Search

As computational thinking becomes increasingly essential, the challenge of designing effective teaching approaches to foster students' abilities in this area persists, especially for higher order thinking skills. This study addresses this challenge by proposing and implementing a peer assessment-based Scrum project (PA-SP) learning approach in university computer programming learning. The approach involves dividing 98 third-year college students into an experimental group, which employs the PA-SP approach, and a control group, which uses the conventional Scrum project (C-SP) approach. The study investigates the impact of the PA-SP approach on students' programming projects, learning motivation, project collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and cognitive load. The results demonstrate that the PA-SP approach significantly enhances learning achievement and motivation while also improving collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. By providing practical insights into effective teaching strategies to promote students' computational thinking, this research has significant implications for improving programming education in universities.

Abstract Aurora-B is a kinase that regulates spindle assembly and kinetochore-microtubule (KT-MT) attachment during mitosis and meiosis. SUMOylation is involved in the oocyte meiosis regulation through promoting spindle assembly and chromosome segregation, but its substrates to support this function is still unknown. It is reported that Aurora-B is SUMOylated in somatic cells, and SUMOylated Aurora-B contributes the process of mitosis. However, whether Aurora-B is SUMOylated in oocytes and how SUMOylation of Aurora-B impacts its function in oocyte meiosis remain poorly understood. In this study, we report that Aurora-B is modified by SUMOylation in mouse oocytes. The results show that Aurora-B colocalized and interacted with SUMO-2/3 in mouse oocytes, confirming that Aurora-B is modified by SUMO-2/3 in this system. Compared with that in young mice, the protein expression of SUMO-2/3 decreased in the oocytes of aged mice, indicating that SUMOylation might be related to mouse aging. Overexpression of Aurora-B SUMOylation site mutants, Aurora-BK207R and Aurora-BK292R, inhibited Aurora-B recruitment and first polar body extrusion, disrupting localization of gamma tubulin, spindle formation and chromosome alignment in oocytes. The results show that it was related to decreased recruitment of p-HDAC6 which induces the high stability of whole spindle microtubules including the microtubules of both correct and wrong KT-MT attachments though increased acetylation of microtubules. Therefore, our results corroborate the notion that Aurora-B activity is regulated by SUMO-2/3 in oocytes, and that SUMOylated Aurora B plays an important role in spindle formation and chromosome alignment.

Abstract Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most significant swine viral infectious diseases worldwide. Vaccination is a key strategy for the control and prevention of PRRS. At present, the NADC30-like PRRSV strain has become the predominant epidemic strain in China, superseding the HP-PRRSV strain. The existing commercial vaccines offer substantial protection against HP-PRRSV, but their efficacy against NADC30-like PRRSV is limited. The development of a novel vaccine that can provide valuable cross-protection against both NADC30-like PRRSV and HP-PRRSV is highly important. In this study, an infectious clone of a commercial MLV vaccine strain, GD (HP-PRRSV), was first generated (named rGD). A recombinant chimeric PRRSV strain, rGD-SX-5U2, was subsequently constructed by using rGD as a backbone and embedding several dominant immune genes, including the NSP2, ORF5, ORF6, and ORF7 genes, from an NADC30-like PRRSV isolate. In vitro experiments demonstrated that chimeric PRRSV rGD-SX-5U2 exhibited high tropism for MARC-145 cells, which is of paramount importance in the production of PRRSV vaccines. Moreover, subsequent in vivo inoculation and challenge experiments demonstrated that rGD-SX-5U2 confers cross-protection against both HP-PRRSV and NADC30-like PRRSV, including an improvement in ADG levels and a reduction in viremia and lung tissue lesions. In conclusion, our research demonstrated that the chimeric PRRSV strain rGD-SX-5U2 is a novel approach that can provide broad-spectrum protection against both HP-PRRSV and NADC30-like PRRSV. This may be a significant improvement over previous MLV vaccinations.

