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Background: In this systematic review, conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we aimed to assess differences in the cognitive processes associated with social cognition—namely language, theory of mind (ToM), and executive functions (EFs)—between ADHD and control groups. Methods: The review included studies indexed in PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO up until May 2024. Eligible original peer-reviewed articles met the following criteria: they were written in English, included a clinical group with a current primary ADHD diagnosis, were empirical, included quantitative data, and utilized standardized and validated measures with adequate psychometric properties to assess social cognitive processes. Results and Discussion: A total of 1215 individuals with ADHD participated in the selected studies. Out of the 22 articles reviewed, 17 reported significant differences between ADHD and the controls across several cognitive processes related to language and EF rather than ToM. These processes included pragmatic skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, emotional prosody, interaction skills, sarcasm, paradoxical sarcasm recognition, ambiguous situations, emotion recognition, false belief, social problem solving, social behaviors, and gesture codification. We also discuss the limitations of the research and the implications of our findings. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO ID: CRD42023474681. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Figurative language is a central tool for enriching spoken and written languages, and it is important for building social relationships. Difficulties in figurative language understanding may impair social adjustment. Some studies have found more gaps in the understanding of irony and idioms among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to those of their peers with typical development (TD). To date, no studies have examined the relationship between the ability to understand social situations (as a separate ability) and the ability to understand irony and idioms. The present study examined the roles of theory of mind (ToM) and social situation understanding in the comprehension of idioms and ironic criticism. Methods: The current study included 58 participants aged 8–11, including 28 children with high-functioning ASD and 30 children with TD matched by age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence. All the participants completed a ToM questionnaire that assesses their understanding of others' intentions, as well as a questionnaire pertaining to their comprehension of social situations, ironic criticism, and idioms. Results: TD children outperformed the autistic children in idiom and irony understanding, as well as in ToM and social situation understanding. Understanding social situations and ToM contributed to idiom and irony understanding, with ToM ability uniquely contributing to irony (but not to idiom) understanding. Path analysis revealed that social cognitive abilities mediated the link between group affiliation and vocabulary, affecting figurative language comprehension. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that social cognition skills influence the ability to understand ironic criticism and idioms, mediating the association between vocabulary and figurative language comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demands of learning in the twenty-first century require being skilled in the use and comprehension of multiple documents. Some individual factors such as the metacognitive skill of theory of mind (ToM) are related to this ability. This study investigated the relationship between university students' ability to comprehend multiple documents, measured through an argumentative essay task, and their ToM. The participants were 84 undergraduates. We assessed their ToM (using the strange stories task) and their mental state talk (using a think-aloud protocol during the reading of multiple documents—MSTR—and through the content of their subsequent written essays—MSTW). The relation between students' ToM and their MSTW was mediated through MSTR. In addition, students' ToM was significantly associated with the quality of the essays, through MSTR, and the relation between MSTR and the argumentative quality was mediated through MSTW. MSTW was the only significant predictor of the quality of the essays. The involvement of ToM in multiple-document comprehension suggests, from an educational perspective, the possibility to support multiple-document comprehension by scaffolding mental state talk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake Batur’s water quality on Bali Island has significantly declined, leading to massive annual fish mortality rates. The suspected reason is the expansion of aquaculture using floating net cages (FNC) beyond their capacity. The study aims to assess the impact of FNC-based aquaculture on water quality and organic matter distribution, specifically total organic matter, TSS, and chlorophyll a. The result states that Lake Batur has exceeded its carrying capacity of 10,047 plots since 2018 and currently holds 18,768 plots as of 2022. Within the last five years (2018-2022), the FNC discharged 5,947 tons of organic waste into Lake Batur, containing 1,779 quintals of nitrogen and 430 quintals of phosphorus. Consequently, each liter of Lake Batur water accrues 7.29 mg of organic waste annually, including 2.18 mg of nitrogen and 0.53 mg of phosphorus. Organic waste in Lake Batur has led to a reduction in water transparency, an increase in total organic matter (TOM), a decrease in dissolved oxygen (DO), and an increase in chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations. Its changes serve as indicators of eutrophication and degradation of water quality. The distribution of organic matter across the euphotic zone did not correlate with FNC distribution, suggesting that FNC distribution no longer influences organic matter distribution. Environmental factors surrounding the SL have emerged as the primary driver of differences in organic matter distribution. It demonstrates the dissemination of organic matter in the euphotic zone of Lake Batur due to the constant discharge of effluent by the long-standing FNC, which has surpassed its maximum capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, thousands of nucleus‐encoded proteins translated in the cytosol are sorted to chloroplasts and mitochondria by binding to specific receptors of the TOC (translocon on the outer chloroplast membrane) and the TOM (translocon on the outer mitochondrial membrane) complexes for import into those organelles. The degradation pathways for these receptors are unclear. Here, we discovered a converged ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway for the degradation of Arabidopsis thaliana TOC and TOM tail‐anchored receptors. The receptors are ubiquitinated by E3 ligase(s) and pulled from the outer membranes by the AAA+ adenosine triphosphatase CDC48, after which a previously uncharacterized cytosolic protein, transmembrane domain (TMD)‐binding protein for tail‐anchored outer membrane proteins (TTOP), binds to the exposed TMDs at the C termini of the receptors and CDC48, and delivers these complexes to the 26S proteasome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this systematic review, conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we aimed to assess differences in the cognitive processes associated with social cognition—namely language, theory of mind (ToM), and executive functions (EFs)—between ADHD and control groups. Methods: The review included studies indexed in PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO up until May 2024. Eligible original peer-reviewed articles met the following criteria: they were written in English, included a clinical group with a current primary ADHD diagnosis, were empirical, included quantitative data, and utilized standardized and validated measures with adequate psychometric properties to assess social cognitive processes. Results and Discussion: A total of 1215 individuals with ADHD participated in the selected studies. Out of the 22 articles reviewed, 17 reported significant differences between ADHD and the controls across several cognitive processes related to language and EF rather than ToM. These processes included pragmatic skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, emotional prosody, interaction skills, sarcasm, paradoxical sarcasm recognition, ambiguous situations, emotion recognition, false belief, social problem solving, social behaviors, and gesture codification. We also discuss the limitations of the research and the implications of our findings. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO ID: CRD42023474681.

