Chronic psychological stress induces testicular oxidative stress affecting reproductive behavior in rats.

The inhibitory effect of chronic psychological stress on reproductive behavior is widely recognized since long. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these effects, especially the cellular biology of the testicular cells, have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic psychological stress on rat reproductive behavior and its correlation with testicular cell damage and oxidative stress.

Enhancing legibility in educational settings: Optimizing projection illuminance for varied indoor ambient illuminance.

Projectors are common display devices in the educational setting. However, dim projector lightbulbs or well-lit classrooms may cause blurriness in the projected image. To determine the optimal projection light under different ambient light conditions, the conjoint effects of projection illuminance and ambient illuminance on the legibility of projection images indoors were investigated.

Signature construction and molecular subtype identification based on liver-specific genes for prediction of prognosis, immune activity, and anti-cancer drug sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Liver specific genes (LSGs) are crucial for hepatocyte differentiation and maintaining normal liver function. A deep understanding of LSGs and their heterogeneity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is necessary to provide clues for HCC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

Methods: The bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data of HCC were downloaded from TCGA, ICGC, and GEO databases.

Plant and Disease Recognition Based on PMF Pipeline Domain Adaptation Method: Using Bark Images as Meta-Dataset.

Efficient image recognition is important in crop and forest management. However, it faces many challenges, such as the large number of plant species and diseases, the variability of plant appearance, and the scarcity of labeled data for training. To address this issue, we modified a SOTA Cross-Domain Few-shot Learning (CDFSL) method based on prototypical networks and attention mechanisms.

Construction of a novel nomogram based on competing endogenous RNAs and tumor-infiltrating immune cells for prognosis prediction in elderly patients with colorectal cancer.

Competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and tumor-infiltrating immune cells play essential roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis. However, their prognostic role in elderly patients with CRC is unclear. Gene expression profiles and clinical information for elderly patients with CRC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas.

Multiomics-based analyses of KPNA2 highlight its multiple potentials in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dysregulation and prognostic roles of Karyopherin 2 (KPNA2) were reported in many malignancies including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A multi-omics analysis of KPNA2 is needed to gain a deeper understanding of its multilevel molecular characteristics and provide novel clues for HCC diagnosis, prognosis, and target therapy. Herein multi-omic alterations of KPNA2 were analyzed at genetic, epigenetic, transcript, and protein levels with evaluation of their relevance with clinicopathological features of HCC by integrative analyses.

Construction and Validation of a Lung Cancer Diagnostic Model Based on 6-Gene Methylation Frequency in Blood, Clinical Features, and Serum Tumor Markers.

Lung cancer has a high mortality rate. Promoting early diagnosis and screening of lung cancer is the most effective way to enhance the survival rate of lung cancer patients. Through computer technology, a comprehensive evaluation of genetic testing results and basic clinical information of lung cancer patients could effectively diagnose early lung cancer and indicate cancer risks.

Optimal Time Intervals in Two-Stage Takeover Warning Systems With Insight Into the Drivers' Neuroticism Personality.

Conditional automated driving [level 3, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)] requires drivers to take over the vehicle when an automated system's failure occurs or is about to leave its operational design domain. Two-stage warning systems, which warn drivers in two steps, can be a promising method to guide drivers in preparing for the takeover. However, the proper time intervals of two-stage warning systems that allow drivers with different personalities to prepare for the takeover remain unclear.

Promote or inhibit: An inverted U-shaped effect of workload on driver takeover performance.

Objective: In conditional automated driving (SAE Level 3), drivers are required to take over their vehicles when the automated systems fail. Non-driving related tasks (NDRTs) can positively or negatively affect takeover safety, but the underlying reasons for this inconsistency remain unclear. This study aims to investigate how various workload levels generated by NDRTs may influence the takeover performance of drivers and the lead time they require.

A chalcone inhibits the growth and metastasis of KYSE-4 esophageal cancer cells.

Objective: To investigate the and anticancer effects of a chalcone against KYSE-4 esophageal cancer cells.

Methods: A chalcone was synthesized via the molecular hybridization strategy based on the anticancer activity of chalcone and dithiocarbamate scaffolds. The anticancer effects of different concentrations of the chalcone derivative were compared in esophageal cancer cells.

Betulinic acid enhanced the chemical sensitivity of esophageal cancer cells to cisplatin by inducing cell pyroptosis and reducing cell stemness.

Background: Betulinic acid (BA) is a lupine pentacyclic triterpene compound derived from the bark of the white mulberry tree, which has a variety of pharmacological properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of BA combined with cisplatin on the proliferation, stemness, pyroptosis, and xenograft growth of esophageal carcinoma cells in a nude mouse xenograft model.

Methods: The cell survival rate was detected by CCK-8 method.

PRR11 and SKA2 promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal carcinoma cells.

