The influence of environmental factors on the job burnout of physical education teachers in tertiary education.

This study takes environmental factors and individual factors as variables to explore the deep internal mechanism of the impact of a comprehensive environment on higher education physical education (PE) teachers' job burnout. Little research has been done on how environmental factors affect the internal mechanism of college and university PE teachers' job burnout through individual factors (e.g., professional pressure and teaching efficacy). In this study, the participants were 231 PE teachers from seven comprehensive universities, and four questionnaires were administered to measure the participants' job burnout, perceived overall environment, teaching efficacy, and occupational stress. Research has found that environmental factors have a significant negative impact on occupational stress, and occupational stress plays an important mediating role between environment and occupational burnout. Research has shown that differences in external environments lead to varying levels of personal stress among college physical education teachers, which in turn affects their level of occupational burnout. The study concludes that a good social, working, and living environment helps to reduce the work pressure on PE teachers, improves their sense of teaching efficacy, and inhibits the occurrence of teachers' job burnout.

Understanding learners' perceptions of ChatGPT: A thematic analysis of peer interviews among undergraduates and postgraduates in China.

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven language model engineered by OpenAI, has experienced a substantial upsurge in adoption within higher education due to its versatile applications and sophisticated capabilities. Although prevailing research on ChatGPT has predominantly concentrated on its technological aspects and pedagogical ramifications, a comprehensive understanding of students' perceptions and experiences regarding ChatGPT remains elusive. To address this gap, this study employed a peer interview methodology, conducting a thematic analysis of 106 first-year undergraduates and 81 first-year postgraduate students' perceptions from diverse disciplines at a comprehensive university in East China. The data analysis revealed that among the four factors examined-grade, age, gender, and major-grade emerged as the most influential determinant, followed by age and major. Postgraduate students demonstrated heightened awareness of the potential limitations of ChatGPT in addressing academic challenges and exhibited greater concern for security issues associated with its application. This research offers essential insights into students' perceptions and experiences with ChatGPT, emphasizing the importance of recognizing potential limitations and ethical concerns associated with ChatGPT usage. Additionally, the findings highlight ethical concerns, as students noted the importance of responsible data handling and academic integrity in ChatGPT usage, underscoring the need for ethical guidance in AI utilization. Moreover, further research is essential to optimize AI use in education, aiming to improve learning outcomes effectively.

Mechanisms of calcium homeostasis orchestrate plant growth and immunity.

Calcium (Ca2+) is an essential nutrient for plants and a cellular signal, but excessive levels can be toxic and inhibit growth1,2. To thrive in dynamic environments, plants must monitor and maintain cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis by regulating numerous Ca2+ transporters3. Here we report two signalling pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana that converge on the activation of vacuolar Ca2+/H+ exchangers (CAXs) to scavenge excess cytosolic Ca2+ in plants. One mechanism, activated in response to an elevated external Ca2+ level, entails calcineurin B-like (CBL) Ca2+ sensors and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs), which activate CAXs by phosphorylating a serine (S) cluster in the auto-inhibitory domain. The second pathway, triggered by molecular patterns associated with microorganisms, engages the immune receptor complex FLS2-BAK1 and the associated cytoplasmic kinases BIK1 and PBL1, which phosphorylate the same S-cluster in CAXs to modulate Ca2+ signals in immunity. These Ca2+-dependent (CBL-CIPK) and Ca2+-independent (FLS2-BAK1-BIK1/PBL1) mechanisms combine to balance plant growth and immunity by regulating cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis.

Applying ChatGPT to tackle the side effects of personal learning environments from learner and learning perspective: An interview of experts in higher education.

This paper investigates the capacity of ChatGPT, an advanced language model created by OpenAI, to mitigate the side effects encountered by learners in Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) within higher education. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with six professors and three Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts. Employing thematic analysis, the interview data were assessed, revealing that the side effects stemming from the learner and learning perspectives could be primarily categorized into cognitive, non-cognitive, and metacognitive challenges. The findings of the thematic analysis indicate that, from a cognitive standpoint, ChatGPT can generate relevant and trustworthy information, furnish personalized learning resources, and facilitate interdisciplinary learning to fully actualize learners' potential. Moreover, ChatGPT can aid learners in cultivating non-cognitive skills, including motivation, perseverance, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, as well as metacognitive abilities such as self-determination, self-efficacy, and self-regulation, by providing tailored feedback, fostering creativity, and stimulating critical thinking activities. This study offers valuable insights for integrating artificial intelligence technologies to unleash the full potential of PLEs in higher education.

