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OBJECTIVE: The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the interaction between patient self-efficacy and GP communication in explaining diabetes self-management in a disadvantaged region of Sydney, Australia. METHODS: This study was undertaken in South West Sydney with the Fairfield Division of General Practice. We used a cross-sectional survey design to assess patients' self-reported beliefs and behaviours about diabetes self-management. We used hierarchical multiple linear regression to test for interaction effects in diabetes self-management, following tests for clustering using multilevel modeling. RESULTS: Of those eligible for survey, 105 patients completed the telephone survey (72%). There was a significant interaction between diabetes self-efficacy and GP communication in blood glucose testing; high-ratings of GP communication enhanced self-monitoring of blood glucose when patient self-efficacy was high but impeded self-monitoring of blood glucose when self-efficacy was low. There were no significant interaction effects for the general diet or exercise scales. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study suggests a complex relationship between patient self-efficacy and GP communication in self-monitoring of blood glucose. It is likely optimal diabetes self-management behaviours are produced by a fit between high patient self-efficacy and high quality GP communication. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: There is a risk that GPs who are sensitive to their patients' low self-efficacy in self-monitoring of blood glucose may step in and take over the monitoring role and inadvertently reduce self-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lichen is well-known for its various purposes. However, understanding the chemical composition and antimicrobial characteristics of Graphis cf. handelii remains insufficient. In this study, a new compound, graphinone A ( 1 ), together with three known compounds, handelone ( 2 ), 4- O -methylhiascic acid ( 3 ), and ethyl orsellinate ( 4 ) were isolated and structurally elucidated. Their chemical structures were established using comprehensive spectroscopic data (1D- and 2D-NMR and HRESIMS). Compounds 1 - 4 were tested for antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and evaluated for the alpha-glucosidase inhibition.

The study investigates the impact of tourist behavior change on travel agencies in developing countries, with a focus on strategies for enhancing the tourist experience. The research aims to identify the main factors influencing tourist purchasing behavior and understand their relationship with the customer experience. Data were collected from 368 experienced tourists in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam, using a combination of convenience and random sampling. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed to analyze the research model. The findings confirm that product quality, product price, brand image, and marketing strategy significantly influence tourist purchasing behavior. Importantly, the results highlight the indirect effect of these factors on purchasing behavior, mediated through customer experience. It suggests that enhancing the customer experience is a crucial aspect of influencing tourist purchasing decisions. Based on these findings, industry managers and travel agents in developing countries should prioritize enhancing customer experience and building a strong brand through personalized services, digital integration, and active social media engagement. Implementing dynamic pricing strategies and targeted marketing campaigns that address safety concerns and highlight local experiences are crucial for competitiveness and attracting travelers post-crisis. Future research should explore the long-term effects of these strategies on travel agency performance and adapt the model to specific regional contexts. By adopting these multifaceted approaches, travel agencies in developing countries can enhance their competitiveness and better navigate the changing tourist behavior in the post-crisis era., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Emotional artificial intelligence (AI), i.e., affective computing technologies, is rapidly reshaping the education of young minds worldwide. In Japan, government and commercial stakeholders are promulgating emotional AI not only as a neoliberal, cost-saving benefit but also as a heuristic that can improve the learning experience at home and in the classroom. Nevertheless, critics warn of a myriad of risks and harms posed by the technology such as privacy violation, unresolved deeper cultural and systemic issues, machinic parentalism as well as the danger of imposing attitudinal conformity. This study brings together the Technological Acceptance Model and Moral Foundation Theory to examine the cultural construal of risks and rewards regarding the application of emotional AI technologies. It explores Japanese citizens' perceptions of emotional AI in education and children's toys via analysis of a final sample of 2000 Japanese respondents with five age groups (20s-60s) and two sexes equally represented. The linear regression models for determinants of attitude toward emotional AI in education and in toys account for 44 % and 38 % variation in the data, respectively. The analyses reveal a significant negative correlation between attitudes toward emotional AI in both schools and toys and concerns about privacy violations or the dystopian nature of constantly monitoring of children and students' emotions with AI (Education: β DystopianConcern  = - .094***; Toys: β PrivacyConcern  = - .199***). However, worries about autonomy and bias show mixed results, which hints at certain cultural nuances of values in a Japanese context and how new the technologies are. Concurring with the empirical literature on the Moral Foundation Theory, the chi-square (Χ 2 ) test shows Japanese female respondents express more fear regarding the potential harms of emotional AI technologies for the youth's privacy, autonomy, data misuse, and fairness (p < 0.001). The policy implications of these results and insights on the impacts of emotional AI for the future of human-machine interaction are also provided., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Human stem cell-derived organoids enable both disease modeling and serve as a source of cells for transplantation. Human retinal organoids are particularly important as a source of human photoreceptors; however, the long differentiation period required and lack of vascularization in the organoid often results in a necrotic core and death of inner retinal cells before photoreceptors are fully mature. Manipulating the in vitro environment of differentiating retinal organoids through the incorporation of extracellular matrix components could influence retinal development. We investigated the addition of hyaluronan (HA), a component of the interphotoreceptor matrix, as an additive to promote long-term organoid survival and enhance retinal maturation. HA treatment had a significant reduction in the proportion of proliferating (Ki67+) cells and increase in the proportion of photoreceptors (CRX+), suggesting that HA accelerated photoreceptor commitment in vitro. HA significantly upregulated genes specific to photoreceptor maturation and outer segment development. Interestingly, prolonged HA-treatment significantly decreased the length of the brush border layer compared to those in control retinal organoids, where the photoreceptor outer segments reside; however, HA-treated organoids also had more mature outer segments with organized discs structures, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. The brush border layer length was inversely proportional to the molar mass and viscosity of the hyaluronan added. This is the first study to investigate the role of exogenous HA, viscosity, and polymer molar mass on photoreceptor maturation, emphasizing the importance of material properties on organoid culture. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Retinal organoids are a powerful tool to study retinal development in vitro, though like many other organoid systems, can be highly variable. In this work, Shoichet and colleagues investigated the use of hyaluronan (HA), a native component of the interphotoreceptor matrix, to improve photoreceptor maturation in developing human retinal organoids. HA promoted human photoreceptor differentiation leading to mature outer segments with disc formation and more uniform and healthy retinal organoids. These findings highlight the importance of adding components native to the developing retina to generate more physiologically relevant photoreceptors for cell therapy and in vitro models to drive drug discovery and uncover novel disease mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: KK, YU, HN, HN, and YH are employees at Rohto Pharmaceuticals. The authors have a filed a patent on the application of HA on retinal organoids., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

