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Attaining a high level of proficiency in speaking a second language (L2) is a formidable challenge, particularly in many English as a foreign language (EFL) settings, such as Taiwan. In such environments, students often encounter limited opportunities for English-speaking practice within formal classroom settings due to the prevalence of form-focused instruction. Nonetheless, certain students manage to achieve elevated levels of proficiency. This exploratory investigation aims to uncover the strategies employed by such learners beyond formal classroom instruction and identify key factors contributing to high proficiency. Individual studies have underscored the importance of metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive strategies, and practice in L2 learning. To explore how these elements operate synergistically to facilitate self-regulated learning of L2 speaking ability, this exploratory study constructs a model, Metacognitive Practice Speaking Strategies (MPSSs), to delineate their interconnections. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 Taiwanese students, aged 15-25. By comparing the use of MPSSs among speakers of different proficiency levels, key factors contributing to high proficiency are identified. It communicates that the strategy use of high proficiency speakers aligns with established theories of second language (L2) speaking. Given that they received no instruction on these theories, their strategies were presumably guided by task beliefs developed from their initial, use-focused education. Alongside their strategic knowledge, these beliefs led them to perform use-focused MPSSs. The study's context shares similarities with numerous EFL contexts, making the findings broadly applicable to a wide range of L2 learners.

Abstract Background To study the problem of male sterility of cattle-yak and improve the yak crossbreeding, this study obtained the testicular Sertoli cells of yak and cattle-yak and compared the differences in transcriptome levels between the two bovine species. The testicular tissues of 3 healthy male cattle-yaks and 3 F1 generation male yaks were collected at the age of 24 months. The Sertoli cells were isolated after enzymatic digestion, differential adhesion and starvation treatment. DATA-4 and SOX9 immunofluorescence staining were used to identify the cell type. Sertoli cells were subjected to transcriptome sequencing, GO analysis, KEGG analysis and differentially expressed gene were validated by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Results The study successfully isolated and purified Sertoli cells of yak and cattle-yak. The transcriptome sequencing data were compared, analyzed and annotated. Compared to yak Sertoli cells, 6592 differentially expressed genes were identified, with 3007 genes upregulated and 3585 genes downregulated in cattle-yak Sertoli cells. GO analysis suggested that the upregulated genes might be mainly involved in processes such as translation, peptide biosynthetic process, amide biosynthetic process, peptide metabolic process, ribosome, cytoplasmic part, structural constituent of ribosome, structural molecule activity, endomembrane system, protein kinase activity, and phosphotransferase activity. The downregulated genes appeared to be primarily involved in protein phosphorylation, phosphorylation, endomembrane system, protein kinase activity, and phosphotransferase activity. KEGG analysis compared differential genes across 316 pathways, with 8 pathways showing significant enrichment. The upregulated pathways were potentially enriched in cattle-yak Sertoli cells, including ribosome, thermogenesis, and oxidative phosphorylation, while the downregulated pathways seemed to be significantly enriched in adherens junction, mTOR signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, and focal adhesion. Compared with yak Sertoli cells, ISOC2, RPL27A and FISI were highly expressed in cattle-yak, as confirmed by RT-qPCR analysis. PDPN, SORBS2, TF, PLSCR1, TJP2, KIF2C, ITGA3, SMTNL2, DSP, ADGRG1, DDR1, GSK3A, RBBP6, ZC3H15 and Claudin 11 showed low expression levels in cattle-yak. Conclusions Compared with yak Sertoli cells, the expression of genes related to protein activation, cell function, and membranous organelle composition in cattle-yak Sertoli cells appeared to be abnormal. The potential defects in cattle-yak Sertoli cells may hinder the creation of a suitable environment for spermatogenesis, which could be one of the factors contributing to male cattle-yak sterility. Claudin-11 might be a potentially important gene for further research into cattle-yak male sterility.

Abstract Articular cartilage injury is a serious bone disease that can result in disabilities. With the rapid increase in the aging population, this disorder has become an increasingly important public health issue. Recently, stem cell-based cartilage tissue engineering has emerged as a promising therapeutic option for treating articular cartilage damage. Cellular scaffolds, which are among three key elements of tissue engineering, play significant roles in the repair of damaged articular cartilage by regulating cellular responses and promoting cartilage tissue regeneration. Biological macromolecules are commonly used as scaffold materials owing to their unique properties. For example, natural and synthetic polymer hydrogel scaffolds can effectively mimic the microenvironment of the natural extracellular matrix; exhibit high cytocompatibility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability; and have attracted increasing attention in bone and cartilage tissue engineering and regeneration medicine. Several types of hydrogel scaffolds have been fabricated to treat articular cartilage abnormalities. This article outlines the recent progress in the field of hydrogel scaffolds manufactured from various biomaterials for repairing damaged articular cartilage, discusses their advantages and disadvantages, and proposes directions for their future development.

