Development Process Research Articles

Adenosine Deaminase-Like Gene-Carried Lentivirus Toolkit for Identification of DNA N6-Methyladenine Origins.

Post-replicative DNA N6-methyladenine (pr6mdA) can form via bona fide methylase-catalyzed adenine methylation, playing a pivotal role in embryonic development and other biological processes. Surprisingly, pre-methylated adenine can be erroneously incorporated into DNA as misincorporated N6-methyladenine (i6mdA) via DNA polymerase-mediated replication. Despite pr6mdA and i6mdA sharing identical chemical structures, their biological functions diverge significantly, presenting a substantial challenge in distinguishing between the two. Here, for the first-time, it is exploited that the adenosine deaminase-like (Adal) protein and a corresponding activity-null mutant to construct an Adal lentivirus toolkit. With this newly designed toolkit, both pr6mdA and i6mdA can be identified and quantified simultaneously. The presence of 6mdA in the bone marrow cells of mice is shown, with its levels serving as indicators for growth with age, probably reflecting the cellular stress-caused changes in RNA decay, nucleotide pool sanitation, and transcription. Collectively, a powerful toolkit to advance understanding of both pr6mdA and i6mdA is demonstrated.

Identification of reversible OATP1B1 and time-dependent CYP3A4 inhibition as the major risk factors for drug-induced cholestasis (DIC).

Hepatic bile acid regulation is a multifaceted process modulated by several hepatic transporters and enzymes. Drug-induced cholestasis (DIC), a main type of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), denotes any drug-mediated condition in which hepatic bile flow is impaired. Our ability in translating preclinical toxicological findings to human DIC risk is currently very limited, mainly due to important interspecies differences. Accordingly, the anticipation of clinical DIC with available in vitro or in silico models is also challenging, due to the complexity of the bile acid homeostasis. Herein, we assessed the in vitro inhibition potential of 47 marketed drugs with various degrees of reported DILI severity towards all metabolic and transport mechanisms currently known to be involved in the hepatic regulation of bile acids. The reported DILI concern and/or cholestatic annotation correlated with the number of investigated processes being inhibited. Furthermore, we employed univariate and multivariate statistical methods to determine the important processes for DILI discrimination. We identified time-dependent inhibition (TDI) of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and reversible inhibition of the organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 as the major risk factors for DIC among the tested mechanisms related to bile acid transport and metabolism. These results were consistent across multiple statistical methods and DILI classification systems applied in our dataset. We anticipate that our assessment of the two most important processes in the development of cholestasis will enable a risk assessment for DIC to be efficiently integrated into the preclinical development process.

"This whole journey was sacred": Latter-day Saint parents' process in coming to accept a transgender child.

This constructivist grounded theory (CGT) study examines Latter-day Saint (LDS) parents' process in coming to accept a transgender or gender diverse (TGD) child and the factors that impact acceptance. Data come from interviews with 38 LDS parents of TGD children and 130 Facebook posts from the same population. Data were analyzed using CGT methodology in coding and theory construction. A model of LDS parents' process in accepting a TGD child and the factors that impact that process are presented. The results indicate that coming to accept a TGD child tends to engage LDS parents cognitively, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, and is a developmental process. We identified four stages of parents' process: assimilation of new information, deconstruction and disequilibrium, reconstruction and accommodation, and acceptance; as well as typical emotional responses in each stage. We found that factors thatimpacted parents' process included parents' pre-process characteristics and contexts, religiously defined meaning making, social embeddedness, external resources, community building, and spiritual autonomy. Additionally, we found that parents' commitment to their child's wellbeing and connection with their child (i.e., attachment) motivates their process and that their personal spiritual experiences tend to guide it. Parents in the study who reached a state of acceptance expressed that their process had been both deeply challenging and profoundly, personally meaningful. This study strengthens the case for using attachment-based therapies with this population and indicates the value of incorporating spirituality into the therapeutic work.

CANTATAdb 3.0: an updated repository of plant long noncoding RNAs.