T cell-based adoptive cell therapy (ACT) has emerged as a promising treatment for various diseases, particularly cancers. Unlike other immunotherapy modalities, ACT involves directly transferring engineered T cells into patients to eradicate diseased cells; hence, it necessitates methods for effectively activating and expanding T cells in vitro . Artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) have been widely developed based on biomaterials, particularly micro- and nanoparticles, and functionalized with T cell stimulatory antibodies to closely mimic the natural T cell-APC interactions. Due to their vast clinical utility, aAPCs have been employed as an off-the-shelf technology for T cell activation in FDA-approved ACTs, and the development of aAPCs is constantly advancing with the emergence of aAPCs with more sophisticated designs and additional functionalities. Here, we review the recent advancements in particle-based aAPCs for T cell activation in ACTs. Following a brief introduction, we first describe the manufacturing processes of ACT products. Next, the design and synthetic strategies for micro- and nanoparticle-based aAPCs are discussed separately to emphasize their features, advantages, and limitations. Then, the impact of design parameters of aAPCs, such as size, shape, ligand density/mobility, and stiffness, on their functionality and biomedical performance is explored to provide deeper insights into the design concepts and principles for more efficient and safer aAPCs. The review concludes by discussing current challenges and proposing future perspectives for the development of more advanced aAPCs.

