bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genomic landscape of lung cancer in the young
Authors: Ruiz Rossana , Galvez-Nino Marco , Roque Katia , Montes Jaime , Nuñez Maria , Raez Luis , Sánchez-Gambetta Sergio , Jaúregui Sandra , Viale Sandra , Smith Edward S. , Pinto Joseph A. , Mas Luis
Published: September 2022

Background

Lung cancer in the young is a rare entity of great interest due to the high frequency of targetable mutations. In this study, we explored the genomic landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in young patients and compared it with genetic alterations in older patients.

Methods

Comparative study of the genomic profile of NSCLC young (≤40 years old) vs older patients (>40 years old) from Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas (INEN) in Lima, Peru. Archival paraffin-embedded tumor samples were profiled with FoundationOne CDx assay to identify short variants alterations (insertions and deletions), copy number variations (CNV), tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability in 324 driver genes and rearrangements in 28 commonly rearranged genes. A targetable alteration was defined as any alteration in a driver oncogene for which an FDA approved therapy existed at the time of study enrollment.

Results

Overall, 62 tumors were profiled, 32 from young and 30 from older patients. All clinicopathological features (smoking status, clinical stage, and histology) were similar between groups, except for gender (65.6% of females in the younger group vs 40% in the older group, P=0.043). At least one actionable mutation was present in 84.4% and 83.3% in younger and older patients, respectively. Alteration rates in the main genes were: BRAF, 3.1%(n=1) vs 0%; EGFR, 46.9% (n=15) vs 43.3% (n=13); ERBB2, 12.5% (n=4) vs 16.7% (n=5); KRAS, 15.6% (n=5) vs 16.7% (n=5); ALK, 6.3% (n=2) vs 3.3% (n=1); RET, 0.0% vs 3.3% (n=1); ROS1, 3.1% (n=1) vs 3.3% (n=1); NTRK1, 0.0% vs 3.3% (n=1) and MET, 3.1% (n=1) vs 13.3% (n=4). Mean TMB was 4.04 Mut/Mb (SD ± 3.98) for young vs 8.06 Mut/Mb (SD ± 9.84) for older patients (P=0.016). There were not significant differences in CNV, frequency of gene rearrangements, or microsatellites instability.

Conclusion

NSCLC in the young in our cohort was characterized by a high frequency of actionable genetic aberrations and a low TMB, which was also true for our older patients. The enrichment of actionable mutations in young patients described in other reports might be attributed to differences in the etiology and clinicopathological characteristics between younger and older patients and therefore not be applicable to all populations.
Novel irreversible electroporation ablation (Nano-knife) versus radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of solid liver tumors: a comparative, randomized, multicenter clinical study
Authors: Zhang Xiaobo , Zhang Xiao , Ding Xiaoyi , Wang Zhongmin , Fan Yong , Chen Guang , Hu Xiaokun , Zheng Jiasheng , Xue Zhixiao , He Xiaofeng , Zhang Xin , Wei Yingtian , Zhang Zhongliang , Li Jing , Li Jie , Yang Jie , Xue Xiaodong , Ma Li , Xiao Yueyong
Published: September 2022

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a soft tissue ablation technique that uses short electrical fields which induce the death of target cells. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of an IRE-based device compared to regular radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of solid liver tumors, in this multicenter, randomized, parallel-arm, non-inferiority study, 152 patients with malignant liver tumors were randomized into IRE (n = 78) and RFA (n = 74) groups. The primary endpoint was the success rate of tumor ablation; the secondary endpoints included the tumor ablation time, complications, tumor recurrence rates and treatment-related adverse events (TRAE). The success rate of tumor ablation using IRE was 94.9% and was non-inferior to the RFA group (96.0%) (P = 0.761). For the secondary endpoints, the average ablation time was 34.29 ± 30.38 min for the IRE group, which was significantly longer than for the RFA group (19.91 ± 16.08 min) (P < 0.001). The incidences of postoperative complications after 1 week (P = 1.000), 1 month (P = 0.610) and 3 months (P = 0.490) were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The recurrence rates of liver tumor at 1, 3 and 6 months after ablation were 0 (0.0%), 10 (13.9%) and 10 (13.3%) in the IRE group and 2.9%, 7.3% and 19.7% in the RFA control group (all P > 0.05), respectively. For safety assessments, 51 patients experienced 191 AEs (65.4%) in the IRE group, which was not different from the RFA group (73.0%, 54/184) (P = 0.646). In 7 IRE patients, 8 TRAEs (7.9%) occurred, the most common being edema of the limbs (mild grade) and fever (severe grade), while no TRAEs occurred in the RFA group. This study proved that the excellent safety and efficacy of IRE was non-inferior to the regular radiofrequency device in ablation performance for the treatment of solid liver tumors. Clinical trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1800017516
Fully automated detection and localization of clinically significant prostate cancer on MR images using a cascaded convolutional neural network
Authors: Zhu Lina , Gao Ge , Zhu Yi , Han Chao , Liu Xiang , Li Derun , Liu Weipeng , Wang Xiangpeng , Zhang Jingyuan , Zhang Xiaodong , Wang Xiaoying
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To develop a cascaded deep learning model trained with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) for fully automated detection and localization of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa).