CANTATAdb 3.0 is an updated database of plant long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), containing 571,688 lncRNAs identified across 108 species, including 100 Magnoliopsida (flowering plants), a significant expansion from the previous version. A notable feature is the inclusion of 112,980 lncRNAs that are expressed specifically in certain plant organs or embryos, indicating their potential role in development and organ-specific processes. In addition, CANTATAdb 3.0 includes 74,886 pairs of evolutionarily conserved lncRNAs found across 47 species and inferred from genome-genome alignments as well as conserved lncRNAs obtained with a similarity-search approach in 5,479 species pairs, which would further aid in the selection of lncRNAs for functional studies. Interestingly, we find that conserved lncRNAs with tissue specific expression patterns tend to occupy the same plant organ across different species, pointing toward conserved biological roles. The database now offers extended search capabilities, and downloadable data in popular formats, further facilitating research on plant lncRNAs.

Revitalizing traditional villages through Bookstore-led Rural Tourism: a case study of three Bookstore villages in Rural China

ABSTRACT Rural tourism has been used to revitalize traditional villages by integrating creative tourism service facilities. This paper focuses on the role of physical bookstores as a significant tourism service facility in rural China. In urban settings, physical bookstores have faced numerous challenges, leading them to evolve into new forms and offer immersive experiences to visitors. Bookstores have also ventured into traditional Chinese villages that leads to rural revitalization. Despite the evidence of rural tourism initiated by bookstores, it received little attention in academia. This paper aims to propose the concept of bookstore-led rural tourism, investigates its tourism development process and impacts on rural communities. Three bookstore villages were selected as case studies and the research was conducted using qualitative and inductive approaches. The findings confirm that (1) rural bookstores play a leading role in the rural tourism development process through the three stages; (2) bookstore-led rural tourism also revitalizes traditional Chinese villages at the material, social, and spiritual levels, with rural bookstores playing a crucial role in shaping rural identity. This paper recommends that the application of bookstore-led rural tourism to revitalize traditional villages using a holistic approach should be valued in future research studies and real-life practice.

Strengthening accountability for tuberculosis policy implementation in South Africa: perspectives from policymakers, civil society, and communities

BackgroundTranslating health policy into effective implementation is a core priority for responding effectively to the tuberculosis (TB) crisis. The national TB Recovery Plan was developed in response to the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on TB care in South Africa. We aimed to explore the implementation of the TB Recovery Plan and develop recommendations for strengthening accountability for policy implementation for this and future TB policies.MethodsWe interviewed 24 participants working on or impacted by TB policy implementation in South Africa. This included perspectives from national, provincial, and local health department representatives, civil society, and community representatives. In-depth interviews were conducted in English and isiXhosa and we drew on reflexive thematic methods for analysis.ResultsParticipants felt that there was potential for COVID-19 innovations and urgency to influence TB policy development and implementation, including the use of data dashboards. Implementation of the TB Recovery Plan predominantly used a top-down approach to implementation (cascading from national policy to local implementers) but experienced bottlenecks at provincial level. Recommendations for closing the TB policy-implementation gap included using phased implementation and enhancing provincial-level accountability. Civil society organisations were concerned about the lack of provincial implementation data which impeded advocacy for improved accountability and inadequate resourcing for implementation. Community health workers were viewed as key to implementation but were not engaged in the policy development process and were often not aware of new TB policies. At local level, there were also opportunities to strengthen community engagement in policy implementation including through community-led monitoring. Participants recommended broader multi-stakeholder engagement that includes community and community health worker representatives in the development and implementation phases of new TB policies.ConclusionsCommunities affected by TB, with the support of civil society organisations, could play a bigger role in monitoring policy implementation at local level and need to be capacitated to do this. This bottom-up approach could complement existing top-down strategies and contribute to greater accountability for TB policy implementation.

Experimental parameter identification of scalable white and grey box jounce bumper models for ride comfort simulation

The design of a passenger car’s ride and handling goals requires an enormous amount of hardware and prototypes. To avoid time-consuming testing activities, one crucial trend is the virtualisation of suspension development. Another goal of the virtualisation is the determination of vehicle properties at an early stage of the development process. Highly accurate suspension models are required to transfer the full vehicle’s characteristics into simulation tools. Since the jounce bumper is an important component of the suspension system, modelling its functional behaviour is essential for virtualised chassis development. Therefore, two dynamic modelling approaches are derived and compared in this contribution. One approach is based on local linear model networks and thus can be seen as a grey box model. The other approach consists of white box rheological elements, which allow the physical interpretability of the model parameters. The comparison of the approaches is based on experimental parameter identification, which includes synthetic and real excitations recorded on representative roads. The advantages of the proposed approaches will be discussed in terms of their suitability for the virtual design of the driving behaviour.