Effective interactive engagement strategies for MOOC forum discussion: A self-efficacy perspective.

This mixed methods sequential explanatory study identified and explained the features of engagement strategies for MOOC forum discussion that help low-achieving students make significant progress. Triangulated data were collected from MOOC learners' (n = 335) scores in two reading assessments, their posts to the embedded online discussion forum, and their self-reflection learning journals. Based on learning progress between pre- and post-assessment tasks, MOOC learners are divided into three groups: 1) little, 2) moderate, and 3) significant progress. According to a statistical analysis of the quantified posts, surprisingly, the low-scoring students from the pre-test who demonstrated significant progress later engaged in significantly fewer peer-peer and peer-teacher interactions in the online discussion forum. Guided by self-efficacy literature, the reflective journals of these learners suggested that 1) learner-content interactions may help them advance learning and obtain new information and linguistic knowledge from the peer-made learning materials in the discussion forum; 2) they did not share and exchange ideas and answers with their peers. Instead, they prefer learning from others' discussions and wish to get quick feedback and suggestions on their contributions to the discussion forum; and 3) peer-peer and peer-teacher interactions were proposed as two solutions to regulate their online learning experience as they lack self-discipline and time-management skills. Implications include teachers' continuous support to encourage low-achieving students to learn peer-generated content and quick feedback on their contributions to the discussion forum.

The influence of picture book design on visual attention of children with autism: a pilot study.

Taking 22 children with mild and moderate autism as subjects and using the TobiiX 120 eye-tracker to record their eye movements in visual search of images in picture books, the characteristics of the process of autistic children viewing picture books were explored. Two measures, fixation counts and gaze duration, were used alongside attention heatmap, to explore the visual patterns among children with autism viewing two types of researcher-made picture books and an ordinary picture book. Using a within-subject design, it was found that children with autism could sustain longer gaze duration and have more fixation points on the effective area of the picture book content when viewing researcher-made picture books than when viewing the ordinary picture book, suggesting better visual attention to single-object and single-pattern picture books. The study offers insights and support for related picture book reading and teaching in the future.

Isolation, identification, and drug resistance of a partially isolated bacterium from the gill of Siniperca chuatsi.

This study was envisaged to identify a strain of bacteria isolated from the gill of mandarin fish. Identification and characterization of the bacterial strain were performed using morphological characteristics, growth temperature, physiological and biochemical tests, antibiotic sensitivity tests, artificial infection tests, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing homology analysis. The results showed that the bacterium was Gram-negative, with flagella at the end and the side. The bacterium exhibited a light brownish-gray colony on the Luria-Bertani culture and white colony on the blood agar plate without hemolytic ring. Normal growth was achieved at 42°C, and growth could be delayed in 7% NaCl broth medium. By homology comparison and analysis, the phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA7.0, and the bacterium was preliminarily identified as Achromobacter. The antibiotic sensitivity test showed that the strain was sensitive to piperacillin, carbenicillin, cefoperazone, cefazolin, ofloxacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, amikacin, neomycin, erythromycin, minocycline, doxycycline, polymyxin B, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and other drugs. However, it was resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, ceftriaxone, cefradine, cefalexin, cefuroxime sodium, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, vancomycin, compound sulfamethoxazole, clindamycin, medimycin, and furazolidone.

The influence of social education level on cybersecurity awareness and behaviour: a comparative study of university students and working graduates.

A multitude of studies have suggested potential factors that influence internet security awareness (ISA). Some, for example, used GDP and nationality to explain different ISA levels in other countries but yielded inconsistent results. This study proposed an extended knowledge-attitude-behaviour (KAB) model, which postulates an influence of the education level of society at large is a moderator to the relationship between knowledge and attitude. Using exposure to a full-time working environment as a proxy for the influence, it was hypothesized that significant differences would be found in the attitude and behaviour dimensions across groups with different conditions of exposure and that exposure to full-time work plays a moderating role in KAB. To test the hypotheses, a large-scale survey adopting the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire (HAIS-Q) was conducted with three groups of participants, namely 852 Year 1-3 students, 325 final-year students (age = 18-25) and 475 full-time employees (age = 18-50) in two cities of China. MANOVA and subsequent PROCESS regression analyses found a significant negative moderating effect of work exposure, which confirmed the proposed model. However, the effect was more pervasive than expected and moderation was found in the interaction between work exposure and all three ISA dimensions. The social influence does not only reshape the cybersecurity attitude of the highly educated, but also knowledge and behaviour. Findings contribute theoretically, methodologically and practically, offering novel perspectives on ISA research and prompting new strategies to respond to human factors.