Background: The discovery of material transfer between transplanted and host mouse photoreceptors has expanded the possibilities for utilizing transplanted photoreceptors as potential vehicles for delivering therapeutic cargo. However, previous research has not directly explored the capacity for human photoreceptors to engage in material transfer, as human photoreceptor transplantation has primarily been investigated in rodent models of late-stage retinal disease, which lack host photoreceptors., Methods: In this study, we transplanted human stem-cell derived photoreceptors purified from human retinal organoids at different ontological ages (weeks 10, 14, or 20) into mouse models with intact photoreceptors and assessed transfer of human proteins and organelles to mouse photoreceptors., Results: Unexpectedly, regardless of donor age or mouse recipient background, human photoreceptors did not transfer material in the mouse retina, though a rare subset of donor cells (< 5%) integrated into the mouse photoreceptor cell layer. To investigate the possibility that a species barrier impeded transfer, we used a flow cytometric assay to examine material transfer in vitro. Interestingly, dissociated human photoreceptors transferred fluorescent protein with each other in vitro, yet no transfer was detected in co-cultures of human and mouse photoreceptors, suggesting that material transfer is species specific., Conclusions: While xenograft models are not a tractable system to study material transfer of human photoreceptors, these findings demonstrate that human retinal organoid-derived photoreceptors are competent donors for material transfer and thus may be useful to treat retinal degenerative disease., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Lead (Pb) is nonbiodegradable and toxic to the lungs. To investigate the potential mechanisms of Pb-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell death in the lungs, human non-small lung carcinoma H460 cells were stimulated with Pb(NO 3 ) 2 in this study. The results showed that Pb(NO 3 ) 2 stimulation increased cell death by inducing cell apoptosis which showed a reduced Bcl-2 expression and an enhanced caspase 3 activation. Pb(NO 3 ) 2 also caused the production of H 2 O 2 in H460 cells that triggering the buildup of ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential loss. We found that Pb(NO 3 ) 2 modulates oxidoreductive activity through reduced the glutathione-disulfide reductase and glutathione levels in Pb(NO 3 ) 2 -exposed H460 cells. Furthermore, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) upstream molecule sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) was increased with Pb(NO 3 ) 2 dose. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Pb(NO 3 ) 2 promotes lung cell death through SIRT3/SOD-mediated ROS accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: Cultured lichen mycobionts are valuable sources of new natural compounds. Mycobiont of Graphis handelii growing in Vietnam was isolated, cultivated and chemically investigated. The crude extract of this cultured mycobiont showed potent alpha-glucosidase inhibition with an IC 50 value of 50 μg/mL., Methods: Multiple chromatographic methods were applied to the extract to isolate compounds. The combination of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis and high-resolution mass spectroscopy determined their chemical structures. Electrophilic bromination/chlorination was applied to obtain new derivatives using NaBr/H 2 O 2 and NaCl/H 2 O 2 reagents. Compounds were evaluated for enzyme inhibitory activities, including alpha-glucosidase inhibition, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition, SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M pro ) inhibition, anti-inflammatory activity, and cytotoxicity against several cancer cell lines. A molecular docking study for anti -SARS-CoV-2 was conducted to understand the inhibitory mechanism., Results: A new diphenyl ether, handelone ( 1 ) and a known compound xylarinic acid A ( 2 ) were isolated and elucidated. Four synthetic products 6'-bromohandelone ( 1a ), 2'-bromohandelone (1b ), 2',6'-dibromohandelone (1c) , and 2',6'-dichlorohandelone ( 1d ) were prepared. Compound 1 showed good activity against M pro with an IC 50 value of 5.2 μM but it showed weak or inactive activity in other tests. Other compounds were inactive in all assays., Conclusion: A new compound, handelone ( 1 ) was isolated from the cultured mycobiont of Graphis handelii . From these compounds, four new derivatives were prepared. Compound 1 showed good activity against M pro with an IC 50 value of 5.2 μM but it showed weak or inactive activity in other tests. Other compounds were inactive in all assays., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The expanded hexanucleotide GGGGCC repeat mutation in the C9orf72 gene is the main genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Under one disease mechanism, sense and antisense transcripts of the repeat are predicted to bind various RNA-binding proteins, compromise their function and cause cytotoxicity. Here we identify phenylalanine-tRNA synthetase (FARS) subunit alpha (FARSA) as the main interactor of the CCCCGG antisense repeat RNA in cytosol. The aminoacylation of tRNA Phe by FARS is inhibited by antisense RNA, leading to decreased levels of charged tRNA Phe . Remarkably, this is associated with global reduction of phenylalanine incorporation in the proteome and decrease in expression of phenylalanine-rich proteins in cellular models and patient tissues. In conclusion, this study reveals functional inhibition of FARSA in the presence of antisense RNA repeats. Compromised aminoacylation of tRNA could lead to impairments in protein synthesis and further contribute to C9orf72 mutation-associated pathology., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal disease that results in photoreceptor degeneration, leading to severe vision loss or blindness. Due to its genetic heterogeneity, developing a new gene therapy to correct every genetic mutation contributing to its progression is infeasible. Photoreceptor transplantation can be harnessed to restore vision; however, this approach is limited by poor cell survival and synaptic integration into the neural retina. Thus, we developed a combined cell and gene therapy that is expected to protect photoreceptors in most, if not all, cases of RP., Methods: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) modified with our FailSafe™ system were genetically engineered to overexpress sCX3CL1, an inhibitor of microglia activation that has been shown to preserve photoreceptor survival and function in mouse models of RP, independent of the genetic cause. These cells were differentiated into human retinal pigment epithelium (hRPE) cells and used as therapeutic cells due to their longevity and safety, both of which have been demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies. Transgenic hRPE were delivered into the subretinal space of immunodeficient mice and the rd10 mouse model of RP to evaluate donor cell survival and retention of transgene expression. The outer nuclear layer was quantified to assess photoreceptor protection., Results: Transgenic FailSafe™ hRPE (FS-hRPE) cells can survive for at least four months in the retina of immunodeficient mice and retain transgene expression. However, these cells do not persist beyond two weeks post-injection in the retina of immunocompetent rd10 recipients, despite Cyclosporine A treatment. Nevertheless, sCX3CL1-expressing FailSafe™ hRPE cells prevented photoreceptor degeneration in a local acting manner during the duration of their presence in the subretinal space., Conclusions: Transgenic hESCs differentiate into hRPE cells and retain sCX3CL1 transgene expression both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, hRPE cells delivered to the subretinal space of rd10 mice prevented photoreceptor degeneration in a local-acting manner, suggesting that this approach could have applications for preserving photoreceptors in specific subregions of the retina, such as the macula. Overall, our study not only reveals the potential of a combined cell and gene therapy for the treatment of RP, but also the possibility of using hRPE cells to deliver therapeutic biologics in situ to treat diseases over long-term., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Study Question: How do age, ethnicity, and other characteristics affect serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels in Asian women undergoing fertility treatment?, Summary Answer: Age, ethnicity, obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) significantly impacted serum AMH levels, with the rate of decrease accelerating as age increased; a concentration of 4.0 ng/ml was the optimal cut-off for diagnosis of PCOS., What Is Known Already: There are significant differences in ovarian reserve among women from different races and ethnicities, and Asian women often have poorer reproductive outcomes during assisted reproductive treatment cycles., Study Design, Size, Duration: A population-based multi-nation, multi-centre, multi-ethnicity prospective cohort study of 4613 women was conducted from January 2020 to May 2021. Infertile women of 20-43 years of age were enrolled. The exclusion criteria included: age <20 or >43, non-Asian ethnicity, and missing critical data., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Participants were Asian women of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Indian, and Indonesian ethnicities from 12 IVF centres across Asia. These women were all naïve to ovarian stimulation cycles and attended IVF centres for fertility assessment. The AMH measurement was performed using an AMH automated assay on a clinically validated platform., Main Results and the Role of Chance: A total of 4556 infertile Asian women were included in the final analyses. The mean ± SD for serum AMH concentrations (ng/ml) across specific age groups were: overall, 3.44 ± 2.93; age <30, 4.58 ± 3.16; 30-31, 4.23 ± 3.23; 32-33, 3.90 ± 3.06; 34-35, 3.21 ± 2.65; 36-37, 2.74 ± 2.44; 38-39, 2.30 ± 1.91; 40 and above, 1.67 ± 2.00. The rate of AMH decrease was ∼0.13 ng/ml/year in patients aged 25-33 and 0.31 ng/ml/year in women aged 33-43. The highest rates of PCOS were found in Indians (18.6%), Malays (18.9%), and Vietnamese (17.7%). Age (P < 0.001), ethnicity (P < 0.001), obesity (P = 0.007), PCOS (P < 0.001), and a history of endometrioma cystectomy (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with serum AMH values. Smoking status, pretreatment with GnRH agonist (GnRHa) or the oral contraceptive pill (OCP), freezing-thawing of blood samples, and sampling on Day 2 to Day 5 of the menstrual cycle or randomly did not appear to affect serum AMH levels. An AMH concentration of 4.0 ng/ml was the optimal cut-off for PCOS diagnosis with a sensitivity of 71.7% and specificity of 75.8% (AUC = 0.81, CI 95%: 0.79-0.83; P < 0.001)., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: The incidence of PCOS was supposedly high in this cohort as some IVF clinics were tertiary referral centres for managing specific fertility issues encountered by women with PCOS. Treatment with GnRHa or OCP before AMH testing was regionally and ethnically confined, mostly in Hong Kong SAR and Japan. Moreover, this reference for serum AMH value is limited to Asian women of the ethnicities examined and may not apply to other ethnicities not included in the study., Wider Implications of the Findings: This is the first study to collate and construct age-specific reference ranges for serum AMH levels using the same bioassay on Asian women of different ethnicities. The findings of this investigation can assist clinicians to counsel and prognosticate about Asian women's ovarian reserve and reproductive potential, thus providing better strategies for personalized fertility interventions., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This study was technically supported by Ferring Pharmaceuticals and received no specific grant from any funding agency. All authors have no competing interests to disclose., Trial Registration Number: NCT04203355., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Cell therapy holds tremendous promise for vision restoration; yet donor cell survival and integration continue to limit efficacy of these strategies. Transplanted photoreceptors, which mediate light sensitivity in the retina, transfer cytoplasmic components to host photoreceptors instead of integrating into the tissue. Donor cell material transfer could, therefore, function as a protein augmentation strategy to restore photoreceptor function. Biomaterials, such as hyaluronan-based hydrogels, can support donor cell survival but have not been evaluated for effects on material transfer. With increased survival, we hypothesized that we would achieve greater material transfer; however, the opposite occurred. Photoreceptors delivered to the subretinal space in mice in a hyaluronan and methylcellulose (HAMC) hydrogel showed reduced material transfer. We examined mitochondria transfer in vitro and cytosolic protein transfer in vivo and demonstrate that HAMC significantly reduced transfer in both contexts, which we ascribe to reduced cell-cell contact. Nanotube-like donor cell protrusions were significantly reduced in the hydrogel-transplanted photoreceptors compared to the saline control group, which suggests that HAMC limits the contact required to the host retina for transfer. Thus, HAMC can be used to manipulate the behaviour of transplanted donor cells in cell therapy strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare. We acknowledge a composition of matter patent on the HAMC cell delivery hydrogel issued to MSS., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A comprehensive study on the effect of mineral content on milk foaming properties was conducted. Samples with increased mineral concentration were prepared by adding four different types of minerals (KH 2 PO 4 , K 3 Cit, CaCl 2 and MgCl 2 ) at three different concentration levels (5, 10 and 20 mM) in both reconstituted skim milk powder and milk protein concentrate. Samples with reduced minerals were prepared by reconstituting milk protein concentrate in modified simulated milk ultrafiltrates. Different mineral types showed different effects on the physicochemical properties of milk samples. The addition of K 3 Cit increased the viscosity and decreased the surface tension while there were no significant differences between the samples added with KH 2 PO 4 , MgCl 2, or CaCl 2 . In terms of foaming properties, the addition of CaCl 2 or MgCl 2 significantly increased the foam strength and stability while decreasing foamability. In contrast, the addition of K 3 Cit significantly decreased foam stability and foam strength while increasing foamability. It was also found that reduction in minerals in the range studied did not affect the foaming properties of milk. These results indicate that the effect of minerals on milk foaming properties depends on the type of mineral and the concentration. This provides an insight that while designing dairy-based food products, the mineral content can be manipulated to achieve the desired foaming properties., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of genetic diseases that results in rod photoreceptor cell degeneration, which subsequently leads to cone photoreceptor cell death, impaired vision and eventual blindness. Rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF) is a protein which has two isoforms: a short form (RdCVF) and a long form (RdCVFL) which act on cone photoreceptors in the retina. RdCVFL protects photoreceptors by reducing hyperoxia in the retina; however, sustained delivery of RdCVFL remains challenging. We developed an affinity-controlled release strategy for RdCVFL. An injectable physical blend of hyaluronan and methylcellulose (HAMC) was covalently modified with a peptide binding partner of the Src homology 3 (SH3) domain. This domain was expressed as a fusion protein with RdCVFL, thereby enabling its controlled release from HAMC-binding peptide. Sustained release of RdCVFL was demonstrated for the first time as RdCVFL-SH3 from HAMC-binding peptide for 7 d in vitro. To assess bioactivity, chick retinal dissociates were harvested and treated with the affinity-released recombinant protein from the HAMC-binding peptide vehicle. After 6 d in culture, cone cell viability was greater when cultured with released RdCVFL-SH3 relative to controls. We utilized computational fluid dynamics to model release of RdCVFL-SH3 from our delivery vehicle in the vitreous of the human eye. We demonstrate that our delivery vehicle can prolong the bioavailability of RdCVFL-SH3 in the retina, potentially enhancing its therapeutic effects. Our affinity-based system constitutes a versatile delivery platform for ultimate intraocular injection in the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the leading cause of inherited blindness in the world. Rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF), a novel protein paracrine factor, is effective in preclinical models of RP. To extend its therapeutic effects, we developed an affinity-controlled release strategy for the long form of RdCVF, RdCVFL. We expressed RdCVFL as a fusion protein with an Src homology 3 domain (SH3). We then utilized a hydrogel composed of hyaluronan and methylcellulose (HAMC) and modified it with SH3 binding peptides to investigate its release in vitro. Furthermore, we designed a mathematical model of the human eye to investigate delivery of the protein from the delivery vehicle. This work paves the way for future investigation of controlled release RdCVF., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Emotional artificial intelligence (AI) is a narrow, weak form of an AI system that reads, classifies, and interacts with human emotions. This form of smart technology has become an integral layer of our digital and physical infrastructures and will radically transform how we live, learn, and work. Not only will emotional AI provide numerous benefits (i.e., increased attention and awareness, optimized productivity, stress management, etc.), but in sensing and interacting with our intimate emotions, it seeks to surreptitiously modify human behaviors. This study proposes to bring together the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Moral Foundation Theory to study determinants of emotional AI's acceptance under the analytical framework of the Three-pronged Approach (Contexts, Variables, and Statistical models). We argue that to quantitatively study the acceptance of new technologies, it is necessary to leverage two intuitions. The first is the degree of acceptance increases with how users of smart technology perceive its utilities and ease of use (formalized in the TAM). The second is the degree of acceptance decreases with the user's perception of threat or affirmation posed by the technology in relation to social norms and values (formalized in the Moral Foundation Theory). This study begins by mapping the ecology of current emotional AI use in various contexts such as workplace, education, healthcare, personal assistance, etc. It then provides a brief review and critique of current applications of the TAM and the Moral Foundation Theory in studying how humans judge smart technologies. Finally, we propose the Three-pronged Analytical Framework, offering recommendations on how future studies of technological acceptance could be conducted from the questionnaire design to building statistical models., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In this study, we aim to develop organic-inorganic hybrid nanofibers containing high moisture retention and good mechanical performance as an antimicrobial dressing platform. The main theme of this work focuses on several technical tasks including (a) the electrospinning process (ESP) to produce organic polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate (PVA/SA) nanofibers with an excellent diameter uniformity and fibrous orientation, (b) the fabrication of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) as graphene oxide (GO) and ZnO NPs to be added to PVA/SA nanofibers for enhancement of the mechanical properties and an antibacterial function to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) , and then (c) the crosslinking process for PVA/SA/GO/ZnO hybrid nanofibers in glutaraldehyde (GA) vapor atmosphere to improve the hydrophilicity and moisture absorption of specimens. Our results clearly indicate that the uniformity nanofiber with 7 wt% PVA and 2 wt% SA condition demonstrates 199 ± 22 nm in diameter using an electrospinning precursor solution of 355 cP in viscosity by the ESP process. Moreover, the mechanical strength of nanofibers was enhanced by 17% after the handling of a 0.5 wt% GO nanoparticles addition. Significantly, the morphology and size of ZnO NPs can be affected by NaOH concentration, where 1 M NaOH was used in the synthesis of 23 nm ZnO NPs corresponding to effective inhibition of S. aureus strains. The PVA/SA/GO/ZnO mixture successfully performed an antibacterial ability with an 8 mm inhibition zone in S. aureus strains. Furthermore, the GA vapor as a crosslinking agent acting on PVA/SA/GO/ZnO nanofiber provided both swelling behavior and structural stability performance. The swelling ratio increased up to 1.406%, and the mechanical strength was 1.87 MPa after 48 h of GA vapor treatment. Finally, we successfully synthesized the hybrid nanofibers of GA-treated PVA/SA/GO/ZnO accompanied with high moisturizing, biocompatibility, and great mechanical properties, which will be a novel multi-functional candidate for wound dressing composites for patients receiving surgical operations and first aid treatments., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