Research on software reliability enhancement methods based on iterative development

Iterative development is an agile software development methodology that speeds up the development process and increases the flexibility of software delivery. However, the current software requirements change extremely fast, which leads to its increasing uncertainty, and iterative development also faces the challenge of software reliability. The software reliability enhancement method based on iterative development is researched and discussed for the current situation of insufficient reliability in the traditional software development process. In traditional software development, one-time delivery pressure and overall design complexity often lead to software functional defects and instability, affecting software reliability. The iterative development method, on the other hand, improves software reliability by decomposing the software development process into multiple iterative cycles, each of which contains requirements analysis, design, coding, and testing, updating the software functionality in smaller increments, and gradually improving the software product. This study proposes a software reliability improvement methodology by exploring and analyzing the key factors related to reliability in the iterative development process. This dissertation can establish a reliable and high-quality software development process through the steps of meticulous requirements planning and management, iterative development and testing, automated testing and continuous integration, code quality control, defect management and continuous improvement, user feedback and user engagement, and continuous learning and technology enhancement.

Using an internet-based platform to provide online and offline healthcare services for discharged patients

BackgroundContinuing care is needed for the growing number of chronically ill patients who struggle with health problems after discharge. This study aims to elucidate the development process, functionalities, service protocols, and utilization of an Internet Plus Care (IPC) platform devised by our hospital to offer healthcare services to discharged patients.MethodsThis was a mixed study. After describing the development process, function and usage of IPC platform, we retrospectively collect data such as the general information of service recipients and service providers, service items, and service prices through the IPC platform from January 2021 to September 2023 to characterize these services.Results69 nurses delivered a total of 788 services to 211 patients through the IPC platform. The majority of services (N = 652, 82.7%) were delivered offline, with almost half of the recipients (N = 384, 48.7%) being elderly individuals. 46.4% of nurses provided services ≥ 3 times. Furthermore, 26.5% of patients received services three or more times. Notably, patients’ care requirements exhibited variations across age groups, with wound care (n = 243, 63.3%), pressure injuries care (n = 50, 13.0%), and replacement of indwelling nasogastric tubes (n = 20, 5.2%) emerging as the top three services favored by the elderly.ConclusionsThe IPC platform demonstrates potential in delivering diverse health services to patients; however, the involvement of nurses and patients needs to be enhanced. It is necessary to implement relevant safeguard policies to promote the effective use of IPC platform for health management of discharged patients in the future.What does this paper contribute to the wider global clinical community?The prevalence of chronic diseases is on the rise, and patients with chronic diseases continue to struggle with health problems after discharge and require extended treatment and rehabilitation. Our study proves that IPC platform presents a promising avenue for addressing these challenges.It is anticipated that governmental authorities will undertake comprehensive policy, legislative, and medical insurance reforms to facilitate the extensive adoption of IPC platform-based services.

Classroom Interior Design: Wooden Furniture Prototype with Feedback from Students and Teachers

Studies indicate that natural wooden materials positively affect students’ well-being in classrooms. In addition, students spend a considerable amount of their time in classrooms predominantly seated, making school interiors a suitable place to reduce sedentary behaviors of children. A mixed team of experts in human factors, architecture, design and engineering designed a prototype wooden standing desk for indoor use and formed focus groups with students and teachers to gather feedback on the development process and to evaluate the suitability of the prototype. The prototype desk was well received by the primary school teachers and students. The students appreciated plywood as the main material for the construction of the desk; however, they criticized that the wooden tabletop should be more resistant. The height adjustability of the desk and the tiltable tabletop were the most appreciated features of the prototype. Further studies should be conducted to investigate the optimal material, shape and color of the school desk, especially the tabletop, and additional efforts should be made to design furniture that promotes a less sedentary classroom and improves students’ well-being at school.

Evaluating the quality of radiomics-based studies for endometrial cancer using RQS and METRICS tools.