How education level influences internet security knowledge, behaviour, and attitude: a comparison among undergraduates, postgraduates and working graduates.

During the pandemic, the prevailing online learning has brought tremendous benefits to the education field. However, it has also become a target for cybercriminals. Cybersecurity awareness (CSA) or Internet security awareness in the education sector turns out to be critical to mitigating cybersecurity risks. However, previous research indicated that using education level alone to judge CSA level received inconsistent results. This study postulated Social Educational Level (SEL) as a moderator with an extended Knowledge-Attitude-Behaviour model, used students' year level as a proxy for the impact of education level, and used work exposure for the influence of social education level, to compare CSA among undergraduates, postgraduates and working graduates. The participants in the study were divided into six groups, namely year 1 university students, year 2-3university students, final-year students, postgraduate students, young working graduates, and experienced working graduates. The Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire was used to conduct a large-scale survey. The multivariate regression model analysis showed significant differences among the knowledge, attitude and behaviour dimensions across groups with different conditions of year-level and work exposure. However, it was found that SEL played a more significant role than an individual's education level. The study suggested that a greater endeavour be committed to educating the public at large together with individuals, institutes, corporate and governments to improve the national CSA level.

Development and validation of a PLE scale from academic administrative perspective (PLES-AA) in tertiary education: A pilot study in China.

The study aims to construct and validate a rubric to assess the effectiveness of PLEs from an academic administrative perspective (PLER-AA) in tertiary education in China. A qualitative-quantitative sequential mixed-method design was used for the scale validation. A total of 206 teachers and administrative staff participated in the Confirmative Factor Analysis (CFA), which supported the 4-dimensional scale, with policy (n = 4), program design (n = 4), curriculum/instruction (n = 4), and capacity (n = 4). Meanwhile, another 189 teachers and administrative staff participated in the current sequence of PLE applications in higher education surveys, revealing a developing phase in China. Consequently, the rubric can be used as a benchmark that provides insight to educators and administrators in developing PLEs in tertiary education in China and worldwide.

Nested epistasis enhancer networks for robust genome regulation.

Mammalian genomes have multiple enhancers spanning an ultralong distance (>megabases) to modulate important genes, but it is unclear how these enhancers coordinate to achieve this task. We combine multiplexed CRISPRi screening with machine learning to define quantitative enhancer-enhancer interactions. We find that the ultralong distance enhancer network has a nested multilayer architecture that confers functional robustness of gene expression. Experimental characterization reveals that enhancer epistasis is maintained by three-dimensional chromosomal interactions and BRD4 condensation. Machine learning prediction of synergistic enhancers provides an effective strategy to identify noncoding variant pairs associated with pathogenic genes in diseases beyond genome-wide association studies analysis. Our work unveils nested epistasis enhancer networks, which can better explain enhancer functions within cells and in diseases.

Multiplexed genome regulation in vivo with hyper-efficient Cas12a.

Multiplexed modulation of endogenous genes is crucial for sophisticated gene therapy and cell engineering. CRISPR-Cas12a systems enable versatile multiple-genomic-loci targeting by processing numerous CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) from a single transcript; however, their low efficiency has hindered in vivo applications. Through structure-guided protein engineering, we developed a hyper-efficient Lachnospiraceae bacterium Cas12a variant, termed hyperCas12a, with its catalytically dead version hyperdCas12a showing significantly enhanced efficacy for gene activation, particularly at low concentrations of crRNA. We demonstrate that hyperdCas12a has comparable off-target effects compared with the wild-type system and exhibits enhanced activity for gene editing and repression. Delivery of the hyperdCas12a activator and a single crRNA array simultaneously activating the endogenous Oct4, Sox2 and Klf4 genes in the retina of post-natal mice alters the differentiation of retinal progenitor cells. The hyperCas12a system offers a versatile in vivo tool for a broad range of gene-modulation and gene-therapy applications.