This paper interrogates the growing pervasiveness of affect recognition tools as an emerging layer human-centric automated management in the global workplace. While vendors tout the neoliberal incentives of emotion-recognition technology as a pre-eminent tool of workplace wellness, we argue that emotional AI recalibrates the horizons of capital not by expanding outward into the consumer realm (like surveillance capitalism). Rather, as a new genus of digital Taylorism, it turns inward, passing through the corporeal exterior to extract greater surplus value and managerial control from the affective states of workers. Thus, empathic surveillance signals a profound shift in the ontology of human labor relations. In the emotionally quantified workplace, employees are no longer simply seen as physical capital, but conduits of actuarial and statistical intelligence gleaned from their most intimate subjective states. As a result, affect-driven automated management means that priority is often given to actuarial rather than human-centered managerial decisions., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Biometric technologies are becoming more pervasive in the workplace, augmenting managerial processes such as hiring, monitoring and terminating employees. Until recently, these devices consisted mainly of GPS tools that track location, software that scrutinizes browser activity and keyboard strokes, and heat/motion sensors that monitor workstation presence. Today, however, a new generation of biometric devices has emerged that can sense, read, monitor and evaluate the affective state of a worker. More popularly known by its commercial moniker, Emotional AI, the technology stems from advancements in affective computing. But whereas previous generations of biometric monitoring targeted the exterior physical body of the worker, concurrent with the writings of Foucault and Hardt, we argue that emotion-recognition tools signal a far more invasive disciplinary gaze that exposes and makes vulnerable the inner regions of the worker-self. Our paper explores attitudes towards empathic surveillance by analyzing a survey of 1015 responses of future job-seekers from 48 countries with Bayesian statistics. Our findings reveal affect tools, left unregulated in the workplace, may lead to heightened stress and anxiety among disadvantaged ethnicities, gender and income class. We also discuss a stark cross-cultural discrepancy whereby East Asians, compared to Western subjects, are more likely to profess a trusting attitude toward EAI-enabled automated management. While this emerging technology is driven by neoliberal incentives to optimize the worksite and increase productivity, ultimately, empathic surveillance may create more problems in terms of algorithmic bias, opaque decisionism, and the erosion of employment relations. Thus, this paper nuances and extends emerging literature on emotion-sensing technologies in the workplace, particularly through its highly original cross-cultural study., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00146-021-01290-1., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2021.)

