croton yellow vein betasatellite (CroYVMB). Their silencing suppressor functions were verified by the ability of restoring the β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity suppressed by RNA silencing. We showed here for the first time that V2 was capable of self-interacting, as well as interacting with the V1 protein, and could be translocalized to the plasmodesmata in the presence of CYVMV. The knockout of either V2 or V1 impaired the intercellular mobility of CYVMV, indicating their novel coordinated roles in the cell-to-cell movement of the virus. As pathogenicity determinants, each of V2, C2, and C4 could induce typical leaf curl symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana plants even under transient expression. Interestingly, the transcripts and proteins of all four suppressors could be detected in the systemically infected leaves with no correlation to symptom induction. Overall, our work identifies four silencing suppressors encoded by CYVMV and its cognate betasatellite and reveals their subcellular localizations, interaction behavior, and roles in symptom induction and intercellular virus movement.
The Right-Skewed Distribution of Fine-Root Size in Three Temperate Forests in Northeastern China
Authors: Wang Cunguo , Brunner Ivano , Wang Junni , Guo Wei , Geng Zhenzhen , Yang Xiuyun , Chen Zhijie , Han Shijie , Li Mai-He
Published: January 2022

Trees can build fine-root systems with high variation in root size (e.g., fine-root diameter) and root number (e.g., branching pattern) to optimize belowground resource acquisition in forest ecosystems. Compared with leaves, which are visible above ground, information about the distribution and inequality of fine-root size and about key associations between fine-root size and number is still limited. We collected 27,573 first-order fine-roots growing out of 3,848 second-order fine-roots, covering 51 tree species in three temperate forests (Changbai Mountain, CBS; Xianrendong, XRD; and Maoershan, MES) in Northeastern China. We investigated the distribution and inequality of fine-root length, diameter and area (fine-root size), and their trade-off with fine-root branching intensity and ratio (fine-root number). Our results showed a strong right-skewed distribution in first-order fine-root size across various tree species. Unimodal frequency distributions were observed in all three of the sampled forests for first-order fine-root length and area and in CBS and XRD for first-order fine-root diameter, whereas a marked bimodal frequency distribution of first-order fine-root diameter appeared in MES. Moreover, XRD had the highest and MES had the lowest inequality values (Gini coefficients) in first-order fine-root diameter. First-order fine-root size showed a consistently linear decline with increasing root number. Our findings suggest a common right-skewed distribution with unimodality or bimodality of fine-root size and a generalized trade-off between fine-root size and number across the temperate tree species. Our results will greatly improve our thorough understanding of the belowground resource acquisition strategies of temperate trees and forests.
MrTPS3 and MrTPS20 Are Responsible for β-Caryophyllene and α-Pinene Production, Respectively, in Red Bayberry (Morella rubra)
Authors: Wang Yan , Yang Qinsong , Zhu Yifan , Zhao Lan , Ju Pengju , Wang Guoyun , Zhou Chaochao , Zhu Changqing , Jia Huijuan , Jiao Yun , Jia Huimin , Gao Zhongshan
Published: January 2022

Red bayberry is a sweet, tart fruit native to China and grown widely in the south. The key organic compounds forming the distinctive aroma in red bayberry, are terpenoids, mainly β-caryophyllene and α-pinene. However, the key genes responsible for different terpenoids are still unknown. Here, transcriptome analysis on samples from four cultivars, during fruit development, with different terpenoid production, provided candidate genes for volatile organic compound (VOC) production. Terpene synthases (TPS) are key enzymes regulating terpenoid biosynthesis, and 34 TPS family members were identified in the red bayberry genome. MrTPS3 in chromosome 2 and MrTPS20 in chromosome 7 were identified as key genes regulating β-caryophyllene and α-pinene synthesis, respectively, by qRT-PCR. Subcellular localization and enzyme activity assay showed that MrTPS3 was responsible for β-caryophyllene (sesquiterpenes) production and MrTPS20 for α-pinene (monoterpenes). Notably, one amino acid substitution between dark color cultivars and light color cultivars resulted in the loss of function of MrTPS3, causing the different β-caryophyllene production. Our results lay the foundation to study volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in red bayberry and provide potential genes for molecular breeding.
A Yeast-Based Functional Assay to Study Plant N-Degron – N-Recognin Interactions
Authors: Kozlic Aida , Winter Nikola , Telser Theresia , Reimann Jakob , Rose Katrin , Nehlin Lilian , Berckhan Sophie , Sharma Gunjan , Dambire Charlene , Boeckx Tinne , Holdsworth Michael J. , Bachmair Andreas
Published: January 2022