To assess the methodological quality of radiomics-based models in endometrial cancer using the radiomics quality score (RQS) and METhodological radiomICs score (METRICS). We systematically reviewed studies published by October 30th, 2023. Inclusion criteria were original radiomics studies on endometrial cancer using CT, MRI, PET, or ultrasound. Articles underwent a quality assessment by novice and expert radiologists using RQS and METRICS. The inter-rater reliability for RQS and METRICS among radiologists with varying expertise was determined. Subgroup analyses were performed to assess whether scores varied according to study topic, imaging technique, publication year, and journal quartile. Sixty-eight studies were analysed, with a median RQS of 11 (IQR, 9-14) and METRICS score of 67.6% (IQR, 58.8-76.0); two different articles reached maximum RQS of 19 and METRICS of 90.7%, respectively. Most studies utilised MRI (82.3%) and machine learning methods (88.2%). Characterisation and recurrence risk stratification were the most explored outcomes, featured in 35.3% and 19.1% of articles, respectively. High inter-rater reliability was observed for both RQS (ICC: 0.897; 95% CI: 0.821, 0.946) and METRICS (ICC: 0.959; 95% CI: 0.928, 0.979). Methodological limitations such as lack of external validation suggest areas for improvement. At subgroup analyses, no statistically significant difference was noted. Whilst using RQS, the quality of endometrial cancer radiomics research was apparently unsatisfactory, METRICS depicts a good overall quality. Our study highlights the need for strict compliance with quality metrics. Adhering to these quality measures can increase the consistency of radiomics towards clinical application in the pre-operative management of endometrial cancer. Both the RQS and METRICS can function as instrumental tools for identifying different methodological deficiencies in endometrial cancer radiomics research. However, METRICS also reflected a focus on the practical applicability and clarity of documentation. The topic of radiomics currently lacks standardisation, limiting clinical implementation. METRICS scores were generally higher than the RQS, reflecting differences in the development process and methodological content. A positive trend in METRICS score may suggest growing attention to methodological aspects in radiomics research.

Effect of Photoperiod on Dry Matter Accumulation and Partitioning in Potato

To explore the effect of the photoperiod on the accumulation and distribution of dry matter in potato, a pot experiment was carried out in 2021 and 2022 with two varieties (Atlantic and Hezuo 88). The varieties were used as the main plot, and light treatments (short-day and long-day) were used as the subplot. The results showed that extended hours of light delayed tuber formation in Hezuo 88, however, the effect was not obvious for the Atlantic. Comprehensive analyses were carried out using the potato developmental process, dynamic equation fitting of the tuber and whole-plant dry matter accumulation, and the dry matter accumulation and distribution rate of each organ of the two varieties under two photoperiods. The two photoperiods had different effects on the parameters of rapid tuber and whole-plant dry matter accumulation: the starting point of the period of the rapid dry matter accumulation (t1), the duration period of the rapid dry matter accumulation (Δt), and the average growth rate of the period of the rapid dry matter accumulation (Vmean). According to comprehensive analysis, tuber dry matter accumulation in Atlantic was the highest under the short-day condition, while Hezuo 88 showed the lowest tuber dry matter accumulation under the long-day condition and was the latest to enter the rapid tuber dry matter accumulation period. The whole-plant dry matter accumulation in Atlantic was the highest under the long-day condition and lowest in Hezuo 88; meanwhile, Hezuo 88 was the latest to enter the rapid whole-plant dry matter accumulation period. In terms of the dry matter accumulation and dry matter partitioning ratio of various organs, Hezuo 88 had the lowest mean tuber dry matter accumulation and partitioning ratio under the long-day condition but the highest mean stem, leaf, root, underground stem, and stolon dry matter partitioning ratio. On the contrary, Atlantic had the highest mean tuber dry matter accumulation and portioning ratio under the short-day condition but the lowest mean stem, leaf, root, underground stem, and stolon dry matter partitioning ratio. It was concluded that different varieties of potato respond differently to the photoperiod. In the case of Hezuo 88, prolonging the photoperiod affected the dynamics and distribution of dry matter accumulation; increased the stem, leaf, root, and underground stem dry matter partitioning ratio; and decreased the tuber dry matter partitioning ratio, which resulted in a decrease in tuber dry matter accumulation and consequently delayed the emergence of the equilibrium period between the aboveground and underground dry matter.