Background: As a method to acknowledge the devastating health and economic impacts of tobacco usage worldwide, telephone-based tobacco cessation counseling services have emerged as a potential tool to aid people in their quitting process. This study explores the satisfaction of smokers who use the QUITLINE service and factors associated with their quit attempts and cessation., Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 110 participants was conducted from June to July 2016 at the Respiratory Center at Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. Multivariate logistic regression was used, and it was found that the percentage of people quitting smoking increased after using the service., Results: In total, 65.5% of participants were completely satisfied with the counseling service. The mean score of staff/s capacity/responsiveness, motivation, and service convenience were 4.37 ± 0.78, 4.30 ± 0.81, and 4.27 ± 0.66, respectively. The smoking relapse rate was relatively high at 58.3%, which mainly resulted from cravings and busy work (26.2% and 14.3%, respectively). A higher satisfaction score in "Staffs' capacity and responsiveness" was negatively associated with "ever tried to quit smoking in consecutive 24 h" and actually quit smoking after receiving counseling. Meanwhile, a higher score in the "Motivation" domain was positively associated with both quit attempt indicators as well as actually quitting smoking after receiving counseling (OR = 9.48; 95%CI = 2.27; 39.57)., Conclusions: These results suggest that it is crucial for decision makers to place more focus on countermeasures for smoking relapse and to strengthen the capacity of staff, especially in motivating clients. Interventions should also be maintained throughout a long period of time to prevent relapse.

Objectives: A mal-aligned foot posture (high-arched and flat feet) and poor single leg balance ability have been separately associated with foot injuries during running. Therefore, clinicians assess these routinely. However, the extent to which foot posture and single-leg balance ability affect actual foot biomechanics during running is not known. This study aims to investigate the association of foot posture, single-leg balance ability, and foot biomechanics during running., Method: This is a cross sectional study of sixty-nine participants who had their foot postures and single-leg balance ability assessed. The Foot Posture Index and Balance Error Scoring System were used. Their foot kinetics was measured as they ran on an instrumented treadmill and foot kinematics was processed using a 3D motion capture system. Multiple-regression was used to analyse the variance of foot biomechanics explained by foot posture and single-leg balance ability., Results: Foot posture and single-leg balance ability were found to account significantly for the variance in rearfoot eversion (24%) and forefoot dorsiflexion (7%). Two regression equations were derived, where rearfoot eversion and forefoot dorsiflexion during running may be predicted., Conclusion: Foot posture and single-leg balance ability can predict rearfoot eversion and forefoot dorsiflexion only during running. Based on the regression equations, individuals with the same foot posture but different single-leg balance ability may exhibit different foot kinematics. However, the angular differences are small. The equations may be useful for clinicians working in places where running gait analysis equipment are not readily accessible. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to validate these equations. In addition, further studies are necessary to investigate the effect of these two variables under different running conditions e.g. with footwear and with orthoses., Competing Interests: Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Video games have the potential to be a tool for communicating pro-environmental values. The present study examines the correlation between players' environmental attitudes and their interaction with virtual natural resources. This study constructs Bayesian ordinal logistic models to analyze survey data of 640 Animal Crossing: New Horizon (ACNH) players from 29 countries. Results show that the frequency of catching in-game animals (fish and insects) is positively correlated with the level of human centeredness in environmental attitudes. In addition, less anthropocentric players tend to use more sustainable methods to collect woods in ACNH. Such a particular way of interacting with in-game animals and trees based on their species may be attributable to players' environmental attitudes and game designs. This paper discusses how game design can play a role in promoting pro-environmental behaviors and highlights the moral implications of interactions with non-human beings., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.)