The N-degron pathway is a branch of the ubiquitin-proteasome system where amino-terminal residues serve as degradation signals. In a synthetic biology approach, we expressed ubiquitin ligase PRT6 and ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 2 (AtUBC2) from Arabidopsis thaliana in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with mutation in its endogenous N-degron pathway. The two enzymes re-constitute part of the plant N-degron pathway and were probed by monitoring the stability of co-expressed GFP-linked plant proteins starting with Arginine N-degrons. The novel assay allows for straightforward analysis, whereas in vitro interaction assays often do not allow detection of the weak binding of N-degron recognizing ubiquitin ligases to their substrates, and in planta testing is usually complex and time-consuming.
Application of Massive Open Online Course to Grammar Teaching for English Majors Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Du Minghui , Qian Yiqun
Published: January 2022

The study aims to explore the roles of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) based on deep learning in college students’ English grammar teaching. The data are collected using a survey. After the experimental data are analyzed, it is found that students have a low sense of happiness and satisfaction and are unwilling to practice oral English and learn language points in English learning. They think that college English learning only meets the needs of CET-4 and CET-6 and does not take it as the ultimate learning goal. After the necessity and problems in English grammar teaching are discussed, the advantages of flipped classrooms of MOOCs are discussed in English grammar teaching. A teaching platform is constructed to study the foreign language teaching mode under MOOCs, and classroom teaching is combined with the advantages of MOOCs following the principle of “teaching students according to their personalities” to improve the listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation skills of foreign language majors. The results show that high-quality online teaching resources and the deep learning-based teaching environment can provide a variety of interactive tools, by which students can communicate with their peers and teachers online. Sharing open online communication, classroom discussion, and situational simulation can enhance teachers’ deep learning ability, like the ability to communication and transfer thoughts. Constructivism with interaction as the core can help students grasp new knowledge easily. Extensive communication and interaction are important ways for learning and thinking. The new model provides students with profound learning experience, expands the teaching resources of MOOCs around the world, and maximizes the interaction between online and offline teachers and students, making knowledge widely rooted in the campus and realizing the combination of online resources and campus classroom teaching. Students can learn the knowledge through autonomous learning and discussion before class, which greatly broadens the learning time and space. In the classroom and after class, the internalization and sublimation of knowledge are completed through group cooperation, inquiry learning, scenario simulation, display, and evaluation, promoting students to know about new knowledge and highlighting the dominant position of students.
Different Effects of Supervisor Positive and Negative Feedback on Subordinate In-Role and Extra-Role Performance: The Moderating Role of Regulatory Focus
Authors: Su Weilin , Yuan Shuai , Qi Qian
Published: January 2022