Engineered miniature CRISPR-Cas system for mammalian genome regulation and editing.

Compact and versatile CRISPR-Cas systems will enable genome engineering applications through high-efficiency delivery in a wide variety of contexts. Here, we create an efficient miniature Cas system (CasMINI) engineered from the type V-F Cas12f (Cas14) system by guide RNA and protein engineering, which is less than half the size of currently used CRISPR systems (Cas9 or Cas12a). We demonstrate that CasMINI can drive high levels of gene activation (up to thousands-fold increases), while the natural Cas12f system fails to function in mammalian cells. We show that the CasMINI system has comparable activities to Cas12a for gene activation, is highly specific, and allows robust base editing and gene editing. We expect that CasMINI can be broadly useful for cell engineering and gene therapy applications ex vivo and in vivo.

Relationship between duration and extent of oedema and visual acuity outcome with ranibizumab in diabetic macular oedema: A post hoc analysis of Protocol I data.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This post hoc analysis explores the relationship between residual oedema exposure after ranibizumab treatment initiation and long-term visual acuity outcome in eyes with centre-involved diabetic macular oedema (DMO). SUBJECTS/METHODS: Eyes randomised to the ranibizumab + prompt or deferred laser treatment arms in the Protocol I trial and with observed central retinal thickness (CRT) readings at baseline and ≥1 follow-up visits (n = 367) were stratified by 1) oedema duration (number of study visits with CRT ≥ 250 µm during the first 52 weeks of ranibizumab treatment); and 2) oedema extent (amount of excess CRT [≥ 250 µm] at each study visit, averaged over the first 52 weeks). Associations between measures of residual oedema and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were assessed in multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Oedema duration and oedema extent during the first 52 weeks of ranibizumab treatment showed significant negative associations with BCVA improvement at weeks 52, 104 and 156. Eyes with the most persistent oedema gained (mean) 4.4 (95% CI 0.1─8.7) fewer Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters at week 156 than eyes with the least persistent oedema (P = 0.044). Eyes with the greatest amount of oedema gained (mean) 9.3 (95% CI 4.0─14.5) fewer ETDRS letters at week 156 than eyes with the least amount of oedema (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Macular oedema exposure over the first 52 weeks of ranibizumab treatment is a negative prognostic factor for long-term visual acuity improvement in centre-involved DMO.

Anti-CRISPR-mediated control of gene editing and synthetic circuits in eukaryotic cells.

Repurposed CRISPR-Cas molecules provide a useful tool set for broad applications of genomic editing and regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Recent discovery of phage-derived proteins, anti-CRISPRs, which serve to abrogate natural CRISPR anti-phage activity, potentially expands the ability to build synthetic CRISPR-mediated circuits. Here, we characterize a panel of anti-CRISPR molecules for expanded applications to counteract CRISPR-mediated gene activation and repression of reporter and endogenous genes in various cell types. We demonstrate that cells pre-engineered with anti-CRISPR molecules become resistant to gene editing, thus providing a means to generate "write-protected" cells that prevent future gene editing. We further show that anti-CRISPRs can be used to control CRISPR-based gene regulation circuits, including implementation of a pulse generator circuit in mammalian cells. Our work suggests that anti-CRISPR proteins should serve as widely applicable tools for synthetic systems regulating the behavior of eukaryotic cells.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EARLY ANATOMIC RESPONSE TO ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR THERAPY AND LONG-TERM OUTCOME IN DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA: An Independent Analysis of Protocol i Study Data.

PURPOSE: This post hoc analysis explores the relationship between early retinal anatomical response and long-term anatomical and visual outcomes with ranibizumab in center-involved diabetic macular edema. METHODS: Eyes randomized to the ranibizumab plus prompt laser and ranibizumab plus deferred laser treatment arms in the Protocol I study were categorized according to their proportional reduction (<20 vs. ≥20%) in central retinal thickness (CRT) after 12 weeks. Adjusted and unadjusted analyses assessed the association between early (Week 12) anatomical response and long-term (Weeks 52 and 156) anatomical and best-corrected visual acuity outcomes. RESULTS: Of 335 study eyes, 118 showed limited (<20%) and 217 showed strong (≥20%) CRT reduction at Week 12. In unadjusted and adjusted analyses, limited early CRT response was negatively and significantly associated with strong CRT response at Weeks 52 and 156. Sensitivity analyses indicated that this association was robust and unrelated to any "floor effect." In unadjusted analyses, a strong early CRT response was associated with greater long-term improvement in best-corrected visual acuity; after controlling for confounders, the association lost statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Early CRT response to ranibizumab is a significant prognostic indicator of medium- to long-term anatomical outcome in center-involved diabetic macular edema.