Background: The impact of coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) caused by Kawasaki disease (KD) on long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children has not been well documented. Methods: This study investigated long-term HRQOL in a large sample of children diagnosed with KD-related CAAs. A case-control, retrospective study included 66 patients with KD-related CAAs. A total of 98 hospitalized patients were matched as controls based on age and sex: 49 patients were allocated to a group with pneumonia and 49 patients were allocated to a group with arterio-arterial fistula. Both child-reported and parent-proxy–reported Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory surveys were collected. Results: The median (IQR) follow-up period was 5.64 (3.81-7.47) years (range, 1.03-10.67 years). The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 3.73 (1.93) years. At baseline, children and parents as their proxies reported similar HRQOL scores for KD-related CAAs and arterio-arterial fistula that were considerably lower than for pneumonia, respectively. At long-term follow-up, children in the small and medium-sized aneurysms group reported a mean (SD) score of 81.61 (19.50), which was comparable to the arterio-arterial fistula group (83.32 [18.24]), 9.51 points lower than that of the pneumonia group (P = .014), and 9.70 points higher than that of the giant aneurysms group (P = .012). Parents also reported a comparable mean (SD) score of 81.03 (12.57) vs 83.30 (15.17) in the small and medium-sized aneurysms group and arterio-arterial fistula group, both of which had statistically significantly lower scores than the pneumonia group (P = .010) and higher scores than the giant aneurysms group (P = .009). Conclusion: Despite improvement in HRQOL scores, children with documented KD-related CAAs without complete recovery often encountered issues that disrupted their well-being during long-term follow-up. Routine outpatient HRQOL screening could be instituted to help eliminate the risk of long-term disability following initial clinical improvement.

Oreochromis niloticus×O. aureus was taken as the research object, and the difference of nutrient composition, thermodynamic property, microstructure, texture property and sensory quality between normal tilapia (NT) and crisp tilapia (CT) was analyzed to find out the effective development and utilization direction of brittle tilapia. The results showed that the moisture content of CT was significantly lower than that of NT (P

Abstract Golden camellia species are endangered species with great ecological significance and economic value in the section Chrysantha of the genus Camellia of the family Theaceae. Literature shows that more than 50 species of golden camellia have been found all over the world, but the exact number remains undetermined due to the complex phylogenetic background, the non-uniform classification criteria, and the presence of various synonyms and homonyms; and phylogenetic relationships among golden camellia species at the gene level are yet to be disclosed. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the divergence time and phylogenetic relationships between all golden camellia species at the gene level to improve their classification system and achieve accurate identification of them. Phenotypic data and transcriptomic sequences of 20 golden camellia species commonly found in Guangxi, China were obtained. PCA and OPLS-DA analyses were conducted based on phenotypic data, and agglomerative clustering was performed to generate the clustering tree of the 20 golden camellia species. Single-copy homologous genes were used to generate phylogenetic trees using Neighbor-Joining, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian Inference methods, and the results obtained with these three methods were compared. Then the molecular dating analysis was performed to reveal the divergence time and evolutionary relationships. Rhododendron griersonianum, Diospyros lotus, and Impatiens glandulifera were used as outgroups. The phylogenetic tree based on single-copy homologous genes showed that golden camellia species with shorter geographical distances were closer phylogenetically. Phylogenetic relationships based on phenotypic traits and those based on single-copy homologous genes were inconsistent, suggesting that species with a close genetic evolutionary relationship may show high variation in phenotypic traits and thus the analysis of evolutionary relationships based on phenotypic traits may result in inaccurate outcomes. Among three phylogenetic trees constructed by the three methods, the evolutionary sequences were different, but evolutionary relationships between most species were consistent. For 6 species, the divergence time estimated by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference varied much, that estimated by Bayesian Inference later than that estimated by Maximum Likelihood. Using these two methods, the resulting divergence time of 14 species was 3.452 Mya. The divergence time predicted in our study is later than that in the literature. In the present study phylogenetic relationships among 20 golden camellia species were analyzed at the transcriptome level to provide a supplement to the phylogenetic classification and evolutionary relationships explored using morphological traits and some molecular markers. Our findings show that the 20 golden camellia species diverged at a later time than other known species in the genus Camellia. Since our analyses were based on the failed molecular clock hypothesis, our conclusions are tentative. Further research using more systematic analyses and more methods should be conducted to confirm the phylogenetic relationships among golden camellia species.

Abstract Fifteen novel carbazole alkaloids, euchrestifolines A–O (1–15), were obtained from Murraya euchrestifolia. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, Mosher’s ester, calculated ECD, and transition metal complex ECD methods. Notably, euchrestifolines A–C (1–3) are the first naturally occurring pyrrolidone carbazoles to be identified, while euchrestifolines D–F (4–6) represent rare carbazole alkaloids containing a phenylpropanyl moiety; euchrestifoline G (7) features a unique benzopyranocarbazole skeleton. More importantly, these compounds exhibited significant anti-ferroptotic activity, along with inhibitory effects of nitric oxide (NO) production and notable cytotoxicity. This study marks the first disclosure of carbazole's inhibitory effects against ferroptosis, and the EC50 values of some carbazoles ranging from 0.04 to 1 μM, substantially lower than the positive control, ferrostatin-1. In sum, this research not only enhances our understanding of carbazole alkaloids but also opens new avenues for the discovery of ferroptosis-related leading compounds. Graphical abstract