As an important tool for supervisors to intervene subordinates’ work and influence their performance, supervisor feedback has gradually become a new academic research hotspot. In this study, we build and verify a theoretical model to explore the different effects of supervisor positive and negative feedback on subordinate in-role and extra-role performance, and the moderating role of regulatory focus in these relationships. With data from pairing samples of 403 Chinese employees and their direct supervisors, the results indicate that supervisor positive feedback is positively related to subordinate in-role and extra-role performance. Supervisor negative feedback is positively related to subordinate in-role performance and negatively related to subordinate extra-role performance. Regulatory focus of subordinate can moderate the influence of supervisor positive feedback on subordinate in-role and extra-role performance, but it cannot moderate the influence of supervisor negative feedback on subordinate in-role and extra-role performance. That means when subordinates have promotion focus, the influence of supervisor positive feedback on their in-role performance and extra-role performance was stronger than those with prevention focus. These results further enrich the research on the relationship between supervisor feedback and subordinate performance, especially the different effects of positive and negative feedback from supervisor on subordinate with different regulatory focus. All conclusions from the analyses above not only further verify and develop some previous points on supervisor feedback and subordinate performance, but also derive certain management implications for promoting subordinate in-role and extra-role performance from the perspective of supervisor positive and negative feedback.
Associations Between Maladaptive Perfectionism and Life Satisfaction Among Chinese Undergraduate Medical Students: The Mediating Role of Academic Burnout and the Moderating Role of Self-Esteem
Authors: Wang Qinghua , Wu Huazhang
Published: January 2022

Empirical research has shown that maladaptive perfectionism may lead to lower life satisfaction. However, the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and life satisfaction among medical students and the mechanism underlying this relationship still need to be further explored. The present study used a large sample of undergraduate medical students to examine the associations between maladaptive perfectionism and life satisfaction and to explore the mechanism underlying the associations. Specifically, the present study tried to probe the mediating role of academic burnout and the moderating role of self-esteem in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and life satisfaction in medical students. We invited 1628 undergraduate medical students from two medical universities in Northeastern China to participate in the survey. Among the students recruited, 1377 medical students (response rate: 84.6%) completed questionnaires including the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) maladaptive perfectionism subscales, the Chinese College Student Academic Burnout Inventory (CCSABI), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and demographic information. Results show that maladaptive perfectionism was significantly negatively related to life satisfaction among medical students and academic burnout played a significant mediating role (β = −0.10, BCa 95%CI: −0.12, −0.07) in this relationship. Moderated mediation analyses reveal that the mediating effect of maladaptive perfectionism on life satisfaction via academic burnout was moderated by self-esteem. Maladaptive perfectionism exerted a stronger effect on life satisfaction via the mediating role of academic burnout for medical students with high self-esteem [β = −0.026, SE = 0.009, 95%CI = (−0.047, −0.011)] than for medical students with low self-esteem [β = −0.019, SE = 0.009, 95%CI = (−0.038, −0.001)]. Medical institutions can implement effective interventions to decrease medical students’ maladaptive perfectionism levels and academic burnout levels, and increase their self-esteem levels in order to enhance their life satisfaction.
Impact of Postgraduate Student Internships During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China
Authors: Zhang Wenyi , Lu Xiaozhong , Kang Derong , Quan Jiaxin
Published: January 2022

To understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on postgraduate students’ internships in China, 911 students from different regions of China were surveyed through online questionnaires. Among the postgraduate students surveyed, 48.51% of which believed that the pandemic had its greatest impact on colleagues interaction, and 59.60% believed that the pandemic had a strong impact on practical skills. In total, 31.8% of postgraduate internship programs were impacted by COVID-19. The proportions of respondents having severe, moderate, and mild anxiety levels were 1.42%, 4.72%, and 15.92%, respectively; and the rates of severe, moderate, and mild depression were 1.64%, 10.86%, and 21.84%, respectively. ANOVA found that major, degree type, and degree of impact of the pandemic on colleague interactions and improved practical abilities all affected postgraduate mental health. The findings suggest that the mental health of postgraduate students should be monitored during a pandemic, and targeted psychological counseling should be offered. Postgraduate internships should be emphasized as to ensure a smooth internship process during a pandemic period. Psychological counseling and assistance should be provided to those whose internships were affected by the pandemic, and programs should be set up to aid postgraduate students in adapting to the new internship and employment conditions brought on by the “new normal” of pandemic prevention and control.
Masked Translation Priming With Concreteness of Cross-Script Cognates in Visual Word Recognition by Chinese Learners of English: An ERP Study
Authors: Chen Shifa , Fu Tingting , Zhao Minghui , Zhang Yuqing , Peng Yule , Yang Lianrui , Gu Xiaolan
Published: January 2022