Methods

This retrospective study included 347 consecutive patients (235 csPCa, 112 non-csPCa) with high-quality prostate MRI data, which were randomly selected for training, validation, and testing. The ground truth was obtained using manual csPCa lesion segmentation, according to pathological results. The proposed cascaded model based on Res-UNet takes prostate MR images (T2WI+ADC or only ADC) as inputs and automatically segments the whole prostate gland, the anatomic zones, and the csPCa region step by step. The performance of the models was evaluated and compared with PI-RADS (version 2.1) assessment using sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) in the held-out test set.

Results

In the test set, the per-lesion sensitivity of the biparametric (ADC + T2WI) model, ADC model, and PI-RADS assessment were 95.5% (84/88), 94.3% (83/88), and 94.3% (83/88) respectively (all p > 0.05). Additionally, the mean DSC based on the csPCa lesions were 0.64 ± 0.24 and 0.66 ± 0.23 for the biparametric model and ADC model, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the biparametric model were 95.6% (108/113), 91.5% (665/727), and 92.0% (773/840) based on sextant, and were 98.6% (68/69), 64.8% (46/71), and 81.4% (114/140) based on patients. The biparametric model had a similar performance to PI-RADS assessment (p > 0.05) and had higher specificity than the ADC model (86.8% [631/727], p< 0.001) based on sextant.

Conclusion

The cascaded deep learning model trained with ADC and T2WI achieves good performance for automated csPCa detection and localization.
Ferroptosis in glioma treatment: Current situation, prospects and drug applications
Authors: Zhou Yuhang , Fang Chaoyou , Xu Houshi , Yuan Ling , Liu Yibo , Wang Xiaoyu , Zhang Anke , Shao Anwen , Zhou Danyang
Published: September 2022

Ferroptosis is a regulatory form of iron-dependent cell death caused by the accumulation of lipid-based reactive oxygen species (ROS) and differs from apoptosis, pyroptosis, and necrosis. Especially in neoplastic diseases, the susceptibility of tumor cells to ferroptosis affects prognosis and is associated with complex effects. Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors, accounting for disease in 81% of patients with malignant brain tumors. An increasing number of studies have revealed the particular characteristics of iron metabolism in glioma cells. Therefore, agents that target a wide range of molecules involved in ferroptosis may regulate this process and enhance glioma treatment. Here, we review the underlying mechanisms of ferroptosis and summarize the potential therapeutic options for targeting ferroptosis in glioma.
Sound touch elastography for assessing cirrhosis preoperatively in infants with biliary atresia: Comparison with serum fibrosis biomarkers
Authors: Duan Xingxing , Yang Liu , Wen Rong , Cao Hong , Wen Huan , Liu Wengang , Yuan Hongxia
Published: September 2022

Introduction

The accurate assessment of the stages of hepatic fibrosis in children with biliary atresia (BA) before performing Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) is of utmost importance. Some studies demonstrated that ultrasound elastography can be used to assess the stages of hepatic fibrosis by detecting liver stiffness. Therefore, the aim of this work was to explore the usefulness of sound touch elastography (STE) for preoperatively assessing liver cirrhosis in infants with BA.

Methods

A total of 189 children from the Hunan Children’s Hospital with highly suspected BA were selected for this study, and their preoperative liver STE values and related clinical data were collected. The pathological results of the liver stages were considered as the gold standard. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between each parameter and the stage of hepatic fibrosis, and the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic performance for cirrhosis of each parameter.

Results

Among the selected 189 patients with suspected BA, 159 were included in this study and were composed of 3 at hepatic fibrosis stage F1, 45 at stage F2, 41 at stage F3, and 70 at stage F4, while no patients at stage F0 were present. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the liver STE value had the highest correlation with the stage of hepatic fibrosis, with a correlation coefficient of 0.813 (P < 0.001). The liver STE value had the highest diagnostic performance for hepatic cirrhosis compared to other biomarkers of serum fibrosis; the area under the ROC curve was 0.899 when the best cut-off value was 14.57 kPa. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were 78.6, 84.3, 79.7, 83.3, and 81.8%, respectively.

Conclusion

The liver STE value has a high correlation with the stage of hepatic fibrosis in children with BA. STE has a good diagnostic performance in evaluating cirrhosis before KPE in children with BA.
Evaluation of preoperative duloxetine use for postoperative analgesia following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Mansour Noha O. , Boraii Sherif , Elnaem Mohamed Hassan , Elrggal Mahmoud E. , Omar Tamer , Abdelraouf Amr , Abdelaziz Doaa H.
Published: September 2022

Background: The pain pattern after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is complex and distinct from postoperative pain after other laparoscopic procedures, suggesting that procedure-specific optimal analgesic management plans should be proposed. Duloxetine, a non-opioid neuromodulator, has been widely used to manage pain with dual central and peripheral analgesic properties.