Abstract Background Duck circovirus (DuCV) infections commonly induce immunosuppression and secondary infections in ducks, resulting in significant economic losses in the duck breeding industry. Currently, effective vaccines and treatments for DuCV have been lacking. Therefore, rapid, specific, and sensitive detection methods are crucial for preventing and controlling DuCV. Methods A lateral flow strip (LFS) detection method was developed using recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 12a (Cas12a). The RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFS targeted the DuCV replication protein (Rep) and was operated at 37 ℃ and allowed for visual interpretation without requiring sophisticated equipment. Results The results revealed that the reaction time of RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFS is only 45 min. This method achieved a low detection limit of 2.6 gene copies. Importantly, this method demonstrated high specificity and no cross-reactivity with six other avian viruses. In a study involving 97 waterfowl samples, the Rep RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFS showed 100% consistency and agreement with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Conclusion These findings underscored the potential of this user-friendly, rapid, sensitive, and accurate detection method for on-site DuCV detection.

Abstract Background N-Acetyltransferase 8 Like (NAT8L) inhibits natural killer (NK)/T-cell cytotoxicity by impairing the formation of the immunological synapse via N-acetylaspartate (NAA). Existing research has predominantly focused on the metabolic functions of NAT8L, particularly in adipose tissues and myelination in the brain. However, in contrast to other N-acetyltransferases such as NAT1 and NAT2, the role of NAT8L in cancer has been less extensively studied. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis to investigate the carcinogenic role of NAT8L in human cancers. Methods We utilized the standardized TCGA pan-cancer dataset to analyze differential expression, clinical prognosis, gene mutation, immune infiltration, epigenetic modification, tumor stemness, and heterogeneity. Additionally, we evaluated the sensitivity of NAT8L to small molecule drugs using the GDSC and CTRP databases. Results In this study, we identified that NAT8L expression was upregulated in 6 cancers and downregulated in 12 compared to normal tissues. We analyzed its prognostic value in 5 tumor types (KIRP, COAD, COADREAD, GBMLGG, LUSC) and found correlations with overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI). Furthermore, NAT8L expression was significantly correlated with levels of most immune checkpoints, immunomodulators, and immune cell infiltration. The mutation frequencies for bladder cancer (BLCA), glioblastoma multiforme and glioma (GBMLGG), lower-grade glioma (LGG), and KIRP were 1.2%, 0.9%, 0.8%, and 0.4%, respectively. Conclusion Our findings suggest that NAT8L may serve as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target across a variety of cancers, particularly in KIRP, COAD, COADREAD, GBMLGG, and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC).

Abstract Objective Tic disorders (TD) often present with associated neuropsychiatric comorbidities. This study aims to examine the clinical manifestations of TD in pediatric patients and explore the spectrum and features of neuropsychiatric comorbidities among Chinese children diagnosed with TD. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on pediatric TD cases newly diagnosed at our institution, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents 5.0 to screen for comorbidities. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of clinical features was undertaken. Results The study enrolled 182 patients, comprising 140 males and 42 females. The diagnoses were distributed as follows: 65 cases of provisional TD, 29 cases of chronic TD, and 88 cases of Tourette syndrome. 94 (51.65%) patients presented with at least a single neuropsychiatric comorbid, while 40 (21.98%) patients exhibited two or more such comorbidities. TD is most frequently comorbid with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (33.52%, 61/182), oppositional defiant disorder (11.00%, 20/182) and current/previous manic/hypomanic episode (7.69%, 14/182). Children with comorbidities, compared to those without, experienced delayed diagnosis (P = 0.039), were more prone to developing vocal tics (simple vocal tics P = 0.030, complex vocal tics P

Abstract With the primary sales channels for home appliances in China shifting from offline to online, e-commerce platforms hold significant potential to promote the purchase of energy-saving appliances. Therefore, this study investigates the factors influencing consumers' intentions to purchase energy-saving appliances in the context of online review interactions. Based on social communication theory, we identified four key elements in online review communication: information quality, information quantity, source credibility, and consumer attitudes toward online review. Additionally, we analyzed the mediating role of perceived information usefulness and the moderating role of consumer information processing capability. Data were gathered by using a structured questionnaire, and the respondents are comprised of consumers with experience purchasing energy-saving home appliances online., PLS-SEM was employed for the analysis of data. The findings suggest that the quality, quantity, and source credibility of online reviews, as well as consumers' attitudes towards online reviews, directly influence customers’ purchase intentions for energy-saving appliances. Moreover, a review of quantity and consumer attitudes impacts purchase intention through the perceived information usefulness. The moderating effect of consumers' information processing capability on the relationship between online reviews and perceived information usefulness is also confirmed. The results of the study explain the formation mechanism of consumers' willingness to buy energy-saving home appliances from the perspective of information dissemination, which offers valuable insights for e-commerce platforms and online marketers aiming to comprehend consumers' decision-making processes.