Relationship between the Orientation of Leaves in Space and the Rice Development Process

The objective of this study was to evaluate plants of SPU-79-96 forms with a short, dense, non-drooping panicle and SPU78-96 plants with a long, drooping panicle. This characteristic of these forms is the vertical arrangement of the leaves on the stem. Methodology and Results: Four growth components were measured after sowing in the field: the angle of deviation of the leaf from the main stem, leaf area, plant height, and length of the main panicle. The experimental design was a randomized split-plot with three (3) replicates. The lowest values were observed in plants SPU-78-96(10,3 to 11,00), highest in SPU-79-96 (10,7 to 12,7 0), the leaf deviation angle in the control variety Nerica 4 was 23,7 to 25,50. The ratio of panicle length to plant height was 23,3 to 29%. Plant yield was higher (1082,4 to 1384,5g/m2) in the long panicle and was 59,13% higher than in the control variety. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the vertical arrangement of the leaves plays a role in the production process, plants with a higher PAR efficiency accumulate more biomass, thus increasing yields.

The development history and future prospects of artificial intelligence in facial recognition technology

In recent decades, with the fast development of various algorithms and the rapid improvement of computer hardware performance, the development of facial recognition technology has been very rapid. This technology used to only appear in science fiction movies, but now it has been widely used in mobile payments, identity recognition, and other fields, and it also has very reliable performance. This article introduces the different facial recognition methods used in different periods of facial recognition technology from the 1960s and 1970s to the present day, to help people understand the development process of facial recognition technology. Among them, the focus is on early methods based on geometric features, grayscale information, and feature extraction, as well as recent applications based on deep learning and convolutional neural networks. In response to some challenges faced by current technology, some speculations on possible future development directions are proposed.

Prediction of thermodynamic properties oflanthanide/transition metal alloys by deep learning

The utilization of machine learning, especially deep learning, in solving materials science issues bring an opportunity to accelerate the development process of new materials and draw the attention of researchers all over the world. In this work, we present our study on applying deep neural networks to represent and predict thermodynamic quantities including formation energy, convex hull distance, and to recognize potential thermodynamical stabile materials. We employ our novel material descriptor, named orbital field matrix (OFM), to determine the feature vectors for materials. The OFM descriptors were developed based on the information of valence electron configuration and the Voronoi analysis of the atomic structures of materials. Our experiments show that deep neural networks can accurately predict formation energyand convex hull distancewith the mean absolute error around 0,124eV/atom and 0,105 eV/atom, respectively. In addition,the classification neural network can yield an accuracy of 92% in distinguishing the stable and unstable materials.

Middle school students’ career parental support and adolescent–parent career congruence: the mediating role of self-efficacy

AbstractSocial cognitive career theory accepts that an individual’s career journey occurs through the interaction of multiple factors. The career development process includes internal or external factors’ positive or negative effects. This study aims to examine the mediating role of career and talent development self-efficacy, which expresses the belief about a person’s ability, in the relationship between two variables related to parents (adolescent–parent career adaptation—career-related parental support), which is an important factor in the career development of secondary school students. The model was tested with data collected from 652 secondary school students. The results showed that career and ability self-efficacy had a partial mediating role between career-related parental support and adolescent–parent career adjustment. Suggestions are presented to increase adolescent–parent harmony.

Research on the interactive design of intelligent assisted speech software

Nowadays, people need to make all kinds of speeches and presentations, both at school and at work. With the continuous development of science and technology, there is a lot of software on the market to assist people in making speeches. The aim of this article is to introduce the conception of a new type of presentation aid software and to analyse the development process of such software. Users from different backgrounds have evaluated the existing speech assistance software on the market, and this evaluation information will be based on the user reviews on the official website of the software download. Through the requirement analysis, the main problems and demands faced by the users in the presentation process will be identified. The software will be analysed and researched in terms of its design purpose, interface design, core functions, user experience and other aspects. The research conducted in this thesis provides users with new presentation assistance software that enables them to make more confident and smooth presentations. At the same time, this research provides useful references and discussions for the design and development of intelligent aids.

Impact of the Children's Oncology Group's supportive care clinical practice guideline endorsement program: An institutional survey.