Background/Objectives: Figurative language is a central tool for enriching spoken and written languages, and it is important for building social relationships. Difficulties in figurative language understanding may impair social adjustment. Some studies have found more gaps in the understanding of irony and idioms among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to those of their peers with typical development (TD). To date, no studies have examined the relationship between the ability to understand social situations (as a separate ability) and the ability to understand irony and idioms. The present study examined the roles of theory of mind (ToM) and social situation understanding in the comprehension of idioms and ironic criticism. Methods: The current study included 58 participants aged 8–11, including 28 children with high-functioning ASD and 30 children with TD matched by age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence. All the participants completed a ToM questionnaire that assesses their understanding of others’ intentions, as well as a questionnaire pertaining to their comprehension of social situations, ironic criticism, and idioms. Results: TD children outperformed the autistic children in idiom and irony understanding, as well as in ToM and social situation understanding. Understanding social situations and ToM contributed to idiom and irony understanding, with ToM ability uniquely contributing to irony (but not to idiom) understanding. Path analysis revealed that social cognitive abilities mediated the link between group affiliation and vocabulary, affecting figurative language comprehension. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that social cognition skills influence the ability to understand ironic criticism and idioms, mediating the association between vocabulary and figurative language comprehension.

AbstractAlthough impairments in social cognition are a core feature in schizophrenia, the relationship between its subcomponents is less clear. Nineteen schizophrenia patients and 20 matched healthy controls were tested for emotion recognition, and for the cognitive and affective subcomponents of empathy and theory of mind (ToM). Patients scored significantly worse than controls on cognitive empathy and both subcomponents of ToM. Group differences disappeared for cognitive empathy and affective ToM when emotion recognition was included as a covariate. Our results indicate that emotion recognition is an important factor involved in the deficits on higher levels of social cognition in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In shipbuilding, the design and construction processes often involve repetitive tasks and the need for consistent structural elements across various vessels. This research paper presents the implementation of Template Oriented Modeling (TOM), an in-house developed CAD feature that offers an innovative solution to address these challenges. TOM introduces automation and efficiency by streamlining the ship design and construction processes. By utilizing predefined templates and dynamic parameters, TOM significantly reduces the need for manual repetition, resulting in time savings and increased productivity. This paper focuses on the issue of repetitive manual work in shipbuilding and highlights TOM as a transformative approach to overcome this challenge. The motivations, benefits, and innovations associated with TOM are thoroughly examined, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize the shipbuilding industry. We presented a fully functional example demonstrating the effectiveness of TOM in achieving streamlinedworkflows and improved design consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit deficits in social cognition, particularly with respect to Theory of Mind (ToM) capacities. It is unclear whether they are associated with PD-related dopamine deficiency and modulated by levodopa replacement therapy. Methods: A total of 15 persons with PD and 13 healthy controls (HC) participated in the study. They performed different neuropsychological tasks, including the Faux Pas Recognition Test (FPRT), assessing different dimensions of cognitive ToM (e.g., detection, inappropriateness, intentions), and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) as an index of affective ToM. Persons with PD were tested twice, once under their regular treatment and another time after at least 18? h of levodopa withdrawal (MED-ON and MED-OFF, respectively). On either occasion, serum drug levels and motor symptom severity [Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)] were measured. Results: MED-ON and MED-OFF conditions in patients with PD were confirmed by higher serum drug levels in the former than in the latter state and a corresponding amelioration of the motor deficit. In so doing, no performance difference in any ToM-related task was identified as a function of the levodopa therapy. Generally, patients performed worse than controls in both affective and cognitive ToM tests. Conclusion: Patients with PD have deficits in cognitive and affective ToM. Dopamine replacement, effective for improving the motor condition, does not appear to counteract these dysfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an increasing consensus about the important role of export diversification on the export activities of one country or industry. The objective of this paper is to examine the role of export diversification in Vietnam’s shrimp export growth over the years. Specifically, we analysed the impact of export market diversification and export product diversification on Vietnam's shrimp export growth in the period 2005 - 2020 by expanding the model of export demand function and using the ARDL model with the Bound test method. The article is one of the few empirical studies analysing the impact of export diversification on the export growth of an agricultural product. The empirical results show that export market diversification has a positive effect in the short term as well as in the long term, while export product diversification has only a positive impact in the short term on shrimp export growth. Therefore, Vietnam’s shrimp industry should continue promoting export diversification, especially focusing on market diversification to support sustainable export growth.

Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand and attribute mental states to ourselves and others, could be impaired in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease affecting young adults. Considering that ToM is strictly connected to Quality of Life (QoL) in MS and that could enhance the social support network -which is particularly important for this population-, we aimed to design and implement a novel ToM rehabilitation training. To make the training as much ecological as possible, we have devised a protocol enhancing ToM through stimuli depicting real-world conditions (video-clips taken from cinema movies, literary fictions, and audio voices). We test training's effect on both cognitive and affective components of ToM in a sample of 13 subjects, randomly assigned to the ToM training Group and to the Control Group. The following ToM tasks were administered: the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RMET), the Strange Stories task, the Faux Pas Task and the False Belief First- and Second - Order Task (FB II and III order). We also administered a psycho-behavioral assessment through the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results show that our novel ToM training is useful in enhancing ToM abilities measured by the following tasks: the RMET (affective task, p = 0.015) and the FB II-order task (FB, cognitive task, p = 0.032). Our ToM training had also a significant effect on the total score of the TAS-20 Scale (p = 0.018) and on its "Difficulty Describing Feelings subscale" (p = 0.018), indicating a reduction of the alexithymia traits. Future works with larger samples could investigate the ToM training effectiveness in a more representative MS populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esther Schwartz Offek, Osnat Segal Department of Communication Disorders, The Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelCorrespondence: Osnat Segal, Department of Communication Disorders, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv, Israel, Tel +972 522998404, Email Osegallll@gmail.com; osnatseg@tauex.tau.ac.ilBackground: Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to recognize, comprehend, and consider oneself’s and others’ mental states and perspectives to predict and explain behaviors and motivations. It is widely accepted that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with ToM. However, there are also findings suggesting that ToM abilities might also be compromised in children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD).Purpose: To assess ToM abilities in three groups of children: 1. ASD with no language difficulties; 2. DLD, known for their language disorder; and 3. TD with no language issues.Materials and Methods: A total of 41 preschool children aged 5-to-6 were examined and assigned to one of the three groups based on previous clinical reports and a standardized Hebrew language assessment tool. Nonverbal IQ was established with a standardized test to verify within average range placement (> 75 IQ). ToM skills were examined with a Hebrew version of the ToM Task Battery and parent’s questionnaire (ToMI).Results: Children with ASD had significantly lower ToM scores compared to the children with DLD, and TD. The ToM scores of the children with DLD were similar to the scores of the TD children. According to the parents’ questionnaires, both the ASD children and the DLD children had less developed ToM skills compared to their TD peers.Conclusion: The present findings suggest that children with ASD have a fundamental difficulty in ToM that is independent of their language abilities. Children with DLD show difficulties in everyday social interactions that involve ToM. It is possible that both ASD and language disorders influence ToM development, suggesting that different developmental routes affect the acquisition of ToM.Keywords: autism, DLD, ToM, ToMTB, ToMI

IntroductionPatients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) exhibit deficits in social cognition, particularly with respect to Theory of Mind (ToM) capacities. It is unclear whether they are associated with PD-related dopamine deficiency and modulated by levodopa replacement therapy.MethodsA total of 15 persons with PD and 13 healthy controls (HC) participated in the study. They performed different neuropsychological tasks, including the Faux Pas Recognition Test (FPRT), assessing different dimensions of cognitive ToM (e.g., detection, inappropriateness, intentions), and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) as an index of affective ToM. Persons with PD were tested twice, once under their regular treatment and another time after at least 18 h of levodopa withdrawal (MED-ON and MED-OFF, respectively). On either occasion, serum drug levels and motor symptom severity [Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)] were measured.ResultsMED-ON and MED-OFF conditions in patients with PD were confirmed by higher serum drug levels in the former than in the latter state and a corresponding amelioration of the motor deficit. In so doing, no performance difference in any ToM-related task was identified as a function of the levodopa therapy. Generally, patients performed worse than controls in both affective and cognitive ToM tests.ConclusionPatients with PD have deficits in cognitive and affective ToM. Dopamine replacement, effective for improving the motor condition, does not appear to counteract these dysfunctions.

Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand and attribute mental states to ourselves and others, could be impaired in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease affecting young adults. Considering that ToM is strictly connected to Quality of Life (QoL) in MS and that could enhance the social support network -which is particularly important for this population-, we aimed to design and implement a novel ToM rehabilitation training. To make the training as much ecological as possible, we have devised a protocol enhancing ToM through stimuli depicting real-world conditions (video-clips taken from cinema movies, literary fictions, and audio voices). We test training’s effect on both cognitive and affective components of ToM in a sample of 13 subjects, randomly assigned to the ToM training Group and to the Control Group. The following ToM tasks were administered: the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RMET), the Strange Stories task, the Faux Pas Task and the False Belief First- and Second - Order Task (FB II and III order). We also administered a psycho-behavioral assessment through the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results show that our novel ToM training is useful in enhancing ToM abilities measured by the following tasks: the RMET (affective task, p = 0.015) and the FB II-order task (FB, cognitive task, p = 0.032). Our ToM training had also a significant effect on the total score of the TAS-20 Scale (p = 0.018) and on its “Difficulty Describing Feelings subscale” (p = 0.018), indicating a reduction of the alexithymia traits. Future works with larger samples could investigate the ToM training effectiveness in a more representative MS populations.