Study Question: Does the presence of FSHR single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affect late follicular phase progesterone and estradiol serum levels in predicted normoresponders treated with rFSH?, Summary Answer: The presence of FSHR SNPs (rs6165, rs6166, rs1394205) had no clinically significant impact on late follicular phase serum progesterone and estradiol levels in predicted normoresponders undergoing a GnRH antagonist protocol with a fixed daily dose of 150 IU rFSH., What Is Known Already: Previous studies have shown that late follicular phase serum progesterone and estradiol levels are significantly correlated with the magnitude of ovarian response. Several authors have proposed that individual variability in the response to ovarian stimulation (OS) could be explained by variants in FSHR. However, so far, the literature is scarce on the influence of this genetic variability on late follicular phase steroidogenic response. Our aim is to determine whether genetic variants in the FSHR gene could modulate late follicular phase serum progesterone and estradiol levels., Study Design, Size, Duration: In this multicenter multinational prospective study conducted from November 2016 to June 2019, 366 patients from Vietnam, Belgium and Spain (166 from Europe and 200 from Asia) underwent OS followed by oocyte retrieval in a GnRH antagonist protocol with a fixed daily dose of 150 IU rFSH. All patients were genotyped for 3 FSHR SNPs (rs6165, rs6166, rs1394205) and had a serum progesterone and estradiol measurement on the day of trigger., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Included patients were predicted normal responder women <38 years old undergoing their first or second OS cycle. The prevalence of late follicular phase progesterone elevation (PE), as well as mean serum progesterone and estradiol levels on the day of trigger were compared between the different FSHR SNPs genotypes. PE was defined as >1.50 ng/ml., Main Results and the Role of Chance: The overall prevalence of PE was 15.8% (n = 58). No significant difference was found in the prevalence of PE in Caucasian and Asian patients (17.5% versus 14.5%). Estradiol levels on the day of trigger and the number of retrieved oocytes were significantly higher in patients with PE (4779 ± 6236.2 versus 3261 ± 3974.5 pg/ml, P = 0.003, and 16.1 ± 8.02 versus 13.5 ± 6.66, P = 0.011, respectively). Genetic model analysis, adjusted for patient age, body mass index, number of retrieved oocytes and continent (Asia versus Europe), revealed a similar prevalence of PE in co-dominant, dominant and recessive models for variants FSHR rs6166, rs6165 and rs1394205. No statistically significant difference was observed in the mean late follicular phase progesterone serum levels according to the genotypes of FSHR rs6166 (P = 0.941), rs6165 (P = 0.637) and rs1394205 (P = 0.114) in the bivariate analysis. Also, no difference was found in the genetic model analysis regarding mean late follicular phase progesterone levels across the different genotypes. Genetic model analysis has also revealed no statistically significant difference regarding mean estradiol levels on the day of trigger in co-dominant, dominant and recessive models for variants FSHR rs6166, rs6165 and rs1394205. Haplotype analysis revealed a statistically significant lower estradiol level on the day of trigger for rs6166/rs6165 haplotypes GA, AA and GG when compared to AG (respectively, estimated mean difference (EMD) -441.46 pg/ml (95% CI -442.47; -440.45), EMD -673.46 pg/ml (95% CI -674.26; -672.67) and EMD -582.10 pg/ml (95% CI -584.92; -579.28)). No statistically significant differences were found regarding the prevalence of PE nor late follicular phase progesterone levels according to rs6166/rs6165 haplotypes., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: Results refer to a population of predicted normal responders treated with a normal/low fixed dose of 150 IU rFSH throughout the whole OS. Consequently, caution is needed before generalizing our results to all patient categories., Wider Implications of the Findings: Based on our results, FSHR SNPs rs6165, rs6166 and rs1394205 do not have any clinically significant impact neither on late follicular phase serum progesterone nor on estradiol levels in predicted normal responders. These findings add to the controversy in the literature regarding the impact of individual genetic susceptibility in response to OS in this population., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This study was supported by an unrestricted grant by Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD, IISP56222). N.P.P. reports grants and/or personal fees from MSD, Merck Serono, Roche Diagnostics, Ferring International, Besins Healthcare, Gedeon Richter, Organon, Theramex and Institut Biochimique SA (IBSA). C.A. reports conference fees from Merck Serono, Medea and Event Planet. A.R.N., C.B., C.S., P.Q.M.M., H.T., C.B., N.L.V., M.T.H. and S.G. report no conflict of interests related to the content of this article., Trial Registration Number: NCT03007043., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

With the advent of increasingly complex combination strategies of biologics, independent control over their delivery is the key to their efficacy; however, current approaches are hindered by the limited independent tunability of their release rates. To overcome these limitations, directed evolution is used to engineer highly specific, low affinity affibody binding partners to multiple therapeutic proteins to independently control protein release rates. As a proof-of-concept, specific affibody binding partners for two proteins with broad therapeutic utility: insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) are identified. Protein-affibody binding interactions specific to these target proteins with equilibrium dissociation constants (K D ) between 10 -7 and 10 -8 m are discovered. The affibodies are covalently bound to the backbone of crosslinked hydrogels using click chemistry, enabling sustained, independent, and simultaneous release of bioactive IGF-1 and PEDF over 7 days. The system is tested with C57BL/6J mice in vivo, and the affibody-controlled release of IGF-1 results in sustained activity when compared to bolus IGF-1 delivery. This work demonstrates a new, broadly applicable approach to tune the release of therapeutic proteins simultaneously and independently and thus the way for precise control over the delivery of multicomponent therapies is paved., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The alpha subunit of the cytoplasmic Phenylalanyl tRNA synthetase (α-PheRS, FARSA in humans) displays cell growth and proliferation activities and its elevated levels can induce cell fate changes and tumor-like phenotypes that are neither dependent on the canonical function of charging tRNAPhe with phenylalanine nor on stimulating general translation. In intestinal stem cells of Drosophila midguts, α-PheRS levels are naturally slightly elevated and human FARSA mRNA levels are elevated in multiple cancers. In the Drosophila midgut model, elevated α-PheRS levels caused the accumulation of many additional proliferating cells resembling intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and enteroblasts (EBs). This phenotype partially resembles the tumor-like phenotype described as Notch RNAi phenotype for the same cells. Genetic interactions between α-PheRS and Notch suggest that their activities neutralize each other and that elevated α-PheRS levels attenuate Notch signaling when Notch induces differentiation into enterocytes, type II neuroblast stem cell proliferation, or transcription of a Notch reporter. These non-canonical functions all map to the N-terminal part of α-PheRS which accumulates naturally in the intestine. This truncated version of α-PheRS (α-S) also localizes to nuclei and displays weak sequence similarity to the Notch intracellular domain (NICD), suggesting that α-S might compete with the NICD for binding to a common target. Supporting this hypothesis, the tryptophan (W) residue reported to be key for the interaction between the NICD and the Su(H) BTD domain is not only conserved in α-PheRS and α-S, but also essential for attenuating Notch signaling., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This study adopts the bibliometric approach to identify the key characteristics in the relationship of demographic factors (age, gender, affiliations, and locations), scientific productivity, and the collaboration among development economics researchers in Vietnam during the period 2008-2020. Overall, the number of publications and authors in development economics are rising steeply with the average annual growth rate of nearly 23% and 26%, respectively. Moreover, the 'quality' of the research appears to be high as 59% of the articles are published in journals in the first and second quartile according Scimago journal ranking. However, the citation counts for these studies indicate their impacts are far more languishing in comparison. In terms of research trends, this study identified three emerging areas of studies that are relatively under-researched, namely natural resources, technology, and urbanization. As for publishing practices, There is also a positive sign for the adoption of open science among Vietnamese researchers in this field. The findings are useful for predicting future research trends. In addition, the study provides several implications for policymakers in Vietnam to enhance research capacity., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2021.)