Aims: To assess the effect of preoperative administration of duloxetine compared to placebo on postoperative pain control in patients undergoing LC.

Patients and Methods: This study was a randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study performed on patients undergoing LC. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of 30 each on the day of surgery in the preoperative holding area, using a computer-generated random number to receive 60 mg duloxetine as a single oral dose 2 h before the procedure or placebo. The primary outcome was the difference in the mean of visual analogue scale (VAS) scores between the two studied groups, as measured by the area under the curve (AUC) of the VAS scores.

Results: The derived AUC of VAS scores in the duloxetine group (757.89 ± 326.01 mm × h) was significantly lower than that calculated for the control group (1005.1 ± 432.5 mm × h). The mean postoperative VAS scores recorded at 4 and 24 h were statistically different between the study groups (p = 0.041 and 0.003, respectively). As observed in the survival curve analysis, there was no significant difference (p = 0.665) for the time until the patient’s first request for rescue medications in the two groups. The frequency of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) was lower in patients of the duloxetine group than that recorded in those allocated to the control group at 8 and 24-h time intervals (p = 0.734 and 0.572, respectively).

Conclusion: Preoperative use of duloxetine reduces postoperative pain significantly compared with placebo. In addition, its use is associated with a reduction in PONV. These preliminary findings suggest that duloxetine could play a role in the acute preoperative period for patients undergoing LC.

Clinical Trial Registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05115123, identifier NCT05115123],
Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. Extract exhibits pigmentation by melanin biosynthesis and melanosome biogenesis/transfer
Authors: Hong Chen , Yang Lili , Zhang Yifan , Li Yiming , Wu Huali
Published: September 2022

Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. (Epimedii Folium) is a traditional medicine widely utilized in China for sexual dysfunction and osteoporosis treatment. Recently, studies have reported that Epimedium flavonoid icariin displayed hair growth and melanogenic ability by targeting tyrosinase activity. Nevertheless, icariin hydrolysate icariside II and icaritin cause depigmentation due to their tyrosinase inhibition. These pigment functional discrepancies from Epimedium constituents arouse our great interest. Then, this study focused on the pigmentation effects of Epimedii Folium extract (EFE) on melanin synthesis and melanosome biogenesis/transfer, and further identified the bioactive constituents. First, in in vitro systemic studies, we discovered that the potent melanogenic and repigmented effects of EFE were dependent on concentration and amount of time in multi-melanocytes, normal human skin tissue, and vitiligo perilesional areas. In vivo, EFE exhibited repigmented effect on two kinds of depigmented models of N-phenylthiourea-induced zebrafish and hydroquinone-induced mice. Mechanistically, EFE strongly promoted tyrosinase activity and upregulated the protein expression of tyrosinase families which finally contribute to melanin biosynthesis by activating the MAPK/ERK1/2 signal pathway. In addition, EFE effectively increased melanosome number, accelerated melanosome maturity and cytoplasmic transport through the growth/extension of melanocyte dendrites, and induced melanosome transfer from melanocyte to keratinocyte for pigmentation. The six main flavonoid ingredients were identified among EFE. Compared to others, epimedin B (EB) was confirmed as a high-content, low-toxicity, and effective melanogenic compound in EFE. Taking all these together, this study systematically demonstrates the potential pigmentation effect of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim., and clarifies its related molecular mechanisms and melanogenesis basis. These results give additional insight into Epimedium herb pharmacology and may provide a novel therapy basis for hypopigmentation disorders.
Comprehensive analysis of FRAS1/FREM family as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in renal clear cell carcinoma
Authors: Wang Ganggang , Wang Zheng , Lu Haiquan , Zhao Zhiqun , Guo Liqiang , Kong Feng , Wang Aizhen , Zhao Shengtian
Published: September 2022

Background: FRAS1 (Fraser syndrome protein 1), together with FREM1 (the Fras1-related extracellular matrix proteins 1) and FREM2, belonging to the FRAS1/FREM extracellular matrix protein family, are considered to play essential roles in renal organogenesis and cancer progression. However, their roles in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) remain to be elucidated.

Methods: FRAS1/FREM RNA expression analysis was performed using TCGA/GTEx databases, and valided using GEO databases and real-time PCR. Protein expression was peformed using CPTAC databases. Herein, we employed an array of bioinformatics methods and online databases to explore the potential oncogenic roles of FRAS1/FREM in KIRC.