A CRISPR-dCas Toolbox for Genetic Engineering and Synthetic Biology.

Programmable control of gene expression is essential to understanding gene function, engineering cellular behaviors, and developing therapeutics. Beyond the gene editing applications enabled by the nuclease CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cas12a, the invention of the nuclease-dead Cas molecules (dCas9 and dCas12a) offers a platform for the precise control of genome function without gene editing. Diverse dCas tools have been developed, which constitute a comprehensive toolbox that allows for interrogation of gene function and modulation of the cellular behaviors. This review summarizes current applications of the dCas tools for transcription regulation, epigenetic engineering, genome imaging, genetic screens, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. We also highlight the advantages and existing challenges of the current dCas tools in genetic engineering and synthetic biology, and provide perspectives on future directions and applications.

CRISPR-Mediated Programmable 3D Genome Positioning and Nuclear Organization.

Programmable control of spatial genome organization is a powerful approach for studying how nuclear structure affects gene regulation and cellular function. Here, we develop a versatile CRISPR-genome organization (CRISPR-GO) system that can efficiently control the spatial positioning of genomic loci relative to specific nuclear compartments, including the nuclear periphery, Cajal bodies, and promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies. CRISPR-GO is chemically inducible and reversible, enabling interrogation of real-time dynamics of chromatin interactions with nuclear compartments in living cells. Inducible repositioning of genomic loci to the nuclear periphery allows for dissection of mitosis-dependent and -independent relocalization events and also for interrogation of the relationship between gene position and gene expression. CRISPR-GO mediates rapid de novo formation of Cajal bodies at desired chromatin loci and causes significant repression of endogenous gene expression over long distances (30-600 kb). The CRISPR-GO system offers a programmable platform to investigate large-scale spatial genome organization and function.

Streptomyces virginiae PPDC Is a New Type of Phenylpyruvate Decarboxylase Composed of Two Subunits.

Streptomyces virginiae phenylpyruvate decarboxylase (PPDC) has not been identified before. Two putative branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase subunit genes bkdC and bkdD from S. virginiae are similar to halves of other PPDC coding sequences. We cloned and characterized them biochemically in this work. The two proteins formed a stable complex attested by pull-down assay, consistent with the finding that their soluble expression was obtained only when they were coexpressed in Escherichia coli. The subunits were redesignated as SvPPDCα and SvPPDCß, because the SvPPDCα/ß complex catalyzed the conversion of phenylpyruvate to phenylacetaldehyde, reflecting the nature of the enzyme. Moreover, mutations of conserved residues in either of the two subunits led to inactivation or decreased specific activity of the enzymatic reaction. All previously identified PPDCs are encoded by a single gene. Here, we identified a new type of PPDC that contains two subunits, which gives new insights into the PPDC family.

CRISPR-Cpf1 assisted genome editing of Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Corynebacterium glutamicum is an important industrial metabolite producer that is difficult to genetically engineer. Although the Streptococcus pyogenes (Sp) CRISPR-Cas9 system has been adapted for genome editing of multiple bacteria, it cannot be introduced into C. glutamicum. Here we report a Francisella novicida (Fn) CRISPR-Cpf1-based genome-editing method for C. glutamicum. CRISPR-Cpf1, combined with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) recombineering, precisely introduces small changes into the bacterial genome at efficiencies of 86-100%. Large gene deletions and insertions are also obtained using an all-in-one plasmid consisting of FnCpf1, CRISPR RNA, and homologous arms. The two CRISPR-Cpf1-assisted systems enable N iterative rounds of genome editing in 3N+4 or 3N+2 days. A proof-of-concept, codon saturation mutagenesis at G149 of γ-glutamyl kinase relieves L-proline inhibition using Cpf1-assisted ssDNA recombineering. Thus, CRISPR-Cpf1-based genome editing provides a highly efficient tool for genetic engineering of Corynebacterium and other bacteria that cannot utilize the Sp CRISPR-Cas9 system.