Translation equivalents for cognates in different script systems share the same meaning and phonological similarity but are different orthographically. Event-related potentials were recorded during the visual recognition of cross-script cognates and non-cognates together with concreteness factors while Chinese learners of English performed a lexical decision task with the masked translation priming paradigm in Experiment 1 (forward translation: L1–L2) and Experiment 2 (backward translation: L2–L1). N400 effect was found to be closely related to priming effects of cross-script cognate status and concreteness in Experiment 1; and in Experiment 2, N150 and N400 effects were related to priming effects of cross-script cognate status and concreteness, and greater priming effects of cross-script cognate status in cognates than in non-cognates for abstract words were found in the time window of 100–200 ms. Meanwhile, the asymmetry of translation directions was observed in smaller priming effects in forward translation than in backward translation in the time window of 100–200 ms for abstract cognates, and in larger priming effects in forward translation than in backward translation in the time window of 350–550 ms for each type of words. We discussed the roles of phonological activation and concreteness effects in view of the function of N150 and N400 components as well as the relevant models, mainly the Distributed Feature Model and Bilingual Interactive Activation (BIA+) model.
Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling: Practical Guidelines and Tutorial With a Convenient Online Tool for Mplus
Authors: van Zyl Llewellyn E. , ten Klooster Peter M.
Published: January 2022

Critics of positive psychology have questioned the validity of positive psychological assessment measures (PPAMs), which negatively affects the credibility and public perception of the discipline. Psychometric evaluations of PPAMs have shown that various instruments produce inconsistent factor structures between groups/contexts/times frames, that their predictive validity is questionable, and that popular PPAMs are culturally biased. Further, it would seem positive psychological researchers prioritize date-model-fit over measurement quality. To address these analytical challenges, more innovative and robust approaches toward the validation and evaluation of PPAMs are required to enhance the discipline's credibility and to advance positive psychological science. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) has recently emerged as a promising alternative to overcomesomeof these challenges by incorporating the best elements from exploratory- and confirmatory factor analyses. ESEM is still a relatively novel approach, and estimating these models in statistical software packages can be complex and tedious. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide novice researchers with a practical tutorial on how to estimate ESEM with a convenient online tool for Mplus. Specifically, we aim to demonstrate the use of ESEM through an illustrative example by using a popular positive psychological instrument: theMental Health Continuum-SF. By using the MHC-SF as an example, we aim to provide (a) a brief overview of ESEM (and different ESEM models/approaches), (b) guidelines for novice researchers on how to estimate, compare, report, and interpret ESEM, and (c) a step-by-step tutorial on how to run ESEM analyses in Mplus with the De Beer and Van Zy ESEM syntax generator. The results of this study highlight the value of ESEM, over and above that of traditional confirmatory factor analytical approaches. The results also have practical implications for measuring mental health with the MHC-SF, illustrating that a bifactor ESEM Model fits the data significantly better than any other theoretical model.
The Feasibility and Challenges of Conducting Online Research to Examine Movement Behavior in Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Scott-Andrews Katherine Q. , Miller Alison L. , Templin Thomas J. , Hasson Rebecca E. , Robinson Leah E.
Published: January 2022

The global pandemic of COVID-19 shifted the methodology of this research project. The purpose of this perspective article is to discuss the feasibility and challenges of converting an in-person mixed methods study that examined associations among and beliefs about physical activity, motor competence, and perceived competence to an online format with parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruitment was conducted through a University research registry, social media, and public listservs. All correspondence with participants was through email and secure platforms. Physical activity was assessed with accelerometers mailed to participants. Motor competence was assessed through participant-filmed trials of motor skills. Perceived competence was assessed with the Self-Perception Profile for Adults and Children delivered on Qualtrics. Semi- structured interviews to examine beliefs were conducted over Zoom. Approximately 200 families expressed interest in the study, 76 parent-child dyads consented and assented, and 61 parent-child dyads completed at least one component of the study. It is feasible to conduct online research that contributes to scientific knowledge and has potential advantages. However, various challenges need to be considered regarding the application of online research. These challenges included recruitment, the data collection process, and data quality. Future research needs to address these challenges by utilizing wide-reaching and diverse recruitment methods, easing participants' burden with technology, and developing motor competence and perceived competence assessments that can be administered online. The way research was conducted changed due to COVID-19 and adapting to and/or integrating online methods is both necessary and feasible, but modifications must be taken into consideration.
Change in Work-Related Income Following the Uptake of Treatment for Mental Disorders Among Young Migrant and Non-migrant Women in Norway: A National Register Study
Authors: Hynek Kamila Angelika , Hollander Anna-Clara , Liefbroer Aart C. , Hauge Lars Johan , Straiton Melanie Lindsay
Published: January 2022