Results: We found that FRAS1, FREM1 and FREM2 genes and proteins expression levels were significantly decreased in KIRC tissues than in normal tissues. Decreased FRAS1/FREM expression levels were significantly associated with advanced clinicopathological parameters (pathological stage, grade and tumor metastasis status). Notably, the patients with decreased FRAS1/FREM2 expression showed a high propensity for metastasis and poor prognosis. FRAS1/FREM were correlated with various immune infiltrating cells, especially CD4+ T cells and its corresponding subsets (Th1, Th2, Tfh and Tregs). FRAS1 and FREM2 had association with DNA methylation and their single CpG methylation levels were associated with prognosis. Moreover, FRAS1/FREM might exert antitumor effects by functioning in key oncogenic signalling pathways and metabolic pathways. Drug sensitivity analysis indicated that high FRAS1 and FREM2 expression can be a reliable predictor of targeted therapeutic drug response, highlighting the potential as anticancer drug targets.

Conclusion: Together, our results indicated that FRAS1/FREM family members could be potential therapeutic targets and valuable prognostic biomarkers of KIRC.
Proteome-wide identification of S-sulfenylated cysteines reveals metabolic response to freezing stress after cold acclimation in Brassica napus
Authors: Yu Liangqian , Dai Zezhang , Zhang Yuting , Iqbal Sidra , Lu Shaoping , Guo Liang , Yao Xuan
Published: September 2022

Redox regulation plays a wide role in plant growth, development, and adaptation to stresses. Sulfenylation is one of the reversible oxidative post-transcriptional modifications. Here we performed an iodoTMT-based proteomic analysis to identify the redox sensitive proteins in vivo under freezing stress after cold acclimation in Brassica napus. Totally, we obtained 1,372 sulfenylated sites in 714 proteins. The overall sulfenylation level displayed an increased trend under freezing stress after cold acclimation. We identified 171 differentially sulfenylated proteins (DSPs) under freezing stress, which were predicted to be mainly localized in chloroplast and cytoplasm. The up-regulated DSPs were mainly enriched in photosynthesis and glycolytic processes and function of catalytic activity. Enzymes involved in various pathways such as glycolysis and Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle were generally sulfenylated and the metabolite levels in these pathways was significantly reduced under freezing stress after cold acclimation. Furthermore, enzyme activity assay confirmed that the activity of cytosolic pyruvate kinase and malate dehydrogenase 2 was significantly reduced under H2O2 treatment. Our study provides a landscape of redox sensitive proteins in B. napus in response to freezing stress after cold acclimation, which proposes a basis for understanding the redox regulation in plant metabolic response to freezing stress after cold acclimation.
Does IR-loss promote plastome structural variation and sequence evolution?
Authors: Wang Zi-Xun , Wang Ding-Jie , Yi Ting-Shuang
Published: September 2022

Plastids are one of the main distinguishing characteristics of the plant cell. The plastid genome (plastome) of most autotrophic seed plants possesses a highly conserved quadripartite structure containing a large single-copy (LSC) and a small single-copy (SSC) region separated by two copies of the inverted repeat (termed as IRA and IRB). The IRs have been inferred to stabilize the plastid genome via homologous recombination-induced repair mechanisms. IR loss has been documented in seven autotrophic flowering plant lineages and two autotrophic gymnosperm lineages, and the plastomes of these species (with a few exceptions) are rearranged to a great extent. However, some plastomes containing normal IRs also show high structural variation. Therefore, the role of IRs in maintaining plastome stability is still controversial. In this study, we first integrated and compared genome structure and sequence evolution of representative plastomes of all nine reported IR-lacking lineages and those of their closest relative(s) with canonical inverted repeats (CRCIRs for short) to explore the role of the IR in maintaining plastome structural stability and sequence evolution. We found the plastomes of most IR-lacking lineages have experienced significant structural rearrangement, gene loss and duplication, accumulation of novel small repeats, and acceleration of synonymous substitution compared with those of their CRCIRs. However, the IR-lacking plastomes show similar structural variation and sequence evolution rate, and even less rearrangement distance, dispersed repeat number, tandem repeat number, indels frequency and GC3 content than those of IR-present plastomes with variation in Geraniaceae. We argue that IR loss is not a driver of these changes but is instead itself a consequence of other processes that more broadly shape both structural and sequence-level plastome evolution.
Integration of mRNA and microRNA analysis reveals the molecular mechanisms underlying drought stress tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.)
Authors: Jiao Peng , Ma Ruiqi , Wang Chunlai , Chen Nannan , Liu Siyan , Qu Jing , Guan Shuyan , Ma Yiyong
Published: September 2022