Video games have long been considered an effective educational tool. Environmental education studies have found that games positively affect the feeling of nature connectedness, producing pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. With growing urbanization, video games also provide chances to interact with nature. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizon (ACNH) became a household name, with millions of copies sold worldwide. The article used the Bayesian multilevel model to analyze 640 survey responses of ACNH game players from various online communities. The correlations between the perception of limited resources and virtual planting and exploiting behaviors with the varying effect among ethnicities were explored. The findings suggested positive correlations between the perception and in-game actions among all ethnicities, regardless of whether the actions are planting or exploiting. While further evidence is needed, the findings suggest the restraints of game mechanics. To foster a pro-environmental culture, stakeholders can consider video games a novel technological aid to environmental education., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

To evaluate the moral awareness of college students regarding artificial intelligence (AI) systems, we have examined 467 surveys collected from 152 Japanese and 315 non-Japanese students in an international university in Japan. The students were asked to choose a most significant moral problem of AI applications in the future from a list of ten ethical issues and to write an essay about it. The results show that most of the students (n = 269, 58%) considered unemployment to be the major ethical issue related to AI. The second largest group of students (n = 54, 12%) was concerned with ethical issues related to emotional AI, including the impact of AI on human behavior and emotion and robots' rights and emotions. A relatively small number of students referred to the risk of social control by AI (6%), AI discrimination (6%), increasing inequality (5%), loss of privacy (4%), AI mistakes (3%), malicious AI (3%), and AI security breaches (3%). Calculation of the z score for two population proportions shows that Japanese students were much less concerned about AI control of society (- 3.1276, p  < 0.01) than non-Japanese students, but more concerned about discrimination (2.2757, p  < 0.05). Female students were less concerned about unemployment (- 2.6108, p  < 0.01) than males, but more concerned about discrimination (2.4333, p  < 0.05). The study concludes that the moral awareness of college students regarding AI technologies is quite limited and recommends including the ethics of AI in the curriculum., Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no competing interests., (© National University of Singapore and Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.)

Objective: 2014 marked a rising public commitment to universal health coverage in Vietnam to eliminate the financial burden for patients, but there are lots of hindrances. It is evident that patients met difficulties to validate their insurances, so health insurance does not significantly address out-of-pocket payments issues. Furthermore, the unequal geographical distribution of hospitals in Vietnam has created an inequality between non-residing patients and residing patients; the former usually pay more. This calls into question how the validity of healthcare insurance and patient's residence could be related to patient's financial status and their satisfaction with health insurance., Methods: Bayesian regression models are employed to analyze a data set of 1042 inpatients in hospitals of all levels in Northern Vietnam., Result: The results show that living in the same region as the hospital and having valid insurance is negatively correlated with the impoverishing risk. Regarding patients' satisfaction with health insurance, it is negatively correlated with having a residence in the same region as the hospital but positively correlated with higher socioeconomic status and insurance validity. Finally, on average, the satisfaction of patients who have already recovered from the illness and those who quit early is lower than that of patients who needed follow-up in medical care or stop in the middle., Conclusion: This article suggests that policymakers consider addressing the unequal geographical distribution of hospitals and healthcare quality to help patients avoid going to hospitals outside their regions, which may generate a financial burden for patients and lower their satisfaction with health insurance., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

The mental health of university students is not only a predominant topic for psychology and education researchers but also a source of interest for policymakers and various stakeholders. Although there has been a lot of research on higher education students' mental health, we have little understanding on the mental health of international students (MHIS). Despite their distinctive characteristics compared to native students, the mental health issues of international students only started receiving attention very recently. So far, the literature on this topic lacks a comprehensive overview of its sub-topic and trending issues. By using bibliometric analysis, this research aims to fulfil this gap and provide a review of the extant literature about MHIS. Specifically, this study aims to (i) draw the growth trajectory and geographic distribution of the literature on MHIS; (ii) identify the documents and authors that have the greatest impact, generally and locally, within the major topic clusters of the literature on MHIS; and (iii) identify the most researched keywords in the literature on MHIS over time. The results have shown that academic documents about international students' mental health are increasing in number and becoming more extensive content-wise. The research's findings provide implications for stakeholders and identifies some prominent research avenues for the future.

Study Question: Does the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FSH receptor gene (FSHR) and/or FSH beta subunit-encoding gene (FSHB) influence ovarian response in predicted normal responders treated with rFSH?, Summary Answer: The presence of FSHR SNPs (rs6165, rs6166, rs1394205) has a statistically significant impact in ovarian response, although this effect is of minimal clinical relevance in predicted normal responders treated with a fixed dose of 150 IU rFSH., What Is Known Already: Ovarian reserve markers have been a breakthrough in response prediction following ovarian stimulation. However, a significant percentage of patients show a disproportionate lower ovarian response, as compared with their actual ovarian reserve. Studies on pharmacogenetics have demonstrated a relationship between FSHR or FSHB genotyping and drug response, suggesting a potential effect of individual genetic variability on ovarian stimulation. However, evidence from these studies is inconsistent, due to the inclusion of patients with variable ovarian reserve, use of different starting gonadotropin doses, and allowance for dose adjustments during treatment. This highlights the necessity of a well-controlled prospective study in a homogenous population treated with the same fixed protocol., Study Design, Size, Duration: We conducted a multicenter multinational prospective study, including 368 patients from Vietnam, Belgium, and Spain (168 from Europe and 200 from Asia), from November 2016 until June 2019. All patients underwent ovarian stimulation followed by oocyte retrieval in an antagonist protocol with a fixed daily dose of 150 IU rFSH until triggering. Blood sampling and DNA extraction was performed prior to oocyte retrieval, followed by genotyping of four SNPs from FSHR (rs6165, rs6166, rs1394205) and FSHB (rs10835638)., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Eligible were predicted normal responder women <38 years old undergoing their first or second ovarian stimulation cycle. Laboratory staff and clinicians were blinded to the clinical results and genotyping, respectively. The prevalence of hypo-responders, the number of oocytes retrieved, the follicular output rate (FORT), and the follicle to oocyte index (FOI) were compared between different FSHR and FSHB SNPs genotypes., Main Results and the Role of Chance: The prevalence of derived allele homozygous SNPs in the FSHR was rs6166 (genotype G/G) 15.8%, rs6165 (genotype G/G) 34.8%, and rs1394205 (genotype A/A) 14.1%, with significant differences between Caucasian and Asian women (P < 0.001). FSHB variant rs10835638 (c.-211 G>T) was very rare (0.5%). Genetic model analysis revealed that the presence of the G allele in FSHR variant rs6166 resulted in less oocytes retrieved when compared to the AA genotype (13.54 ± 0.46 vs 14.81 ± 0.61, estimated mean difference (EMD) -1.47 (95% CI -2.82 to -0.11)). In FSHR variant rs1394205, a significantly lower number of oocytes was retrieved in patients with an A allele when compared to G/G (13.33 ± 0.41 vs 15.06 ± 0.68, EMD -1.69 (95% CI -3.06 to -0.31)). A significantly higher prevalence of hypo-responders was found in patients with the genotype A/G for FSHR variant rs6166 (55.9%, n = 57) when compared to A/A (28.4%, n = 29), ORadj 1.87 (95% CI 1.08-3.24). No significant differences were found regarding the FORT across the genotypes for FSHR variants rs6166, rs6165, or rs1394205. Regarding the FOI, the presence of the G allele for FSHR variant rs6166 resulted in a lower FOI when compared to the A/A genotype, EMD -13.47 (95% CI -22.69 to -4.24). Regarding FSHR variant rs6165, a lower FOI was reported for genotype A/G (79.75 ± 3.35) when compared to genotype A/A (92.08 ± 6.23), EMD -13.81 (95% CI -25.41 to -2.21)., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: The study was performed in relatively young women with normal ovarian reserve to eliminate biases related to age-related fertility decline; thus, caution is needed when extrapolating results to older populations. In addition, no analysis was performed for FSHB variant rs10835638 due to the very low prevalence of the genotype T/T (n = 2)., Wider Implications of the Findings: Based on our results, genotyping FSHR SNPs rs6165, rs6166, rs1394205, and FSHB SNP rs10835638 prior to initiating an ovarian stimulation with rFSH in predicted normal responders should not be recommended, taking into account the minimal clinical impact of such information in this population. Future research may focus on other populations and other genes related to folliculogenesis or steroidogenesis., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This study was supported by an unrestricted grant by Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD). N.P.P. reports grants and/or personal fees from MSD, Merck Serono, Roche Diagnostics, Ferring International, Besins Healthcare, Gedeon Richter, Theramex, and Institut Biochimique SA (IBSA). N.L.V. and M.T.H. report consultancy and conference fees from Merck, Ferring, and MSD, outside the submitted work. P.D. has received honoraria for lecturing and/or research grants from MSD, Ferring International, and Merck. D.S. reports grants and/or personal fees from MSD, Ferring International, Merck Serono, Cook, and Gedeon Richter. A.R.N., B.A.M., C.S., J.M., L.H.L., P.Q.M.M., H.T., and S.G. report no conflict of interests., Trial Registration Number: NCT03007043., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The ball-catching system examined in this research, which was composed of an omni-directional wheeled mobile robot and an image processing system that included a dynamic stereo vision camera and a static camera, was used to capture a thrown ball. The thrown ball was tracked by the dynamic stereo vision camera, and the omni-directional wheeled mobile robot was navigated through the static camera. A Kalman filter with deep learning was used to decrease the visual measurement noises and to estimate the ball's position and velocity. The ball's future trajectory and landing point was predicted by estimating its position and velocity. Feedback linearization was used to linearize the omni-directional wheeled mobile robot model and was then combined with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. The visual tracking algorithm was initially simulated numerically, and then the performance of the designed system was verified experimentally. We verified that the designed system was able to precisely catch a thrown ball.