Summary: Mitochondrial diseases are a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders caused by pathogenic variants in genes encoding gene products that regulate mitochondrial function. These genes are located either in the mitochondrial or in the nuclear genome. The TOMM7 gene encodes a regulatory subunit of the translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM) complex that plays an essential role in translocation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins into mitochondria. We report an individual with a homozygous variant in TOMM7 (c.73T>C, p.Trp25Arg) that presented with a syndromic short stature, skeletal abnormalities, muscle hypotonia, microvesicular liver steatosis, and developmental delay. Analysis of mouse models strongly suggested that the identified variant is hypomorphic because mice homozygous for this variant showed a milder phenotype than those with homozygous Tomm7 deletion. These Tomm7 mutant mice show pathological changes consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction, including growth defects, severe lipoatrophy, and lipid accumulation in the liver. These mice die prematurely following a rapidly progressive weight loss during the last week of their lives. Tomm7 deficiency causes a unique alteration in mitochondrial function; despite the bioenergetic deficiency, mutant cells show increased oxygen consumption with normal responses to electron transport chain (ETC) inhibitors, suggesting that Tomm7 deficiency leads to an uncoupling between oxidation and ATP synthesis without impairing the function of the tricarboxylic cycle metabolism or ETC. This study presents evidence that a hypomorphic variant in one of the genes encoding a subunit of the TOM complex causes mitochondrial disease.

Improved bioinformatics tools for annotating gene function are becoming increasingly available, but such information must be considered theoretical until further experimental evidence proves it. In the work reported here, the genes for the main components of the translocons of the outer membrane of chloroplasts (Toc) and mitochondria (Tom), including preprotein receptors and protein-conducting channels of N. benthamiana, were identified. Sequence identity searches and phylogenetic relationships with functionally annotated sequences such as those of A. thaliana revealed that N. benthamiana orthologs mainly exist as recently duplicated loci. Only a Toc34 ortholog was found (NbToc34), while Toc159 receptor family was composed of four orthologs but somewhat different from those of A. thaliana. Except for NbToc90, the rest (NbToc120, NbToc159A and NbToc159B) had a molecular weight of about 150 kDa and an acidic domain similar in length. Only two orthologs of the Tom20 receptors, NbTom20-1 and NbTom20-2, were found. The number of the Toc and Tom receptor isoforms in N. benthamiana was comparable to that previously reported in tomato and what we found in BLAST searches in other species in the genera Nicotiana and Solanum. After cloning, the subcellular localization of N. benthamiana orthologs was studied, resulting to be identical to that of A. thaliana receptors. Phenotype analysis after silencing together with relative expression analysis in roots, stems and leaves revealed that, except for the Toc and Tom channel-forming components (NbToc75 and NbTom40) and NbToc34, functional redundancy could be observed either among Toc159 or mitochondrial receptors. Finally, heterodimer formation between NbToc34 and the NbToc159 family receptors was confirmed by two alternative techniques indicating that different Toc complexes could be assembled. Additional work needs to be addressed to know if this results in a functional specialization of each Toc complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many patients with psychosis are socially isolated and struggle to maintain or establish satisfying social relationships. This has been explained as resulting from a reduced ability to understand one's own mind, others' minds, and how these interact. This understanding of one's own and others' minds is the foundation of many different theories and models from developmental to cognitive psychiatry. Increasing this ability is the goal of many therapeutic approaches and may facilitate establishing a positive therapeutic relationship. Although much interest has focused on what clinicians say in clinical encounters, few scales exist to categorize the content of patients' communication. Theoretically founded in literature on metacognition, theory of mind and cognitive theory, the aim of this study was to create a framework to capture and quantify how patients with psychosis talk about their own and others' thoughts, feelings and behaviors in clinical interactions. A two-stage iterative process of analysis, refinement and reliability testing was undertaken. In the first stage, thematic analysis, using a combined inductive and deductive approach, was carried out on 14 Italian transcripts of real clinical encounters in acute setting. An initial framework was developed from Italian transcripts, refined, translated and then applied to a sample of 15 English transcripts of real clinical encounters. The framework was further refined, finalized and concordance between independent raters was calculated. A framework comprised of 8 categories was developed to categorize verbal displays in which patients recognize and communicate their own emotions, mental states, desires and plans, relevant narratives of their own life and experiences as expressed in routine clinical interactions. Good reliability was obtained in both English (k = 0.87) and Italian transcripts (k = 0.90). Patients' thoughts about their thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and others' can be reliably assessed in routine clinical encounters using this newly developed framework. Future research should broaden the scope of this research to explore how the questions asked by psychiatrists may influence how patients talk about their thoughts, feelings and actions, and if/how they are correlated with the therapeutic relationship and clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to recognize, comprehend, and consider oneself's and others' mental states and perspectives to predict and explain behaviors and motivations. It is widely accepted that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with ToM. However, there are also findings suggesting that ToM abilities might also be compromised in children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD). Purpose: To assess ToM abilities in three groups of children: 1. ASD with no language difficulties; 2. DLD, known for their language disorder; and 3. TD with no language issues. Materials and Methods: A total of 41 preschool children aged 5-to-6 were examined and assigned to one of the three groups based on previous clinical reports and a standardized Hebrew language assessment tool. Nonverbal IQ was established with a standardized test to verify within average range placement (> 75 IQ). ToM skills were examined with a Hebrew version of the ToM Task Battery and parent's questionnaire (ToMI). Results: Children with ASD had significantly lower ToM scores compared to the children with DLD, and TD. The ToM scores of the children with DLD were similar to the scores of the TD children. According to the parents' questionnaires, both the ASD children and the DLD children had less developed ToM skills compared to their TD peers. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that children with ASD have a fundamental difficulty in ToM that is independent of their language abilities. Children with DLD show difficulties in everyday social interactions that involve ToM. It is possible that both ASD and language disorders influence ToM development, suggesting that different developmental routes affect the acquisition of ToM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved bioinformatics tools for annotating gene function are becoming increasingly available, but such information must be considered theoretical until further experimental evidence proves it. In the work reported here, the genes for the main components of the translocons of the outer membrane of chloroplasts (Toc) and mitochondria (Tom), including preprotein receptors and protein-conducting channels of N. benthamiana, were identified. Sequence identity searches and phylogenetic relationships with functionally annotated sequences such as those of A. thaliana revealed that N. benthamiana orthologs mainly exist as recently duplicated loci. Only a Toc34 ortholog was found (NbToc34), while Toc159 receptor family was composed of four orthologs but somewhat different from those of A. thaliana. Except for NbToc90, the rest (NbToc120, NbToc159A and NbToc159B) had a molecular weight of about 150 kDa and an acidic domain similar in length. Only two orthologs of the Tom20 receptors, NbTom20-1 and NbTom20-2, were found. The number of the Toc and Tom receptor isoforms in N. benthamiana was comparable to that previously reported in tomato and what we found in BLAST searches in other species in the genera Nicotiana and Solanum. After cloning, the subcellular localization of N. benthamiana orthologs was studied, resulting to be identical to that of A. thaliana receptors. Phenotype analysis after silencing together with relative expression analysis in roots, stems and leaves revealed that, except for the Toc and Tom channel-forming components (NbToc75 and NbTom40) and NbToc34, functional redundancy could be observed either among Toc159 or mitochondrial receptors. Finally, heterodimer formation between NbToc34 and the NbToc159 family receptors was confirmed by two alternative techniques indicating that different Toc complexes could be assembled. Additional work needs to be addressed to know if this results in a functional specialization of each Toc complex.