Drought is among the most serious environmental issue globally, and seriously affects the development, growth, and yield of crops. Maize (Zea mays L.), an important crop and industrial raw material, is planted on a large scale worldwide and drought can lead to large-scale reductions in maize corn production; however, few studies have focused on the maize root system mechanisms underlying drought resistance. In this study, miRNA–mRNA analysis was performed to deeply analyze the molecular mechanisms involved in drought response in the maize root system under drought stress. Furthermore, preliminary investigation of the biological function of miR408a in the maize root system was also conducted. The morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic changes in the maize variety “M8186” at the seedling stage under 12% PEG 6000 drought treatment (0, 7, and 24 h) were analyzed. With prolonged drought stress, seedlings gradually withered, the root system grew significantly, and abscisic acid, brassinolide, lignin, glutathione, and trehalose content in the root system gradually increased. Furthermore, peroxidase activity increased, while gibberellic acid and jasmonic acid gradually decreased. Moreover, 32 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMIRs), namely, 25 known miRNAs and 7 new miRNAs, and 3,765 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMRs), were identified in maize root under drought stress by miRNA-seq and mRNA-seq analysis, respectively. Through combined miRNA–mRNA analysis, 16 miRNA–target gene pairs, comprising 9 DEMIRs and 15 DEMRs, were obtained. In addition, four metabolic pathways, namely, “plant hormone signal transduction”, “phenylpropane biosynthesis”, “glutathione metabolism”, and “starch and sucrose metabolism”, were predicted to have important roles in the response of the maize root system to drought. MiRNA and mRNA expression results were verified by real-time quantitative PCR. Finally, miR408a was selected for functional analysis and demonstrated to be a negative regulator of drought response, mainly through regulation of reactive oxygen species accumulation in the maize root system. This study helps to elaborate the regulatory response mechanisms of the maize root system under drought stress and predicts the biological functions of candidate miRNAs and mRNAs, providing strategies for subsequent mining for, and biological breeding to select for, drought-responsive genes in the maize root system.
The differential ability of two species of seagrass to use carbon dioxide and bicarbonate and their modelled response to rising concentrations of inorganic carbon
Authors: Maberly Stephen Christopher , Stott Andrew W. , Gontero Brigitte
Published: September 2022

Seagrass meadows are one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, but their photosynthesis rate may be limited by carbon dioxide but mitigated by exploiting the high concentration of bicarbonate in the ocean using different active processes. Seagrasses are declining worldwide at an accelerating rate because of numerous anthropogenic pressures. However, rising ocean concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon, caused by increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, may benefit seagrass photosynthesis. Here we compare the ability of two seagrass from the Mediterranean Sea, Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile and Zostera marina L., to use carbon dioxide and bicarbonate at light saturation, and model how increasing concentrations of inorganic carbon affect their photosynthesis rate. pH-drift measurements confirmed that both species were able to use bicarbonate in addition to carbon dioxide, but that Z. marina was more effective than P. oceanica. Kinetic experiments showed that, compared to Z. marina, P. oceanica had a seven-fold higher affinity for carbon dioxide and a 1.6-fold higher affinity for bicarbonate. However, the maximal rate of bicarbonate uptake in Z. marina was 2.1-fold higher than in P. oceanica. In equilibrium with 410 ppm carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the modelled rates of photosynthesis by Z. marina were slightly higher than P. oceanica, less carbon limited and depended on bicarbonate to a greater extent. This greater reliance by Z. marina is consistent with its less depleted 13C content compared to P. oceanica. Modelled photosynthesis suggests that both species would depend on bicarbonate alone at an atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressure of 280 ppm. P. oceanica was projected to benefit more than Z. marina with increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide partial pressures, and at the highest carbon dioxide scenario of 1135 ppm, would have higher rates of photosynthesis and be more saturated by inorganic carbon than Z. marina. In both species, the proportional reliance on bicarbonate declined markedly as carbon dioxide concentrations increased and in P. oceanica carbon dioxide would become the major source of inorganic carbon.
Proteomic analysis of the regulatory networks of ClpX in a model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Authors: Zhang Yumeng , Wang Yaqi , Wei Wei , Wang Min , Jia Shuzhao , Yang Mingkun , Ge Feng
Published: September 2022

Protein homeostasis is tightly regulated by protein quality control systems such as chaperones and proteases. In cyanobacteria, the ClpXP proteolytic complex is regarded as a representative proteolytic system and consists of a hexameric ATPase ClpX and a tetradecameric peptidase ClpP. However, the functions and molecular mechanisms of ClpX in cyanobacteria remain unclear. This study aimed to decipher the unique contributions and regulatory networks of ClpX in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (hereafter Synechocystis). We showed that the interruption of clpX led to slower growth, decreased high light tolerance, and impaired photosynthetic cyclic electron transfer. A quantitative proteomic strategy was employed to globally identify ClpX-regulated proteins in Synechocystis cells. In total, we identified 172 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) upon the interruption of clpX. Functional analysis revealed that these DEPs are involved in diverse biological processes, including glycolysis, nitrogen assimilation, photosynthetic electron transport, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, and two-component signal transduction. The expression of 24 DEPs was confirmed by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) analysis. In particular, many hypothetical or unknown proteins were found to be regulated by ClpX, providing new candidates for future functional studies on ClpX. Together, our study provides a comprehensive ClpX-regulated protein network, and the results serve as an important resource for understanding protein quality control systems in cyanobacteria.
Resilience and governance of dispersed sub-Saharan migration in Morocco: The case of the refuge-cities of Tiznit and Taza
Authors: El Arabi Sofia
Published: September 2022