Proline-rich protein 11 (PRR11) together with its upstream adjacent gene, spindle and kinetochore associated 2 (SKA2), represent a classic, head-to-head gene pair. The role of the PRR11 and SKA2 gene pair has been described in various types of cancer, including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and ovarian carcinoma. However, its role in esophageal carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear.

Lung cancer A549 cells suppressed with overexpressed HNF1B or PCDHA13 inhibited PI3K/AKT phosphorylation.

Background: Lung cancer is the most revenant and deadly tumors around the world. Here we aimed to explore the effects of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1B (HNF1B) and PCDHA13 overexpression on PI3K/AKT phosphorylation and malignant biological behavior in lung cancer A549 cells.

Methods: HNF1B and PCDHA13 were amplified, and their overexpression plasmids were constructed for transfection.

Influences of Augmented Reality Assistance on Performance and Cognitive Loads in Different Stages of Assembly Task.

According to the assembly task model proposed by Stork and Schubö (2010), the assembly task is divided into commissioning and joining subtasks. Each subtask includes two sequential stages, namely, perception and response selection, and action. This division enables a convenient discussion of the influences of Augmented reality (AR) assistance on operators during different stages of an assembly task.

Brain network reconfiguration for language and domain-general cognitive control in bilinguals.

For bilinguals, language control is needed for selecting the target language during language production. Numerous studies have examined the neural correlates of language control and shown a close relationship between language control and domain-general cognitive control. However, it remains unknown how these brain regions coordinate with each other when bilinguals exert cognitive control over linguistic and nonlinguistic representations.

Identification of special key genes for alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma through bioinformatic analysis.

Background: Alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was reported to be diagnosed at a later stage, but the mechanism was unknown. This study aimed to identify special key genes (SKGs) during alcohol-related HCC development and progression.

Methods: The mRNA data of 369 HCC patients and the clinical information were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas project (TCGA).

The influence of short-term language-switching training on the plasticity of the cognitive control mechanism in bilingual word production.

This study examined the effect of short-term language-switching training on the cognitive control mechanism in bilingual word production. In two experiments, two groups of relatively proficient but unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals performed a cued picture-naming task, in which they switched between their two languages. On two consecutive days, the participants took part in four sessions.

The relationship between semantic access and introspective awareness.

There have long been speculations about the relationship between consciousness and language. This study aimed to determine whether an individual's level of introspective awareness, based on self-report, relates to accessibility of their semantic system as evaluated by the N400. Thirty-five university students completed the study.

Are Emotions Abstract or Concrete?

The ability to identify and communicate emotions is essential to psychological well-being. Yet research focusing exclusively on emotion concepts has been limited. This study examined nouns that represent emotions (e.

Neural correlates for naming disadvantage of the dominant language in bilingual word production.

The present study investigated the neural correlates of naming disadvantage of the dominant language under the mixed language context. Twenty one unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals completed a cued picture naming task while being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Behavioral results showed that naming pictures in the second lanuage (L2) was significantly slower than naming pictures in the first language (L1) under a single language context.

Short-term language switching training tunes the neural correlates of cognitive control in bilingual language production.

The present study investigated how language switching experience would modulate the neural correlates of cognitive control involved in bilingual language production. A group of unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals undertook an 8-day cued picture naming training during which they named pictures in either of their languages based on visually presented cues. Participants' brain activation was scanned before and after the training in the same task.

ERPs evidence for the relationship between fluid intelligence and cognitive control.

The relationship between two components of cognitive control, that is, proactive control and reactive control, and fluid intelligence was investigated by measuring 75 participants' event-related potentials in the AX version of the continuous performance test. The results showed that the mean amplitudes of N2 associated with the two components of cognitive control are highly correlated with fluid intelligence. Specifically, a larger N2 was shown in participants with higher fluid intelligence scores.

Imageability and semantic association in the representation and processing of event verbs.

This study examined the relative salience of imageability (the degree to which a word evokes mental imagery) versus semantic association (the density of semantic network in which a word is embedded) in the representation and processing of four types of event verbs: sensory, cognitive, speech, and motor verbs. ERP responses were recorded, while 34 university students performed on a lexical decision task. Analysis focused primarily on amplitude differences across verb conditions within the N400 time window where activities are considered representing meaning activation.

Improving proactive control with training on language switching in bilinguals.

The present study examined how a short period of language switching training affects nonverbal cognitive control, as measured by the AX version of the Continuous Performance Test. A group of Chinese-English bilinguals were trained over 10 days on a picture naming task that required switching between languages. We recorded their behavioral performance and event-related potentials before and after the training to examine its effects on cognitive performance.

The effects of gender and self-insight on early semantic processing.

This event-related potential (ERP) study explored individual differences associated with gender and level of self-insight in early semantic processing. Forty-eight Chinese native speakers completed a semantic judgment task with three different categories of words: abstract neutral words (e.g.