Dysferlin (DYSF) has drawn much attention due to its involvement in dysferlinopathy and was reported to affect monocyte functions in recent studies. However, the role of DYSF in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) and the regulation mechanism of DYSF expression have not been fully studied. In this study, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) literatures were searched to find the DNA methylation-driven genes (including DYSF) of ASCVD. The hub genes related to DYSF were also identified through weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Regulation of DYSF expression through its promoter methylation status was verified using peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) from ASCVD patients and normal controls, and experiments on THP1 cells and Apoe-/- mice. Similarly, the expressions of DYSF related hub genes, mainly contained SELL, STAT3 and TMX1, were also validated. DYSF functions were then evaluated by phagocytosis, transwell and adhesion assays in DYSF knock-down and overexpressed THP1 cells. The results showed that DYSF promoter hypermethylation up-regulated its expression in clinical samples, THP1 cells and Apoe-/- mice, confirming DYSF as a DNA methylation-driven gene. The combination of DYSF expression and methylation status in PBLs had a considerable prediction value for ASCVD. Besides, DYSF could enhance the phagocytosis, migration and adhesion ability of THP1 cells. Among DYSF related hub genes, SELL was proven to be the downstream target of DYSF by wet experiments. In conclusion, DYSF promoter hypermethylation upregulated its expression and promoted monocytes activation, which further participated in the pathogenesis of ASCVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnostic instrument VDS31 Developmental Stage from the Behavioural Diagnostic System (VDS) of Strategic-Behavioural Therapy (SBT) is presented. The data obtained provide information about the quality of the regulation of emotions and social interactions with the respective resources and deficits. They expand the understanding of psychological functioning by the aspect of the developmental level and at the same time allow the formulation of therapeutic consequences to be derived from it. The instrument is theoretically based on the developmental models of Piaget, Kohlberg and Kegan. Results of a study show a statistically significant superiority of the developmental therapy intervention on several dependent variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As the COVID-19 pandemic came unexpectedly, many real estate experts claimed that the property values would fall like the 2007 crash. However, this study raises the question of what attributes of an apartment are most likely to influence a price revision during the pandemic. The findings in prior studies have lacked consensus, especially regarding the time-on-the-market variable, which exhibits an omnidirectional effect. However, with the rise of Big Data, this study used a web-scraping algorithm and collected a total of 18,992 property listings in the city of Vilnius during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterwards, 15 different machine learning models were applied to forecast apartment revisions, and the SHAP values for interpretability were used. The findings in this study coincide with the previous literature results, affirming that real estate is quite resilient to pandemics, as the price drops were not as dramatic as first believed. Out of the 15 different models tested, extreme gradient boosting was the most accurate, although the difference was negligible. The retrieved SHAP values conclude that the time-on-the-market variable was by far the most dominant and consistent variable for price revision forecasting. Additionally, the time-on-the-market variable exhibited an inverse U-shaped behaviour.