This article aims to contribute to the construction of theoretical and empirical milestones of the concept of urban resilience by applying it to the field of sub-Saharan migration geography in Morocco. Our analysis is based on participatory action research conducted between 2017 and 2020 with a cohort of 215 migrants dispersed by the Moroccan state from the northern border areas of the country and forcibly relocated to the peripheral cities of Tiznit (south) and Taza (northeast). These two territories, to which the state delegates de facto responsibility for receiving and assisting dispersed migrants, have been transformed into refuge-cities. By mobilizing a set of indicators, we present an operational definition of resilient urban governance of sub-Saharan migration. While exploring the link between resilience and local hospitable mobilizations, we highlight the processes underlying the construction of urban initiatives to host dispersed migrants. We show that the framework of urban resilience is revelatory of inclusive reception dynamics, of the autonomous agency, and the innovative capacity of refuge-cities in the core of a debordering process.
Innovation ambidexterity and knowledge redundancy: The moderating effects of transactional leadership
Authors: Duan Yunlong , Liu Wenjing , Wang Shanshan , Yang Meng , Mu Chang
Published: September 2022

Entering the challenging and promising knowledge era, it is clear that enterprises should leverage knowledge management activities in improving innovation performance to maintain competitive advantages. This study sheds light on the improvement path of innovation ambidexterity (i.e., exploratory and exploitative innovation) from the perspectives of knowledge redundancy and typical leadership style. It is noted that we determined the research theme through quantitative analysis and conducted qualitative analysis through 209 questionnaire data collected from respondents in different regions and industries in China. The empirical results indicated that knowledge redundancy significantly improves exploratory and exploitative innovation, and transactional leadership negatively moderates the above relationships. This study is of managerial implications to encourage employees to fully master and apply the existing knowledge to strengthen their innovation abilities in value creation. We also contribute to the theories pertaining to knowledge management, innovation, and ambidexterity by providing a deeper understanding of the influencing mechanism of knowledge redundancy in innovation ambidexterity while elaborating on the indirect effects of transactional leadership.
Patient reported quality of life in young adults with sarcoma receiving care at a sarcoma center
Authors: Day Jonathan R. , Miller Benjamin , Loeffler Bradley T. , Mott Sarah L. , Tanas Munir , Curry Melissa , Davick Jonathan , Milhem Mohammed , Monga Varun
Published: September 2022

Background

Sarcomas are a diverse group of neoplasms that vary greatly in clinical presentation and responsiveness to treatment. Given the differences in the sites of involvement, rarity, and treatment modality, a multidisciplinary approach is required. Previous literature suggests patients with sarcoma suffer from poorer quality of life (QoL) especially physical and functional wellbeing. Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients are an underrepresented population in cancer research and have differing factors influencing QoL.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of Young Adult patients (age 18–39) enrolled in the Sarcoma Tissue Repository at University of Iowa. QoL was assessed using the self-report FACT-G questionnaire at enrollment and 12 months post-diagnosis; overall scores and the 4 wellbeing subscales (Physical, Emotional, Social, Functional) were calculated. Linear mixed effects models were used to measure the association between the rate of change in FACT-G subscale scores and baseline clinical, comorbidity, and treatment characteristics.

Results

49 patients were identified. 57.1% of patients had a malignancy involving an extremity. Mean FACT-G scores of overall wellbeing improved from baseline to 12 months (76.4 vs. 85.4, p < 0.01). Social and emotional wellbeing did not differ significantly between baseline and 12 months. Physical wellbeing (18.8 vs. 23.9, p < 0.01) and functional wellbeing (16.8 vs. 20.0, p< 0.01) scores improved from baseline to 12 months. No difference was seen for FACT-G overall scores for age, sex, laterality, marital status, performance status, having children, clinical stage, limb surgery, chemotherapy, or tumor size. A difference was demonstrated in physical wellbeing scores for patients with baseline limitation (ECOG 1-3) compared to those with no baseline limitation (ECOG 0) (p = 0.03). A difference was demonstrated in social wellbeing based on anatomical site (p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Young adults with sarcoma treated at a tertiary center had improvements in overall reported QoL at 12 months from diagnosis. Overall baseline QoL scores on FACT-G were lower than the general adult population for YA patients with sarcoma but at 12 months became in line with general population norms. The improvements seen merit further investigation to evaluate how these change over the continuum of care. Quality of life changes may be useful outcomes of interest in sarcoma trials.
Influence of science education on mental health of adolescents based on virtual reality
Authors: Wu Bo , Zheng Changlong , Huang Benjamin
Published: September 2022