On average, one person dies by suicide every 40 s. However, extant studies have largely focused on the risk factors for suicidal behaviors, not so much on the formation of suicidal thoughts. Therefore, we attempt to explain how suicidal thoughts arise and persist inside one's mind using a multifiltering information mechanism called Mindsponge. Bayesian analysis with Hamiltonian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique was run on a dataset of multinational students (N = 268) of an international university in Japan. Item 9 in the PHQ-9 was used to survey suicidal ideation. The associations among four main variables, namely, (i) suicidal ideation, (ii) help-seeking willingness (informal and formal sources), (iii) sense of connectedness, and (iv) information inaccessibility (represented by being international students), were tested in four models. Sense of connectedness is negatively associated with suicidal ideation, but its effect becomes less impactful when interacting with international students. The impact of a sense of connectedness on informal help-seeking willingness (toward family members) among international students is also lessened. Informal help-seeking is negatively associated with suicidal ideation, whereas formal help is positive. The findings support our assumption on three fundamental conditions for preventing suicidal thoughts: (i) a high degree of belongingness, (ii) accessibility to help-related information, and (iii) healthy perceived cultural responses towards mental health. Therefore, systematically coordinated programs are necessary to effectively tackle suicidal ideation.

Aminoacyl transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases (aaRSs) not only load the appropriate amino acid onto their cognate tRNAs, but many of them also perform additional functions that are not necessarily related to their canonical activities. Phenylalanyl tRNA synthetase (PheRS/FARS) levels are elevated in multiple cancers compared to their normal cell counterparts. Our results show that downregulation of PheRS, or only its α-PheRS subunit, reduces organ size, whereas elevated expression of the α-PheRS subunit stimulates cell growth and proliferation. In the wing disc system, this can lead to a 67% increase in cells that stain for a mitotic marker. Clonal analysis of twin spots in the follicle cells of the ovary revealed that elevated expression of the α-PheRS subunit causes cells to grow and proliferate ∼25% faster than their normal twin cells. This faster growth and proliferation did not affect the size distribution of the proliferating cells. Importantly, this stimulation proliferation turned out to be independent of the β-PheRS subunit and the aminoacylation activity, and it did not visibly stimulate translation.This article has an associated First Person interview with the joint first authors of the paper., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2021. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Economic research is vital for creating more suitable policies to facilitate economic growth. Employing a combination of descriptive and Bayesian analyses, this paper investigates the research landscape of the economics discipline in Vietnam, in particular, the leading affiliations in the field and how these institutions compare to each other in terms of productivity, the number of lead authors, new authors and publications' journal impact factor. We also examine the differences in the authors' productivity based on their age and gender. The dataset extracted from the SSHPA database includes 1,444 articles. The findings show that among top producers of economic research in Vietnam, seven are universities, leaving only one representative of research institutes. These top producers account for 52% of research output among 178 institutes recorded in the database. We also find a correlation between a researcher's affiliation, sex, and scientific productivity in Vietnam's economic discipline. Overall, publications by male researchers outnumber those by female ones in most of the top affiliations. The findings also indicate that 40-44 is the age group with the highest scientific productivity. Researchers' collaboration, which is observed through co-authorship, is on the rise in all of the top eight economic research affiliations. However, the quality of current Vietnam's scientific works in the discipline is questionable. Therefore, it is suggested that in order to sustain scientific productivity, economic researchers might need to balance the quantity and quality of their contributions., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

In recent decades, drastic changes in global social-economic situations have led to significant shifts in the financial market for entrepreneurial firms, thus resulting in changes in entrepreneurial finance discipline. The current body of literature, despite its significant growth, has not provided an overview landscape of this research area. Consequently, this study aims to fill this gap by employing the bibliometric analysis of 6902 articles from 1970 to 2019 extracted from the Web of Science database. By doing so, this paper attempts to provide an overview of the discipline's research output, social and conceptual structure, and offer strategies facilitating the scientific development within the field. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial finance is a young and growing field with an exponential increase in the number of publications (approx. 19.75 percent per year) and rising collaboration tendency among authors. The 1991-2000 period is a crucial milestone of the field thanks to the remarkable growth and impact of studies during this period as well as simultaneously occurring historical events. We also notice a sign of Western ideological homogeneity from the collaboration networks and lists of most productive authors, institutions, and countries. Additionally, using thematic mapping, five major research domains are identified: "venture capital", "crowdfunding", "SMEs finance", "social entrepreneurship finance", "IPO and corporate governance". Based on these findings, we raise the concern of lacking diversity in entrepreneurial finance research and propose strategies for authors, journals, and policymakers to diversify the literature., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.)