Abstract Background Tea is an important cash crop that significantly contributes to rural development, poverty reduction and food security in many developing countries. It provides livelihoods for millions of smallholder producers and aids their economic stability. Anthocyanins in tea leaves provides excellent commercial quality and germplasm exploration potential. These compounds give tea leaves vibrant colors and increase health benefits. The current understanding of the synergistic regulation mechanisms responsible for color changes in purple tea, attributed to anthocyanin degradation, remains unclear. Results In this study, we have identified 30 gene families within the genome that are associated to with anthocyanin metabolism from tea. These gene families play distinct roles in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin including the formation of the core, structure, modification of the molecular framework, facilitation of transport process, regulation of gene expression, breakdown pathways, sugar transportation and iron ion respectively. Subsequently, we investigated the synergistic mechanisms of anthocyanin metabolism related gene families within tea leaves using structural equation modeling. The results showed that sugar transport positively affects anthocyanin transportation, and promotes anthocyanin degradation during leaf pigmentation, whereas, it inhibits anthocyanin degradation during the fading of leaf color. Further, Iron ions facilitate the degradation of anthocyanins during their deposition and conversely, impede this degradation process during digestion. These finding suggests that tea plants may regulate the synthesis and degradation of anthocyanins through sugar transport and iron ions ensure healthy levels and vibrant colors. Conclusions Our study contributes valuable information into the dynamic equilibrium anthocyanin mechanism and sheds light on complex regulatory mechanisms that govern the synthesis, transport and degradation of these pigments. These insights could be further used to develop strategies for enhancing anthocyanins content in unique tea germplasm to aid tea industry in producing new tea products with increased health benefits and aesthetic appeals.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic’s “Great Online Transition” significantly impacted teachers. Existing research on Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) lacks longitudinal designs and consideration of subject-specific contexts. This study, using the Stressor-Strain-Outcome framework, investigates psychological needs thwarting (PNT) during ERT on teachers’ well-being and online teaching intentions, considering subject of instruction as a potential factor. Methods Data were collected from 1,369 Chinese primary and middle school teachers of Chinese literature, mathematics, and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at two time points: two weeks after ERT implementation (Time 1, mid-November 2021) and two months later, after returning to face-to-face teaching (Time 2, mid-January 2022). PNT, emotional exhaustion, psychological distress, and intention towards online teaching were evaluated. Results Among the types of PNT, competence thwarting emerged as the strongest predictor of emotional exhaustion, which was, in turn, associated with reduced online teaching intention and increased psychological distress. EFL teachers showed stronger associations between PNT, emotional exhaustion, and adverse outcomes, indicating higher susceptibility to strain during ERT. Conclusion Subject of instruction, particularly for EFL teachers, significantly influences the relationship between PNT and teacher outcomes during ERT. Our findings underscore the need for subject-specific support strategies in online teaching environments.

Abstract To elucidate the specific and shared genetic background of schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD), this study explored the association of polygenic liabilities for SCZ and BPD with educational attainment and cognitive aging. Among 106,806 unrelated community participants from the Taiwan Biobank, we calculated the polygenic risk score (PRS) for SCZ (PRSSCZ) and BPD (PRSBPD), shared PRS between SCZ and BPD (PRSSCZ+BPD), and SCZ-specific PRS (PRSSCZvsBPD). Based on the sign-concordance of the susceptibility variants with SCZ/BPD, PRSSCZ was split into PRSSCZ_concordant/PRSSCZ_discordant, and PRSBPD was split into PRSBPD_concordant/PRSBPD_discordant. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to estimate the association with educational attainment. Linear regression models were used to estimate the associations with cognitive aging (n = 27,005), measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and with MMSE change (n = 6194 with mean follow-up duration of 3.9 y) in individuals aged≥ 60 years. PRSSCZ, PRSBPD, and PRSSCZ+BPD were positively associated with educational attainment, whereas PRSSCZvsBPD was negatively associated with educational attainment. PRSSCZ was negatively associated with MMSE, while PRSBPD was positively associated with MMSE. The concordant and discordant parts of polygenic liabilities have contrasting association, PRSSCZ_concordant and PRSBPD_concordant mainly determined these effects mentioned above. PRSSCZvsBPD predicted decreases in the MMSE scores. Using a large collection of community samples, this study provided evidence for the contrasting effects of polygenic architecture in SCZ and BPD on educational attainment and cognitive aging and suggested that SCZ and BPD were not genetically homogeneous.

Background The family-centered and community-based community home-based elderly care has gradually become the main trend in the context of increased population aging in China. As an important component of the primary care service system, community health services play a cornerstone role in community home-based elderly care. Understanding the experience of home-dwelling old adults on community health services will help to improve the healthcare quality and promote the development of combined medical and nursing care. Objective To understand the reasons for the home-dwelling old adults to prefer community home-based elderly care and their experience, analyze the existing problems, so as to provide reference for developing needs-oriented community health services. Methods From February to June in 2022, the home-dwelling old adults aged ≥65 years old were selected from 10 community health centers in Chengdu as the study subjects by using purposive sampling method. 10 focus groups were set up to conduct face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Data collection was performed by audio recording and text transcription. NVivo 12 software was used for the coding and categories extracting of interview content and the thematic framework analysis method was used to organize and analyze the interview data to extract the themes. Results A total of 40 home-dwelling old adults were enrolled, including 20 males and 20 females aged 65-86 years with an average age of (74.4±5.6) years, 31 cases from urban areas and 9 cases from suburban areas. The interview data were analyzed and 3 themes were extracted: Comprehensive factor of the old adults is the primary factor affecting their choice of pension modes and health needs; Community health service is an important way to provide health services for home-dwelling old adults, which cannot completely meet the health needs of the old adults; Optimizing service modes, enriching service programs and increasing external support can increase the sense of contentment and promote the health of old adults. Conclusion Home-dwelling old adults are basically satisfied with the health services provided in the community, but the personal factors of old adults, the modes and programs of community health services have influenced the experience of home-dwelling old adults with community health services, inducing their growing health needs unmet. Providing professional, diversified and precise community health services, improving the quality of medical services and the mode of medical services combining the health situation of home-dwelling old adults, are of great significance to improve the community health service system and and promote the health of older adults.