This work is developed to explore the form of mental health education, strengthen scientific educational ideas, and improve the effect of psychological therapy. Virtual reality (VR) technology is innovatively applied in adolescent mental health treatment and education. Based on this, the mental health treatment and system design based on virtual reality technology are discussed, and the feasibility of applying VR technology to adolescent mental health education is explored. Second, the research concept of adolescent mental health is discussed. Based on the VR platform setup, questionnaire survey is implemented to analyze the factors influencing the mental health of primary and secondary school students in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (the permission of the adolescent guardian is obtained during the interview), and five factors are obtained. Based on this, the adolescent mental health treatment system based on VR is designed, and the effectiveness of the system is tested and evaluated. The results show that the integrated delay of the VR equipment used is 29 ms, which can effectively provide service. There are significant differences in mental health status among adolescents of different genders, different ages, only children and non-only children, parents’ accompaniment during growing up, and urban and rural adolescents. Finally, after 3 months of psychological treatment, the mental health score of the experimental group of teenagers is 50–55 points. However, the mental health scores of the control group remain at 56–65 points, indicating that the mental health treatment system designed in this work can effectively help the adolescents to improve their mental health, thus proving the effectiveness of the system. To sum up, this work provides scientific reference for adolescent mental health education in schools. Psychological treatment system can help teenagers improve their psychological problems and promote the development of mental health education.
How culture orientation influences the COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical analysis
Authors: Wang Zhuo , Li Yi , Xu Ruiqing , Yang Haoting
Published: September 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the mediational path of the influence of cultural orientation on the COVID-19 pandemic outcome at the national level and find out whether some culture-related factors can have a moderating effect on the influence of culture.

Methodology

Cultural dimension theory of Hofstede is used to quantify the degree of each dimension of culture orientation. The cross-section regression model is adopted to test if culture orientations affect the pandemic outcome, controlling for democracy, economy, education, population, age, and time. Then, a mediational analysis is conducted to examine if policy response is the mediator that culture makes an impact on the pandemic outcome. Finally, a moderation analysis is carried out to determine how each control variable has moderated the influence.

Findings

The cross-section regression results showed that culture orientation influences the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic at the 99% confidence level and that among the six cultural dimensions, collectivism-individualism has the most significant impact. It has also been found that policy response is the mediator of cultural influence, and culture-related factors can moderate the influence.

Contribution

The contribution of this research lies in developing the assertion that culture influences pandemic outcomes. Our findings indicate that collectivism-individualism culture orientation affects the effectiveness of epidemic controls the most among the six culture dimensions. Additionally, our research is the first to study the mediating effect of policy responses and the moderating effect of culture-related factors on the influence of cultural orientation on the pandemic outcome.
Virtual reality boxing: Gaze-contingent manipulation of stimulus properties using blur
Authors: Limballe Annabelle , Kulpa Richard , Vu Alexandre , Mavromatis Maé , Bennett Simon J.
Published: September 2022

It has been reported that behavior of experts and novices in various sporting tasks is impervious to the introduction of blur. However, studies have used diverse methods of blurring the visual stimulus (i.e., dioptric blur and Gaussian blur), and tasks that did not always preserve the normal perception-action coupling. In the current study, we developed a novel experimental protocol to examine the effect of different levels of Gaussian blur on interception performance and eye gaze data using an immersive VR task. Importantly, this provided a realistic simulation of a real-world boxing scenario (e.g., the presence of a feint prior to the onset of different combinations of punches) in which expert combat athletes (n = 18) experienced a first-person, adaptive viewpoint of the visual environment, which could be blurred according to their gaze location (central blur, peripheral blur, no blur). We found that participants exhibited similar interception performance in the presence of central blur or peripheral blur compared to a control condition with no blur. However, interception performance was significantly better with a central blur compared to peripheral blur. Eye gaze data indicated that although participants fixated at similar areas of interest irrespective of the presence of blur, fixation duration was significantly longer with a strong level of blur in the peripheral viewing condition than all levels of central blur and the control condition. These findings can be explained by relocating attention to different areas of the environment, which thereby influenced the perception of salient information. Participants also performed better on the first punch of a sequence preceded by a foot feint compared to arm feint or no feint. Still, irrespective of feint type, performance was significantly better on the second and third punch compared to the first punch. These findings are consistent with participants using additional information from the opponent's body movements and situational probabilities to increase performance as the sequence of punches developed. Overall, these are the first evidence for the use of VR as a means to examine gaze-contingent manipulations of the environment, and hence highlight the potential for facilitating learning and transfer to a real sporting situations.
The effect of the online eye movement desensitization and reprocessing early intervention protocol (EMDR R-TEP) for the risk groups with post-traumatic stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Yurtsever Asena , Bakalim Orkide , Karaman Şenel , Kaya Sefa , Konuk Emre
Published: September 2022

The aim of the research is to investigate the effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) levels of individuals who can be defined as high-risk groups during the pandemic. Therefore, the online EMDR R-TEP Protocol was applied to a total of 154 individuals working with coronavirus patients, frontline professionals (Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Polices, Red Crescent), relatives of coronavirus patients, coronavirus patients, and relatives of someone who died from coronavirus and the PTSD symptom level before, after, and 1 month after therapy was measured and examined. A personal information form and impact of events scale were used to collect data. Analyses showed that EMDR therapy was effective in reducing the PTSD level in all groups. The PTSD levels of frontline professionals continued to decrease until the follow-up test but remained the same in the other groups.
What is new with Artificial Intelligence? Human–agent interactions through the lens of social agency
Authors: Pagliari Marine , Chambon Valérian , Berberian Bruno
Published: September 2022