Shrimp disease that currently causes economic loss to shrimp farmers is White Feces Disease (WFD). This disease appeared due to several factors, such as poor pond management, unhealthy shrimp seed, and poor water quality which resulted in the appearance of Vibrio sp. bacteria and Dinoflagellata. This study aimed to analyze the cause of WFD outbreak in vannamei shrimp pond. The study method through direct experiment was applied in shrimp pond. Sampling was performed three times in each feeding tray to collect ten shrimps. Overall, sampling was performed twice a week. The Sample Survey Method was used to collect sample in this study. Result of study showed that clinical symptom was observed through changes in pattern and behavior of vannamei shrimp during culture. However, this observation resulted in insignificant data. Vannamei shrimp infected WFD tended to swim slower and often rose to the surface with body color turned red. Moreover, total organic matter (TOM) increased on week-7 along with the increasing growth of plankton, particularly from the Dinoflagellata group. However, bacterial growth of Vibrio sp. on week-7 was insignificant, yet many shrimps were found dead with white feces during that period. The result of analysis indicated that white feces disease was caused by Dinoflagellata besides the main trigger, namely, Vibrio sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a genetic syndrome that results in a highly variable profile of affected individuals of which impairments in the social domain and increased psychopathology are the most prominent. Notably, 25–30% of affected individuals eventually develop schizophrenia/psychosis, predisposing persons with the syndrome to increased risk for this disorder. Because social cognition is considered to underlie social behavior and to be related to psychopathology, this systematic review investigated social cognition in individuals with 22q11DS and examined reported links across its domains with psychopathology and social outcomes. This can provide the basis for a closer understanding of the path from risk to disorder and will inform on the specific domains that can be targeted with preventive intervention strategies. Method Systematic literature review of studies that reported the links between social cognitive domains and psychopathology and/or social outcomes in individuals with 22q11DS. Electronic databases searched were PubMed and PsycINFO. Results Defined eligibility criteria identified a total of ten studies to be included in the present review. Selected studies investigated links between two domains of social cognition (emotion processing and theory of mind (ToM)) and psychopathology and/or social outcomes. With respect to the links to psychopathology, two aspects of social cognition were related primarily to negative symptoms. Results regarding the associations to positive and emotional symptoms (anxiety/depression) are limited and require further investigation. Even though both aspects of social cognition were associated with social outcomes, several studies also found no links between these two domains. Both reports invite for an additional examination of reported results and specific considerations regarding chosen constructs. Conclusion Although equivocal, results of the present review provide sufficient evidence that social cognition is a useful domain for the closer elucidation of clinical outcomes and social difficulties in this population. At the same time, longitudinal studies and consideration of other variables are also necessary for a timely understanding of affected persons in this respect.

To monitor animal welfare on a commercial scale, systematic collection and evaluation of slaughterhouse data is the most feasible method. However, we need to know whether slaughterhouse data retrospectively and reliably reflect information about the birds' welfare on-farm. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate associations between animal-based welfare measures in flocks of turkey toms at 11 wk of age recorded with the transect walk and slaughter data at 20 wk of age. A total of 20 commercial flocks of turkey toms were visited, where an observer walked the transects in a random order and recorded the total number of birds per transect that were immobile, lame, with visible head, tail, or wing wounds, small, featherless, dirty, sick, terminal, or dead. Slaughterhouse data were provided for each flock. Univariate and multivariate linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between on-farm and slaughterhouse measures. Increased prevalence of immobile toms at week 11 resulted in more birds rejected at slaughter owing to leg issues (P = 0.02) and airsacculitis (P < 0.001). More lame birds on-farm were associated with an overall higher rejection rate at slaughter (P < 0.001). Flocks with more featherless birds had significantly more birds being rejected at slaughter owing to skin issues (P = 0.02). More dirty birds at week 11 resulted in more birds being rejected owing to airsacculitis at slaughter (P < 0.001). A higher mortality on-farm was associated with more birds rejected for being too small (P = 0.04). In conclusion, significant associations between animal-based measures of turkey toms as assessed by the transect walk method on-farm at 11 wk and slaughter data at 20 wk were identified.