Abstract Our comprehensive understanding of the multi-species ACE2 adaptiveness of sarbecoviruses remains elusive, particularly for those with various receptor binding motif (RBM) insertions/deletions (indels). Here, we analyzed RBM sequences from 268 sarbecoviruses categorized into four RBM indel types. We examined the ability of 20 representative sarbecovirus Spike glycoproteins (S) and derivatives in utilizing ACE2 from various bats and several other mammalian species. We reveal that sarbecoviruses with long RBMs (type-I) can achieve broad ACE2 tropism, whereas viruses with single deletions in Region 1 (type-II) or Region 2 (type-III) exhibit narrower ACE2 tropism. Sarbecoviruses with double region deletions (type-IV) completely lost ACE2 usage, which is restricted by clade-specific residues within and outside RBM. Lastly, we propose the evolution of sarbecovirus RBM indels and illustrate how loop lengths, disulfide, and residue determinants shape multi-species ACE2 adaptiveness. This study provides profound insights into the mechanisms governing ACE2 usage and spillover risks of sarbecoviruses.

Abstract Metabolic disorder significantly contributes to diabetic vascular complications, including diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population. However, the molecular mechanisms by which disturbed metabolic homeostasis causes vascular dysfunction in diabetic retinopathy remain unclear. O-GlcNAcylation modification acts as a nutrient sensor particularly sensitive to ambient glucose. Here, we observe pronounced O-GlcNAc elevation in retina endothelial cells of diabetic retinopathy patients and mouse models. Endothelial-specific depletion or pharmacological inhibition of O-GlcNAc transferase effectively mitigates vascular dysfunction. Mechanistically, we find that Yes-associated protein (YAP) and Transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), key effectors of the Hippo pathway, are O-GlcNAcylated in diabetic retinopathy. We identify threonine 383 as an O-GlcNAc site on YAP, which inhibits its phosphorylation at serine 397, leading to its stabilization and activation, thereby promoting vascular dysfunction by inducing a pro-angiogenic and glucose metabolic transcriptional program. This work emphasizes the critical role of the O-GlcNAc-Hippo axis in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy and suggests its potential as a therapeutic target.

This study explores the way translation crowdsourcing may contribute to metacognitive translator training through a teaching experiment where Global Voices Lingua was integrated into an undergraduate English-Chinese translation course. In doing so, the study investigates how translation students' awareness of conditional knowledge and its monitoring functions may be raised. Each of the 15 students enrolled in the translation course was asked to translate a Global Voices' English news post into Chinese and record the translation process. Then, the students were instructed to write self-reflections on their problem-solving and decision-making processes based on their recording files. The results reveal that the students solved approximately 73% of the 215 translation problems encountered by considering relevant situational demands explicitly or implicitly. Further, the monitoring functions recognised by the students include: (1) avoiding literal translation, (2) improving readability, and (3) choosing an appropriate translation. Among the 200 cases where the monitoring functions were at play, only 11.5% were misapplied or unjustifiable. Overall, this study's findings indicate that translation crowdsourcing can offer reliable authentic practices, strengthen students' metacognitive abilities, and help them produce translations that fulfil contextual demands.

Background: The Flanker task measures visuospatial attention and assesses the attentional network by distinguishing pathways for enhancing information at attended regions and suppressing information at unattended ones (Kopp et al., 1996). In Parkinson's disease (PD), the attentional network is impaired due to dysfunctional fronto-subcortical circuits connected to the basal ganglia, disrupting response selection and inhibition. While electroencephalography (EEG) may reveal abnormalities of these circuits in PD, dynamic brain oscillations critical for interareal communications cannot be deciphered with conventional time-frequency analyses. Objective: To utilize the novel Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis (HHSA) to reveal dynamic EEG features of the Flanker task in PD patients and healthy normal controls for differentiating and elucidating attentional network deficits in patients. Methods: The novel HHSA was applied to uncover nonlinear features of the Flanker task EEG and to analyse connectivity using phase-amplitude cross-frequency coupling. Results: Holo-Hilbert transform (HHT) results showed an attenuated midfrontal theta (FMθ) in the congruency effect in PD patients, consistent with past studies. HHSA showed a loss of low-frequency amplitude modulations (fam) in the theta carrier frequency band (fc) during the congruency effect in PD. Importantly, connectivity analyses using the Holo-Hilbert cross-frequency phase clustering (HHCFPC) revealed a loss of theta-gamma cross frequency coupling (CFC) from the right prefrontal cortex to other frontal and contralateral regions. Decrements were also shown in PD patients from right frontal cortical to occipital areas in theta-beta CFC. Conclusions: These visuospatial attention deficits of PD revealed with the advanced analytical method of the HHSA and HHCFPC may inaugurate further neurophysiological biomarkers for cognitive function evaluation in PD and related movement disorders.