In this article, we suggest that the study of social interactions and the development of a “sense of agency” in joint action can help determine the content of relevant explanations to be implemented in artificial systems to make them “explainable.” The introduction of automated systems, and more broadly of Artificial Intelligence (AI), into many domains has profoundly changed the nature of human activity, as well as the subjective experience that agents have of their own actions and their consequences – an experience that is commonly referred to as sense of agency. We propose to examine the empirical evidence supporting this impact of automation on individuals’ sense of agency, and hence on measures as diverse as operator performance, system explicability and acceptability. Because of some of its key characteristics, AI occupies a special status in the artificial systems landscape. We suggest that this status prompts us to reconsider human–AI interactions in the light of human–human relations. We approach the study of joint actions in human social interactions to deduce what key features are necessary for the development of a reliable sense of agency in a social context and suggest that such framework can help define what constitutes a good explanation. Finally, we propose possible directions to improve human–AI interactions and, in particular, to restore the sense of agency of human operators, improve their confidence in the decisions made by artificial agents, and increase the acceptability of such agents.
What do we mean with sound semantics, exactly? A survey of taxonomies and ontologies of everyday sounds
Authors: Giordano Bruno L. , de Miranda Azevedo Ricardo , Plasencia-Calaña Yenisel , Formisano Elia , Dumontier Michel
Published: September 2022

Taxonomies and ontologies for the characterization of everyday sounds have been developed in several research fields, including auditory cognition, soundscape research, artificial hearing, sound design, and medicine. Here, we surveyed 36 of such knowledge organization systems, which we identified through a systematic literature search. To evaluate the semantic domains covered by these systems within a homogeneous framework, we introduced a comprehensive set of verbal sound descriptors (sound source properties; attributes of sensation; sound signal descriptors; onomatopoeias; music genres), which we used to manually label the surveyed descriptor classes. We reveal that most taxonomies and ontologies were developed to characterize higher-level semantic relations between sound sources in terms of the sound-generating objects and actions involved (what/how), or in terms of the environmental context (where). This indicates the current lack of a comprehensive ontology of everyday sounds that covers simultaneously all semantic aspects of the relation between sounds. Such an ontology may have a wide range of applications and purposes, ranging from extending our scientific knowledge of auditory processes in the real world, to developing artificial hearing systems.
Smallholders participation in sustainable certification: The mediating impact of deliberative communication and responsible leadership
Authors: Rizal Ammar Redza Ahmad , Nordin Shahrina Md
Published: September 2022

The initiative to ensure oil-palm smallholders around the world participate in sustainable certification is increasing. Different efforts were strategised including increasing awareness and providing financial support. Despite that, the number of smallholders’ participation in sustainable certification is relatively low. This study embarked on the objective to identify the role of social structure, namely social interaction ties in affecting smallholders’ participative behaviours. Moreover, this study is also looking on the mediating impact of deliberative communication and responsible leadership in explaining the relationship between the two previously stated constructs. Using a quantitative research design, this study collected data from 440 smallholders as its respondents. Samples were randomly selected, and questionnaires were distributed to obtain their responses. Data collected were then analysed using PLS-SEM to test the developed hypothesis. Accordingly, the findings indicate that social interaction ties have a significant impact on smallholders’ decisions to participate in sustainable certification. Furthermore, both deliberative communication and responsible leadership were proven to be significant mediators. This study provides insights on how smallholders’ participation in sustainable certification can be improved by tapping on the social structure elements as well as adopting deliberative communication and responsible leadership as a method to communicate and lead with the smallholders. This shall expand literature related to organisation psychology in rural areas and sustainability.
The antecedents and consequences of autonomous and controlled motivation: Domain specificity and motivational sequence at the situational level
Authors: Paumier Delphine , Chanal Julien
Published: September 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of specificity of the different regulation types described by Self-Determination Theory, and to evaluate its impact on the links with its antecedents and consequences, in an academic context. In line with the school-subject-specificity hypothesis, we postulated that autonomous motivation types (AM types) would be more specific to the situational level than controlled motivation types (CM types). Moreover, we hypothesized that AM types would be, at this level, more strongly associated with its antecedents and consequences than CM types. Three hundred fourteen university students were asked to complete online questionnaires assessing their motivation, motivational antecedents (i.e., autonomy-supportive climate and self-concept) and consequences (i.e., emotions and grades) in various courses. As expected, results from structural equation modeling confirmed that AM types were more specific to the situational level than CM types. Moreover, a higher number of significant correlations were found between motivation and its antecedents and consequences in the corresponding course for AM than for CM types. Educational implications and directions for future research are discussed.