Theory of mind (ToM) allows people to understand their own and others' behaviour, crediting it with intentions, desires and beliefs. In the case of parenting, maternal reflective function unfolds within child-caregiver interactions, and previous studies have pointed out this variable as necessary for positive care. In the present study we sought to understand how high levels of stress could interfere with their reflective function capacity, and how this relates to children's ToM. A sample of 125 mothers and their preschool children (36–54 months) was assessed. It was hypothesized that the maternal reflective function would play a mediating role between the parental stress variable and the preschooler's ToM. The study found that parental stress exerted direct and significant effects on the mother's reflective function and direct but mild effects on the child's ToM. In addition, different elements of parental stress would act differently on the mother's reflective function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practical relevance: Understanding the normal reproductive anatomy and physiology of the male cat is important for successful breeding. Veterinarians may be called in to troubleshoot when fertility and pregnancy rates decrease in a cattery. By understanding the normal physical parameters, as well as breeding behavior, the veterinarian is better equipped to assess the infertility issue. Also, clients are increasingly requesting breeding soundness examinations prior to mating or purchase. Semen collection is more difficult in the cat than in the dog but can still be accomplished in a clinical setting and provides important information when confronted with breeding males. Aim: The aim of this review is to provide a practical overview of the breeding male. The reader will receive information on time of puberty, normal reproductive anatomy (both external and internal), and breeding management practices to optimize fertility. The most up-to-date semen collection techniques are discussed, as are sedation/anesthesia options. Also, historical literature on the basic anatomy of the male reproductive system is reviewed, such as how the penile spines work and when they appear; this information is specific to the cat. Evidence base: The information in this article is based on the author's experience, as well as drawing on historical and current literature, and provides the most up-to-date review as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers' mentalization has gained importance in recent years, but most studies only include parental figures. Given empirical evidence showing the importance of educators in the development of preschoolers, this paper aims to assess how the mentalization and stress levels of parents and educational staff are related to attachment, ToM and social emotional development of children aged 3–4 years (M = 44.69 months, SD = 3.68, Gender = 53% girls) who attend preschool. A total of 146 preschoolers, their parents and 18 teachers are included in the sample. The results show higher levels of mentalization in educational staff compared to parents and positive relationship between the mentalization of both adults and ToM development in preschoolers. It was found a greater predictive weight of educational staff mentalization but this relation was mediated by family caregivers' mentalization and its contribution loses strength in those cases where the parent shows low mentalization level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to comfort others, children need to exhibit Theory of Mind (ToM) skills. The goal of the present study was to investigate the role of ToM in association with children's spontaneous comforting behaviour in a laboratory task. Forty-seven children between 26 and 57 months of age completed three ToM tasks: diverse desires, diverse beliefs and belief-emotion. To evaluate comforting, we used a previously evaluated procedure in which an experimenter drops a tower of blocks and pretends to be upset. The results showed a significant positive relationship between children's understanding of their own and others' desires and comforting. However, no relationships were found between comforting and understanding of one's own and others' beliefs or belief-emotion. The relationship between the different ToM tasks and age was also assessed, but it was non-significant. The implications of these findings for understanding the onset of spontaneous prosocial behaviour are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the different tones used by the participants in earnings conference calls and the influence on the generation of abnormal stock returns. This study fills the research gap of the segregation of tone analysis by type of analyst and corporate administratives during earnings conference calls. The sample covered the period from 2010 to 2017, totaling 1165 earnings conference calls transcripts from 44 Brazilian companies listed in B3 - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão. The main finding is that the transcribed tone and words based on the Loughran & McDonald (2011) dictionary, have significant predictive power over stock market reactions after earnings conference calls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the different tones used by the participants in earnings conference calls and the influence on the generation of abnormal stock returns. This study fills the research gap of the segregation of tone analysis by type of analyst and corporate administratives during earnings conference calls. The sample covered the period from 2010 to 2017, totaling 1165 earnings conference calls transcripts from 44 Brazilian companies listed in B3 - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão. The main finding is that the transcribed tone and words based on the Loughran & McDonald (2011) dictionary, have significant predictive power over stock market reactions after earnings conference calls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the children's story Tom, ojos azules by José Jiménez Lozano, through the study of the event, a central category in the contemporary short story as defended by the scholar Guadalupe Arbona Abascal. The analysis allows us to delve into the mystery of the story, discovering the richness of literary materials and the ambiguity of its reading as key aspects that explain the vivid and gratifying experience of the text for the child or adult reader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Teaching Analytics (TA) is a new theoretical approach, which combines teaching expertise, visual analytics and design-based research to support teacher’s diagnostic pedagogical ability to use data and evidence to improve the quality of teaching. TA is now gaining prominence because it offers enormous opportunities to the teachers. It also identifies optimal ways in which teaching performance can be enhanced. Further, TA provides a platform for teachers to use data to reflect on teaching outcome. The outcome of TA can be used to engage teachers in a meaningful dialogue to improve the quality of teaching. Arguably, teachers need to develop their teacher data literacy and data inquiry skills to learn about teaching challenges. These skills are dependent on understanding the connection between TA, LA and Learning Design (LD). Additionally, they need to understand how choices in particular pedagogues and the LD can enhance their teaching experience. In other words, teachers need to equip themselves with the knowledge necessary to understand the complexity of teaching and the learning environment. Providing teachers access to analytics associated with their teaching practice and learning outcome can improve the quality of teaching practice. This research aims to explore current TA related discussions in the literature, to provide a generic conception of the meaning and value of TA. The review was intended to inform the establishment of a framework describing the various aspects of TA and to develop a model that can enable us to gain more insights into how TA can help teachers improve teaching practices and learning outcome. The Tripartite model was adopted to carry out a comprehensive, systematic and critical analysis of the literature of TA. To understand the current state-of-the-art relating to TA, and the implications to the future, we reviewed published articles from the year 2012 to 2019. The results of this review have led to the development of a conceptual framework for TA and established the boundaries between TA and LA. From the analysis the literature, we proposed a Teaching Outcome Model (TOM) as a theoretical lens to guide teachers and researchers to engage with data relating to teaching activities, to improve the quality of teaching.