Supportive care clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) facilitate the incorporation of the best available evidence into pediatric cancer care. We aimed to assess the impact of the work of the Children's Oncology Group (COG) Supportive Care Guideline Task Force on institutional supportive care practices. An online survey was distributed to representatives at 209 COG sites to assess the awareness, use, and helpfulness of COG-endorsed supportive care CPGs. Availability of institutional policies regarding 13 topics addressed by current COG-endorsed CPGs was also assessed. Respondents described their institutional processes for developing supportive care policies. Representatives from 92 COG sites responded to the survey, and 78% (72/92) were "very aware" of the COG-endorsed supportive care CPGs. On average, sites had policies that addressed seven COG-endorsed supportive care CPG topics (median = 7, range: 0-12). Only 45% (41/92) of sites reported having institutional processes for developing supportive care policies. Of these, most (76%, 31/41) reported that the COG-endorsed CPGs have a medium or large impact on policy development. Compared with sites without processes for supportive care policy development, sites with established processes had policies on a greater number of topics aligned with current COG-endorsed CPG topics (mean=6.6, range: 0-12vs mean=7.9, range: 2-12; p=0.027). Most site respondents were aware of the COG-endorsed supportive care CPGs. Less than half of the COG sites represented in the survey have processes in place to implement supportive care policies. Improvement in local implementation is required to ensure that patients at COG sites receive evidence-based supportive care.

Correlation Between Dynamic Spray Plume and Drug Deposition of Solution-Based Pressurized Metered-Dose Inhalers.

Background: The lack of visual dynamic spray characterization has made the understanding of the physical processes governing atomization and drug particle formation difficult. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the spray plume morphology and aerodynamic particle size of solution-based pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) under different conditions to achieve better drug deposition. Methods: Solution-based pMDIs were studied, and the effects of various factors, such as propellant concentration, orifice diameters, and atomization chamber volume, on drug deposition were examined by analyzing the characteristics of spray plume and aerodynamic particle size. Results: Reducing the actuator orifice and spray area led to a concentrated spray plume and increased duration and speed. Moreover, the aerodynamic particle sizes D50 and D90 decreased, whereas D10 remained relatively unchanged. Decreasing the atomization chamber volume of the actuator led to reduced spray area and an increased duration but a decreased plume velocity. D90 exhibited a decreasing trend, whereas D10 and D50 remained relatively unchanged. Reducing the propellant concentration in the prescription, the spray area and the plume velocity first decreased and then increased. The duration initially increased and then decreased. The values of D50 and D90 showed an initial decreasing followed by an increasing trend, whereas D10 remained relatively unchanged. Conclusions: During the development process, attention should be paid to the changes in the spray area, spray angle, duration, and speed of the spray plume. This study recommended analyzing the characteristics of the spray plume and combining the data of two or more aerodynamic particle size detection methods to verify the deposition in vitro to achieve rapid screening and obtain high lung deposition invivo.

Participation of Local Communities in the Management of Post-Mine Areas in Cities

The management of post-mining reservoirs as part of urban blue infrastructure is linked to the implementation of pro-environmental policies at different levels (from local–municipal to European). Local communities, as beneficiaries of measures taken by city authorities, recognise the need for active participation in decision-making processes. They engage in making decisions on blue spaces in urban areas. These include public and natural watercourses and their surroundings, but also water-filled basins of various origins, including post-mining pits. This paper strives to answer how local communities are involved in activities for developing and managing post-mine areas filled with water within city limits. The methods used (including field observation, spatial analyses, and desk research) allowed us to classify post-mining pits according to their functions and the degree of social participation in their development process. The analysed post-mining pits were divided into three groups. The first group consisted of pit reservoirs transformed with the participation of local inhabitants into recreational grounds. The second comprised reservoirs transformed under local zoning plans (with residents consulted) expected to ultimately prop up the city’s green infrastructure. In turn, the third group consists of quasi-natural reservoirs deemed natural enclaves by city residents. The environmental analysis showed that pits were naturalised. One of them was subject to legal protection on account of biodiversity. Post-mine areas in Bydgoszcz play an important environmental role, and some are integral recreational sites, e.g., the Balaton reservoir. They materially affect the inhabitants’ daily contact with nature, which improves life quality.