The Channa argus (C. argus), a warm-water piscivorous fish, is an important economic breed with high nutritional value, but there are some problems such as difficulty in domestication and feeding. In order to solve the problem of feeding and to better understand the regulation of feeding at the molecular level, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was sequenced in the brains of wild and cultured C. argus under starvation and satiation. The groups included the wild C. argus starvation group (WST), the wild C. argus satiation group (WSA), the cultured C. argus starvation group (CST) and the cultured C. argus satiation group (CSA). For the pairwise comparisons of these four groups, the number of differential genes was 43 (WST vs. WSA, 16 up-regulated and 27 down-regulated genes), 96 (CST vs. CSA, 44 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated), 193 (WST vs. CST, 31 up-regulated and 162 down-regulated genes), 489 (WSA vs. CSA, 256 up-regulated and 233 down-regulated genes), respectively. Differential gene functional enrichment analysis revealed that several pathways were highlighted, including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, adipocytokine signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway, melanogenesis, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway in the cultured starvation group and the cultured satiation group. In the adipocytokine signaling pathway, down-express gene is agouti-related peptide (AgRP), the cAMP signaling pathway showed up-regulated genes such as chromogranin A (CGA), luteinizing hormone beta polypeptide (LHB), thyroid stimulating hormone beta (THSB), and follicle stimulating hormone beta (FSHB). These pathways and genes may play important roles in the regulation of energy metabolism and feeding. Quantitative real-time PCR of the starvation, satiation, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment groups showed that the differential expression changes of appetite-related and immune-related genes matched the trend of differential expression of the transcriptome counterparts. This study provides the basic data for the regulation of feeding and the molecular mechanisms related to feeding.

The profound impact of AI technology on human life, from daily routines to professional settings, necessitates a corresponding evolution in education, where the content must adapt to the advancements in AI technology. Given high school students' status as digital natives, understanding their perspectives is invaluable for planning suitable lessons and informing policy formulation in education. This study therefore aimed to investigate high school students' knowledge, perceptions, and acceptance of the application of AI in medicine and agriculture. Questionnaires and interviews were used to explore students' perspectives. Data were collected from 373 students (aged 15–17), and the results indicated that their understanding of AI was limited: approximately 64 percent of participants could not identify the meaning of ‘AI’. Moreover, students were more reluctant to accept the use of AI in medicine. However, students' acceptance improved significantly when the context of the questions involved humans in AI decision-making. Nonetheless, the analysis showed a positive correlation between students' perceptions of the benefits and acceptance of AI applications in both the agricultural and medical domains. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating discussions on emerging AI technologies into high school science curricula, helping cultivate students' fundamental understanding of emerging technological advancements and knowledge, thereby facilitating societal progress.

BackgroundThe therapeutic role of antifibrotic therapy has been well-established in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, its efficacy and safety for interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) other than IPF are not fully understood.MethodsWe updated a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) of randomized controlled trials and prospective studies on antifibrotic drug (nintedanib or pirfenidone) vs other intervention (placebo, no intervention or conventional treatment) in non-IPF ILDs. The primary outcomes were absolute change in forced vital capacity (FVC), all-cause mortality and serious adverse events (SAEs). The risk of bias was rated with the RoB2 tool and certainty of evidence was assessed by the GRADE approach.Results17 studies with 1908 patients were included. For the primary outcomes, pooled analyses of four trials with low risk of bias showed that antifibrotic drugs significantly ameliorated FVC decline (mean difference 86.21; 95% CI 49.38 to 123.03; I2 = 64%; TSA-adjusted CI 40.86 to 131.56). Based on five trials with low risk of bias, no difference was observed in all-cause mortality (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.53 to 1.43; I2 = 0%; TSA-adjusted CI 0.12 to 6.53) and SAEs (RR 0.97; 95% CI 0.83 to 1.13; I2 = 0%; TSA-adjusted CI 0.74 to 1.28) between groups. However, based on two studies with 324 patients, benefit of antifibrotic drugs in FVC was not shown in the subgroup taking mycophenolate (mean difference 17.08; 95% CI -56.22 to 90.37), which also had higher risk of SAEs (RR 1.71; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.70), although both were contested by TSA.ConclusionOur study suggests that antifibrotic drugs are beneficial for patients with non-IPF ILDs in slowing disease progression, whereas may not correlate to all-cause mortality and SAEs. However, for patients taking mycophenolate, antifibrotic drugs may do more harm than good. More investigations are warranted to validate current findings.