The study was conducted based on GTZ's value chain link approach - value links (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit - Germany) in 2008, through surveys of all actors in the black Tiger shrimp value chain in 4 provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang and Kien Giang. Specifically, the research team interviewed 67 agents and farms supplying seeds, feeds and aquatic products, 339 households raising black tiger shrimp with improved intensive farming; 53 traders and owners; 8 export processing enterprises (EPEs) and 54 industry experts, technicians and local leaders. The two main tools used in this study are value chain mapping and chain economic analysis. Research results show that there are 5 stages and 5 distribution channels in the black tiger shrimp value chain in the Southwest region. In which, black tiger shrimp is mostly consumed through the following distribution channel: Households  Collectors  EPEs  Foreign consumers (exports). There are 3 main export shrimp products, including frozen whole shrimp exports (HOSO), headless, frozen shrimp exports (HLSO,) and exported shrimp headless, peeled, and tail (PTO). In particular, PTO shrimp creates the highest added value and profit. In general, the distribution of profits among the participants in the value chain is not really reasonable Research results have also shown that improving distribution channels through horizontal and vertical linkage activities, as well as cutting raw material production costs are two effective solutions to upgrade the black tiger shrimp value chain in the Southwest region.

Bệnh hoại tử gan tụy cấp tính (Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease – AHPND) là một bệnh do vi khuẩn gây ra. Bệnh này dẫn đến tỷ lệ chết lên đến 100% trong quần thể tôm thẻ chân trắng, tôm sú và gây những tổn thất kinh tế đáng kể cho ngành nuôi tôm ở nhiều nước châu Á. Các nghiên cứu trước đây cho thấy không phải chủng Vibrio nào cũng có khả năng gây bệnh do chúng mang các gen độc tố khác nhau. Chúng tôi đã đánh giá sự có mặt của các gen độc tố trên các chủng Vibrio phân lập tại Thừa Thiên Huế đồng thời phân tích trình tự các gen này. Kết quả cho thấy trong 14 chủng Vibrio mang gen pirABvp nghiên cứu, gen tlh xuất hiện ở tất cả các chủng, gen toxR xuất hiện ở 7/14 chủng trong khi đó các gen trh và tdh không xuất hiện trong các chủng vi khuẩn Vibrio phân lập được. Giải trình tự đoạn chỉ thị các gen độc tố cho thấy các gen này đều có độ tương đồng khá cao (98–100%) so với các gen đã công bố trên ngân hàng gen, trong đó 2 gen pirAvp và pirBvp ít sai khác còn các gen tlh và toxR có sự sai khác nhiều hơn. Đây là cơ sở để thực hiện các nghiên cứu tiếp theo trong việc sản xuất các chế phẩm phòng và trị bệnh hoại tử gan tụy cấp tính trên tôm.

Từ mẫu bùn thải của ao nuôi tôm tại huyện Phong Điền, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế, chúng tôi đã phân lập được chủng vi khuẩn phân giải casein. Định danh phân tử thông qua giải trình tự 16S rRNA và so sánh với cơ sở dữ liệu GenBank cho thấy chủng phân lập tương đồng cao với vi khuẩn Bacillus tequilensis và được đặt tên là B. tequilensis ON1. Hoạt tính protease ngoại bào đạt giá trị cao nhất 192,42 U·mL–1 sau 24 giờ nuôi cấy. Điện di SDS-PAGE trên nền cơ chất cho thấy protease ngoại bào chính của chủng ON1 có khối lượng phân tử khoảng 130 kDa. Enzyme ngoại bào hoạt động tối ưu ở 50 °C và pH 8. Hoạt tính protease tăng lên khi có mặt Ca2+ và Mg2+, trong khi đó Mn2+ ức chế hoạt động của protease. Protease hoạt động và ổn định hơn trong các dung môi hữu cơ kỵ nước.

The study of social cognition with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) affords the use of complex stimulus material. Visual attention to distinct aspects of these stimuli can result in the involvement of remarkably different neural systems. Usually, the influence of gaze on neural signal is either disregarded or dealt with by controlling gaze of participants through instructions or tasks. However, behavioral restrictions like this limit the study's ecological validity. Thus, it would be preferable if participants freely look at the stimuli while their gaze traces are measured. Yet several impediments hamper a combination of fMRI and eye-tracking. In our recent work on neural Theory of Mind processes in alexithymia, we propose a simple way of integrating dwell time on specific stimulus features into general linear models of fMRI data. By parametrically modeling fixations, we were able to distinguish neural processes asssociated with specific stimulus features looked at. Here, I discuss opportunities and obstacles of this approach in more detail. My goal is to motivate a wider use of parametric models — usually implemented in common fMRI software packages — to combine fMRI and eye-tracking data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provided an empirical framework that isolates the supply and demand perspectives in urban residential property transactions towards removing the information shield and asymmetry nature of property transaction information in Nigeria. A three-stage classical panel longitudinal design was adopted through feedback from completed transaction data on residential properties from the licensed estate agents. The study provided balanced and complete transaction information desired by the parties to any type of residential property transaction and bridged the wide gap between transaction expectation and actualization to prevent improper signalling in property transaction prescriptions. The study outcome generated vital indices and metrics for creating a complete property transaction database for the attraction of international professionals to participate in Nigeria's urban property market transactions. This study is the first one in Nigeria to link the asking prices on sales and rental transactions in residential property transactions from the start to the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]