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This study tested the interaction effect of the instructor's eye gaze (direct gaze vs. averted gaze) and facial expression (happy face vs. neutral face) on students' attention and learning performance in slide-based video lectures. University students (N = 120) participated in the experiment in a laboratory setting. The results of ANOVAs showed that students in the conditions that included the instructor's direct gaze paid greater attention to the instructor's face and paid less attention to the video lecture slides. However, direct gaze predicted better learning when the instructor had a happy facial expression. Our results suggest that the effects of an instructor's eye gaze are modulated by her facial expression in this educational context. The findings have practical implications for designing slide-based video lectures: an instructor is encouraged to look straight towards the camera with a happy expression.

Osteoarthritis (OA), affecting > 500 million people worldwide, profoundly affects the quality of life and ability to work. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway plays an essential role in OA. To address the lack of studies focused on synovial cells in OA, we evaluated the expression patterns and roles of the MAPK signaling pathway components in OA synovial tissues using bioinformatics. The JUN, MYC, and VEGFA expression levels were significantly higher in the synovial tissues of patients with OA than in control tissues. These loci were closely related to abnormal proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis in the synovial tissues of patients with OA. We speculate that Myc and VEGFA activate the p38-MAPK signaling pathway to further activate Jun, thereby promoting abnormal inflammation, proliferation, and angiogenesis in OA synovial tissue. The high MYC, JUN, and VEGFA expression was positively correlated with the patients’ K-L score, pain time, and synovial score. Furthermore, the high p38-MAPK and P-p38-MAPK expression confirmed that the abnormal expression and activation of the MAPK signaling pathway occurred in the synovial tissue of patients with OA. Our findings may provide a new direction for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of OA and insights into its pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]