Background: Women, and migrant women in particular, are at increased risk of many common mental disorders, which may potentially impact their labor market participation and their work-related income. Previous research found that mental disorders are associated with several work-related outcomes such as loss of income, however, not much is known about how this varies with migrant background. This study investigated the change in work-related income following the uptake of outpatient mental healthcare (OPMH) treatment, a proxy for mental disorder, in young women with and without migrant background. Additionally, we looked at how the association varied by income level.

Methods: Using data from four national registries, the study population consisted of women aged 23–40 years residing in Norway for at least three consecutive years between 2006 and 2013 (N = 640,527). By using a stratified linear regression with individual fixed effects, we investigated differences between majority women, descendants and eight migrant groups. Interaction analysis was conducted in order to examine differences in income loss following the uptake of OPMH treatment among women with and without migrant background.

Results: Results showed that OPMH treatment was associated with a decrease in income for all groups. However, the negative effect was stronger among those with low income. Only migrant women from Western and EU Eastern Europe with a high income were not significantly affected following OPMH treatment.

Conclusion: Experiencing a mental disorder during a critical age for establishment in the labor market can negatively affect not only income, but also future workforce participation, and increase dependency on social welfare services and other health outcomes, regardless of migrant background. Loss of income due to mental disorders can also affect future mental health, resulting in a vicious circle and contributing to more inequalities in the society.
Comparing Plan Recognition Algorithms Through Standard Plan Libraries
Authors: Mirsky Reuth , Galun Ran , Gal Kobi , Kaminka Gal
Published: January 2022

Plan recognition deals with reasoning about the goals and execution process of an actor, given observations of its actions. It is one of the fundamental problems of AI, applicable to many domains, from user interfaces to cyber-security. Despite the prevalence of these approaches, they lack a standard representation, and have not been compared using a common testbed. This paper provides a first step towards bridging this gap by providing a standard plan library representation that can be used by hierarchical, discrete-space plan recognition and evaluation criteria to consider when comparing plan recognition algorithms. This representation is comprehensive enough to describe a variety of known plan recognition problems and can be easily used by existing algorithms in this class. We use this common representation to thoroughly compare two known approaches, represented by two algorithms, SBR and Probabilistic Hostile Agent Task Tracker (PHATT). We provide meaningful insights about the differences and abilities of these algorithms, and evaluate these insights both theoretically and empirically. We show a tradeoff between expressiveness and efficiency: SBR is usually superior to PHATT in terms of computation time and space, but at the expense of functionality and representational compactness. We also show how different properties of the plan library affect the complexity of the recognition process, regardless of the concrete algorithm used. Lastly, we show how these insights can be used to form a new algorithm that outperforms existing approaches both in terms of expressiveness and efficiency.
Online Gain Adaptation of Whole-Body Control for Legged Robots with Unknown Disturbances
Authors: Lee Jaemin , Ahn Junhyeok , Kim Donghyun , Bang Seung Hyeon , Sentis Luis
Published: January 2022