Definitive hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) arise from a small number of hemogenic endothelial cells (HECs) within the developing embryo. Understanding the origin and ontogeny of HSPCs is of considerable interest and potential therapeutic value. It has been proposed that the murine placenta contains HECs that differentiate into HSPCs. However, during human gestation HSPCs arise in the aorta considerably earlier than when they can first be detected in the placenta, suggesting that the placenta may primarily serve as a niche. We found that the Runx1 transcription factor, which is required to generate HSPCs from HECs, is not expressed by mouse placental ECs. To definitively determine whether the mouse placenta is a site of HSPC emergence, we performed lineage tracing experiments with a Hoxa13Cre allele that specifically labels ECs in the placenta and umbilical cord (UC), but not in the yolk sac or embryo. Immunostaining revealed Hoxa13Cre lineage-traced HECs and HSPCs in the UC, a known site of HECs, but not the placenta. Consistent with these findings, ECs harvested from the E10.5 aorta and UC, but not the placenta, gave rise to hematopoietic cells ex vivo, while colony forming assays using E14.5 fetal liver revealed only 2% of HSPCs arose from Hoxa13-expressing precursors. In contrast, the pan-EC Cdh5-CreERT2 allele labeled most HSPCs in the mouse placenta. Lastly, we found that RUNX1 and other HEC genes were not expressed in first-trimester human placenta villous ECs, suggesting that human placenta is not hemogenic. Our findings demonstrate that the placenta functions as a site for expansion of HSPCs that arise within the embryo proper and is not a primary site of HSPC emergence.

Dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with comparable masses are commonly witnessed among the major merged galaxies with interaction remnants. Considering almost every massive galaxy is associated with multiple dwarf satellites around it, minor mergers involving galaxies with disproportional stellar masses should be much more common than major mergers, which would naturally lead to black hole (BH) pairs with significantly different masses. However, dual AGNs generated by minor mergers involving one or two dwarf galaxies are exceptionally rare and understudied. Moreover, good estimates of the masses of both BHs are not yet available to test this idea. Here we report the evidence of a dual AGN candidate with mass ratio ~7:1 located in an undisturbed disk galaxy. We identify the central BH with mass of 9.4 × 10 ^6 M _⊙ from its radio emission as well as AGN-driven galactic-scale biconical outflows. The off-centered BH generates obvious broad and narrow emission-line regions, which gives us a robust estimation of a 1.3 × 10 ^6 M _⊙ BH mass. We explore alternative scenarios for explaining the observational features of this system, including the complex gas kinematics triggered by central AGN activity and dust attenuation of the broad-line region of the central BH, finding that they failed to fully account for the kinematics of both the redshifted off-centered broad and narrow emission-line components.

Background Camellia nitidissima var. phaeopubisperma is a variety in the section Chrysantha of the genus Camellia of the family Theaceae which is native to Fangchenggang, Guangxi, China. To date, the genetic diversity and structure of this variety remains to be understood. Methods In the present study, eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers previously screened were used to analyze the genetic diversity and structure of C. nitidissima var. phaeopubisperma natural populations from 14 growing areas in China, so as to determine the influence of environmental changes on genetic variations and provide the basis for introduction and selection of suitable growing sites of that variety. Results Our results show that, for the eight SSR loci, the observed numbers of alleles per locus (Na) and the effective numbers of alleles per locus (Ne) were nine and 3.206, respectively on average, and the Ne was lower than the Na for all loci; the observed heterozygosity (Ho) was lower than the expected heterozygosity (He). For all the eight loci, the fixation index (F) was greater than 0, and the intra-population inbreeding coefficient (Fis) for seven loci was positive. Three loci were moderately polymorphic (0.25 < polymorphism information content (PIC) 0.5); all eight loci had a moderate genetic differentiation level (0.05 < genetic differentiation coefficient (Fst)

Background: With the growing demand for dementia care, non-pharmacological interventions, such as creative arts therapies, have been proven effective in stabilizing cognitive function. Shadow Puppetry Therapy (SPT), which integrates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic elements, offers a promising care option for individuals with dementia. Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of SPT on cognitive function, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships among older adults with mild dementia. Methods: We adopted a quasi-experimental design and recruited 33 older adults with mild dementia from two dementia care centers. Older adults with mild dementia were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 18). The experimental group participated in a 16-week SPT program, and the control group engaged in regular activities, such as physical exercises, painting, cooking, music, and handicraft projects. Assessments included the short portable mental status questionnaire (SPMSQ), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES), and the interpersonal relationship scale, with evaluations conducted before and after the intervention. Results: The intervention significantly improved cognitive function, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships in the experimental group. SPMSQ scores decreased, indicating enhanced cognitive function (p = .001), while self-esteem and interpersonal relationship scores showed significant improvements (p = .001). No significant changes were observed in the control group. Conclusion: SPT is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for enhancing cognitive function, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships in older adults with mild dementia. The findings support the integration of creative arts therapies into dementia care.

The development of multi-functional hydrogels is necessary to meet the needs of flexible sensors in different application scenarios. A conductive hydrogel with high toughness, adhesion, self-healing and anti-freezing properties was prepared. The hydrogel was synthesized by in-situ polymerization of acrylic acid in glycerol hydrate solution system of gelatin and aluminum ion, and then cryogenically refrigerated. After low temperature treatment, the triple helix structure produced by the self-assembly of the gelatin in the hydrogel increases the cross-linking density of the hydrogel, and forms a double network with polyacrylic acid to improve its mechanical properties (stress up to 85.7 kPa, strain up to 1428 %). In addition, this triple helix structure can dissociate and recombine at different temperatures, and interact with other dynamic bonds (hydrogen bonds, Al3+ coordination) in the system, so that the hydrogel has excellent self-healing ability (healing rate up to 86.8 %). Because the system contains a large number of -OH, -NH2 and -COOH groups, it can adhere to the surface of various materials through hydrogen bonding. The free Al3+ makes the hydrogel obtain good electrical conductivity and strain sensitivity (GF=3.01), and the strain sensor assembled by it has a stable and accurate monitoring effect on the fine movements of human body such as various joint movements and pronunciation. Additionally, the presence of glycerol provides anti-freezing properties, ensuring flexibility and electrical conductivity even at low temperatures (-20 ◦C). This hydrogel is a promising candidate for intelligent wearable devices in extreme environments such as snow and ice sports.