Educators have recognized the importance of providing a realistic learning environment which helps learners to not only comprehend learning content, but also to link the content to practical problems. Such an environment can hence foster problem-solving skills in nursing training. However, when learners interact in a virtual environment with rich learning resources, they might encounter difficulties if there is a lack of proper guidance, clinical sense, or a well thought-out instructional design process. Hence, this work developed a maternity VR-based situated learning system (MVR-SLS) based on the experiential learning theory to support professional courses in obstetrics. A quasi-experiment was conducted to verify the impacts of this method on learners' learning achievement, OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) competency, problem solving skills, learning engagement, and teaching effectiveness. The experimental results indicate that the new method improved learners' learning achievement, OSCE competency, problem-solving ability, and recognition of learning engagement. Moreover, the learners who learned with the new method showed more active learning behaviors compared to the learners in the control group. Findings of the present study offer concrete suggestions for implementing effective virtual reality (VR)-based learning strategies for medical and nursing textbooks.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a secondary metabolite of Fusarium fungi and belonged to trichothecenes, and it widely presents in various food commodities. Previous studies have highlighted its potent toxicity, adversely affecting the growth, development, and reproductive in both humans and animals. However, the potential impact of DON on porcine oocyte organelles remains elusive. In present study, we delved into the toxic effects of DON on mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi during the porcine oocyte maturation. Our findings revealed that DON exposure significantly impeded granulosa cell diffusion and the expulsion of the first polar body. Additionally, mitochondrial fluorescence intensity and membrane potential underwent notable alterations under DON exposure. Notably, lysosomal fluorescence intensity decreased significantly, suggesting protein degradation and potential autophagy, which was further corroborated by the enhanced fluorescence intensity of LC3. Furthermore, endoplasmic reticulum fluorescence intensity declined, and DON exposure elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress levels, evident from the upregulated expression of GRP78. Concurrently, we observed disruption in the fusiform cortex distribution of the Golgi apparatus, characterized by reduced Golgi apparatus fluorescence intensity and GM130 expression. Collectively, our results indicate that DON exposure profoundly affects the fundamental functions of porcine oocyte organelles during meiosis and maturation.

As a prevalent spine disorder, Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) has been affecting more than 2 % of the worldwide population and is characterised by uncertain causes and recurring episodes. Studying the brain activity of patients could potentially provide insights into its pathogenesis and significantly enhance therapy. Therefore, we here examined brain function in patients under Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT). By analysing regional homogeneity (ReHo) at different frequency bands, we identified the discrepancies in brain activity between LDH patients and healthy people, highlighting the frequency dependence of spontaneous low-frequency oscillations among patients with LDH. Choosing seeds based on the peak ReHo differences helped to elucidate the functional connectivity alterations in the brain regions of LDH. Overall, this study showed that SMT significantly reduced pain, improved dysfunction, and partially rectified aberrant local consistency and functional connection in patients with LDH, not only offering insights into the pathophysiology of LDH from a neurological standpoint, but also providing inspiration for the development of new therapies based on neurobiology.

Abstract Background Oocyte quality is critical for the mammalian reproduction due to its necessity on fertilization and early development. During aging, the declined oocytes showing with organelle dysfunction and oxidative stress lead to infertility. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a serine/threonine protein kinase which is important for energy homeostasis for metabolism. Little is known about the potential relationship between AMPK with oocyte aging. Results In present study we reported that AMPK was related with low quality of oocytes under post ovulatory aging and the potential mechanism. We showed the altered AMPK level during aging and inhibition of AMPK activity induced mouse oocyte maturation defect. Further analysis indicated that similar with its upstream regulator PKD1, AMPK could reduce ROS level to avoid oxidative stress in oocytes, and this might be due to its regulation on mitochondria function, since loss of AMPK activity induced abnormal distribution, reduced ATP production and mtDNA copy number of mitochondria. Besides, we also found that the ER and Golgi apparatus distribution was aberrant after AMPK inhibition, and enhanced lysosome function was also observed. Conclusions Taken together, these data indicated that AMPK is important for the organelle function to reduce oxidative stress during oocyte meiotic maturation.