This paper proposes an online gain adaptation approach to enhance the robustness of whole-body control (WBC) framework for legged robots under unknown external force disturbances. Without properly accounting for external forces, the closed-loop control system incorporating WBC may become unstable, and therefore the desired task goals may not be achievable. To study the effects of external disturbances, we analyze the behavior of our current WBC framework via the use of both full-body and centroidal dynamics. In turn, we propose a way to adapt feedback gains for stabilizing the controlled system automatically. Based on model approximations and stability theory, we propose three conditions to ensure that the adjusted gains are suitable for stabilizing a robot under WBC. The proposed approach has four contributions. We make it possible to estimate the unknown disturbances without force/torque sensors. We then compute adaptive gains based on theoretic stability analysis incorporating the unknown forces at the joint actuation level. We demonstrate that the proposed method reduces task tracking errors under the effect of external forces on the robot. In addition, the proposed method is easy-to-use without further modifications of the controllers and task specifications. The resulting gain adaptation process is able to run in real-time. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of our method both in simulations and experiments using the bipedal robot Draco2 and the humanoid robot Valkyrie.
Intradural Extramedullary Nerve Sheath Myxoma of the Cervical Spine: A Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Xu Fangfang , Jin Ying , Li Qian , Dong Fei , Lu Liangji , Cui Qingfeng , Wang Chao
Published: January 2022

Background: Nerve sheath myxoma is a rare benign soft tissue tumor. Intraspinal nerve sheath myxomas are rare. Only 8 cases of intraspinal nerve sheath myxoma have been reported to date, and no case of nerve sheath myxoma has been reported in the cervical spinal canal. Herein, we reported the first case of intradural extramedullary nerve sheath myxoma in the cervical spinal canal of a 57-year-old man, including its complete clinical course and radiological findings.

Case Presentation: A 57-year-old male patient presented with numbness in his left finger without any obvious inducement for 3 years. CT and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine were performed. Based on the radiological examinations, a diagnosis of schwannoma was initially made. However, nerve sheath myxoma was finally confirmed by histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. Complete tumor excision at the C1-2 level was performed. Then, the patient recovered well, and the numbness of his left finger disappeared during the later follow-up after the surgery.

Conclusion: Nerve sheath myxoma should receive diagnostic consideration for an extramedullary subdural lesion that is a clear boundary mass characterized by isointensity on T1-weighted images, heterogeneous intensity on T2-weighted images, obvious peripheral enhancement, and a growing tendency toward the intervertebral foramen.
Efficacy and Safety of Preoperative vs. Intraoperative Computed Tomography-Guided Lung Tumor Localization: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Fang Hsin-Yueh , Chen Kuei-An , Wen Yu-Wen , Wen Chih-Tsung , Pan Kuang-Tse , Chiu Chien-Hung , Hsieh Ming-Ju , Chao Yin-Kai
Published: January 2022

Background: Thoracoscopic removal of small pulmonary nodules is traditionally accomplished through a two-step approach—with lesion localization in a CT suite as the first step followed by lesion removal in an operating room as the second step. While the advent of hybrid operating rooms (HORs) has fostered our ability to offer a more patient-tailored approach that allows simultaneous localization and removal of small pulmonary nodules within a single-step, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the two techniques (two- vs. single-step) are still lacking.

Methods: This is a RCT conducted in an academic hospital in Taiwan between October 2018 and December 2019. To compare the outcomes of traditional two-step preoperative CT-guided small pulmonary nodule localization followed by lesion removal vs. single-step intraoperative CT-guided lesion localization with simultaneous removal performed by a dedicated team of thoracic surgeons. The analysis was conducted in an intention-to-treat fashion. The primary study endpoint was the time required for lesion localization. Secondary endpoints included radiation doses, other procedural time indices, and complication rates.

Results: A total of 24 and 25 patients who received the single- and two-step approach, respectively, were included in the final analysis. The time required for lesion localization was significantly shorter for patients who underwent the single-step procedure (median: 13 min) compared with the two step-procedure (median: 32 min, p < 0.001). Similarly, the radiation dose was significantly lower for the former than the latter (median: 5.64 vs. 10.65 mSv, respectively, p = 0.001).

Conclusions: The single-step procedure performed in a hybrid operating room resulted in a simultaneous reduction of both localization procedural time and radiation exposure.