Abstract Background The syncytiotrophoblast (SCT) layer in the placenta serves as a crucial physical barrier separating maternal-fetal circulation, facilitating essential signal and substance exchange between the mother and fetus. Any abnormalities in its formation or function can result in various maternal syndromes, such as preeclampsia. The transition of proliferative villous cytotrophoblasts (VCT) from the mitotic cell cycle to the G0 phase is a prerequisite for VCT differentiation and their fusion into SCT. The imprinting gene P57Kip2, specifically expressed in intermediate VCT capable of fusion, plays a pivotal role in driving this key event. Moreover, aberrant expression of P57Kip2 has been linked to pathological placental conditions and adverse fetal outcomes. Methods Validation of STK40 interaction with P57Kip2 using rigid molecular simulation docking and co-immunoprecipitation. STK40 expression was modulated by lentivirus in BeWo cells, and the effect of STK40 on trophoblast fusion was assessed by real-time quantitative PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence, and cell viability and proliferation assays. Co-immunoprecipitation, transcriptome sequencing, and western blot were used to determine the potential mechanisms by which STK40 regulates P57Kip2. Results In this study, STK40 has been identified as a novel interacting protein with P57Kip2, and its expression is down-regulated during the fusion process of trophoblast cells. Overexpressing STK40 inhibited cell fusion in BeWo cells while stimulating mitotic cell cycle activity. Further experiments indicated that this effect is attributed to its specific binding to the CDK-binding and the Cyclin-binding domains of P57Kip2, mediating the E3 ubiquitin ligase COP1-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of P57Kip2. Moreover, abnormally high expression of STK40 might significantly contribute to the occurrence of preeclampsia. Conclusions This study offers new insights into the role of STK40 in regulating the protein-level homeostasis of P57Kip2 during placental development.

Abstract Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a life-saving procedure for sepsis but the benefit of CRRT varies and prediction of clinical outcomes is valuable in efficient treatment planning. This study aimed to use machine learning (ML) models trained using MIMIC III data for identifying sepsis patients who would benefit from CRRT. We first selected patients with sepsis and CRRT in the ICU setting and their gender, and an array of routine lab results were included as features to train machine learning models using 30-day mortality as the primary outcome. A total of 4161 patients were included for analysis, among whom there were 1342 deaths within 30 days. Without data augmentation, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) showed an accuracy of 64.2% with AUC-ROC of 0.61. Data augmentation using a conditional generative adversarial neural network (c-GAN) resulted in a significantly improved accuracy (82%) and ROC-AUC (0.78%). To enable prediction on pediatric patients, we adopted transfer learning approaches, where the weights of all but the last hidden layer were fixed, followed by fine-tuning of the weights of the last hidden layer using pediatric data of 200 patients as the inputs. A significant improvement was observed using the transfer learning approach (AUCROC = 0.76) compared to direct training on the pediatric cohort (AUCROC = 0.62). Through this transfer-learning-facilitated patient outcome prediction, our study showed that ML can aid in clinical decision-making by predicting patient responses to CRRT for managing pediatric sepsis.

Background: To evaluate the prognostic significance of adverse pathologic characteristics including lymphovascular invasion, perineural permeation, and squamous/sarcomatoid transformation in patients with urothelial tumors, and to analyze their correlations with the treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancers. Materials and Methods: A total of 277 consecutive patients with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma between 2004 and 2016 at China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan were included. Radical cystectomy with extended lymphadenectomy for bladder cancer and radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract cancer were performed. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was routinely given to patients with bladder cancer. Medical records and adverse pathologic characteristics were reviewed. Overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional recurrence-free survival were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method with a log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. The association between pathologic response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and pathologic characteristics was evaluated using logistic regression. Results: Of the 277 patients, 56.3% had at least one adverse pathologic characteristic. Compared to those without adverse characteristics, the patients with at least one adverse pathologic characteristic had significantly worse OS (5-year OS [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 77.2% [65.7%–85.3%] vs. 39.7% [29.9%–49.4%], P < 0.01), higher occult nodal metastasis (22.3% vs. 0%), and worse DMFS (5-year DMFS [95% CI]: 88.5% [80.5%–93.4%] vs. 43.0% [33.3%–52.4%], P < 0.01). When neoadjuvant chemotherapy was applied, 4.3% of the patients with adverse characteristics achieved a optimal patholoigc response, but 58.1% achieved a pCR, if they did not have any adverse characteristics (odds ratio: 38.8, 95% CI: 6.70–225.2, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Adverse pathologic characteristics could predict poor outcomes and chemotherapy resistance independently of the clinical AJCC TNM stage in patients with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma. Incorporating pathologic information into decision-making for cancer management should be considered.