Abstract KIFC3 is a member of Kinesin-14 family motor proteins, which play a variety of roles such as centrosome cohesion, cytokinesis, vesicles transportation and cell proliferation in mitosis. Here, we investigated the functional roles of KIFC3 in meiosis. Our findings demonstrated that KIFC3 exhibited expression and localization at centromeres during metaphase I, followed by translocation to the midbody at telophase I throughout mouse oocyte meiosis. Disruption of KIFC3 activity resulted in defective polar body extrusion. We observed aberrant meiotic spindles and misaligned chromosomes, accompanied by the loss of kinetochore-microtubule attachment, which might be due to the failed recruitment of BubR1/Bub3. Coimmunoprecipitation data revealed that KIFC3 plays a crucial role in maintaining the acetylated tubulin level mediated by Sirt2, thereby influencing microtubule stability. Additionally, our findings demonstrated an interaction between KIFC3 and PRC1 in regulating midbody formation during telophase I, which is involved in cytokinesis regulation. Collectively, these results underscore the essential contribution of KIFC3 to spindle assembly and cytokinesis during mouse oocyte meiosis.

In recent years, several studies have reported the potential of employing digital games in EFL (English as Foreign Language) courses to promote students' learning motivation. However, scholars have pointed out that students generally lack self-learning ability, which is the key to the success of learning a foreign language. Therefore, it is crucial to foster students' self-learning ability during the game-based learning process. In this study, an expert system was developed to facilitate self-regulated learning in digital game-based learning contexts. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a quasi-experimental design was employed in a university English course. The experimental group students learned with the self-regulated English vocabulary game (SR-EVG) approach, while the control group students learned with the conventional English vocabulary game (C-EVG) approach. The experimental results indicated that the use of the SR-EVG approach could improve learners' English vocabulary achievement and self-regulation compared with the C-EVG approach without increasing students' English learning anxiety. Moreover, through qualitative interviews, it was found that students who used the SR-EVG approach would focus on their learning due to goal-setting in the game and would pay more attention to the learning strategies they used.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound that is generated during combustion processes, and is present in various substances such as foods, tobacco smoke, and burning emissions. BaP is extensively acknowledged as a highly carcinogenic substance to induce multiple forms of cancer, such as lung cancer, skin cancer, and stomach cancer. Recently it is shown to adversely affect the reproductive system. Nevertheless, the potential toxicity of BaP on oocyte quality remains unclear. In this study, we established a BaP exposure model via mouse oral gavage and found that BaP exposure resulted in a notable decrease in the ovarian weight, number of GV oocytes in ovarian, and oocyte maturation competence. BaP exposure caused ribosomal dysfunction, characterized by a decrease in the expression of RPS3 and HPG in oocytes. BaP exposure also caused abnormal distribution of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and induced ER stress, as indicated by increased expression of GRP78. Besides, the Golgi apparatus exhibited an abnormal localization pattern, which was confirmed by the GM130 localization. Disruption of vesicle transport processes was observed by the abnormal expression and localization of Rab10. Additionally, an enhanced lysosome and LC3 fluorescence intensity indicated the occurrence of protein degradation in oocytes. In summary, our results suggested that BaP exposure disrupted the distribution and functioning of organelles, consequently affecting the developmental competence of mouse oocytes.

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups pose significant cybersecurity threats due to their sophisticated and persistent nature. This study introduces a novel methodology to understand their collaborative patterns and shared objectives, which is crucial for developing robust defense mechanisms. We utilize MITRE ATT&CK Techniques, software, target nations, and industries as our primary features to understand the characteristics of APT groups. Since essential information is often buried within the unstructured data of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) reports, we employ Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Named Entity Recognition (NER) to extract relevant data. To analyze and interpret the complex relationships between APT groups, we compute similarity among the features using weighted cosine similarity metrics and Machine Learning (ML) models, enhanced by feature crosses and feature selection strategies. Subsequently, hierarchical clustering is used to group APTs based on their similarity scores, helping to identify common behaviors and uncover deeper relationships. Our methodology demonstrates notable clustering performance, with a silhouette coefficient of 0.76, indicating strong intra-cluster similarity. The Adjusted Rand Index (ARI) of 0.63, though moderate, effectively measures agreement between our clustering and the ground truth. These metrics provide robust validation, surpassing commonly recognized benchmarks for effective clustering in cybersecurity. Our methodology successfully classifies 23 distinct APT groups into six clusters, highlighting the importance of techniques and industry features in the clustering process. Notably, techniques such as T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) and T1036 (Masquerading) are prevalently deployed, observed in 18 out of 23 APT groups across all six clusters.