Identification of prognostic immune subtypes of lung squamous cell carcinoma by unsupervised consistent clustering.

We performed UCC on the expression data of lung squamous cell carcinoma tumor samples to identify the classification of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) tumor samples, and calculated the levels of different classified immune cells by single-sample gene enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) to obtain a set of immune-related subtype gene tags, which can be used for subtype classification of lung squamous cell carcinoma. TCGA-LUSC and GSE30219 data of lung squamous cell carcinoma were obtained from TCGA and GEO databases. Prognostic-associated subtypes were identified by unsupervised consensus clustering (UCC). Using ssGSEA analysis to calculate the level of immune cells of different subtypes, obtain the connection between subtypes and immunity, identify the gene signatures recognized by subtypes, and verify this group of gene signatures through GSE30219. We effectively identified 2 subtypes that were significantly associated with prognostic survival by UCC, and calculated according to ssGSEA, the 2 subtypes were significantly different at the level of immune cells, followed by introducing a This weighted thinking computes a set of gene signatures that are significantly associated with subtype 1. During validation, this set of gene signatures could efficiently and robustly identify distinct prognostic immune subtypes, demonstrated the validity of this set of gene signatures, as well as 2 subtypes of lung squamous cell carcinoma. We used lung squamous cell carcinoma data from public databases and identified 2 prognostic immunosubtypes of lung squamous cell carcinoma and a set of gene tags that can be used to classify immune subtypes of lung squamous cell carcinoma, which may provide effective evidence for accurate clinical treatment of lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Identification of immunosuppressive signature subtypes and prognostic risk signatures in triple-negative breast cancer.

Purpose: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has transformed the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in recent years. However, some TNBC patients with high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels develop immune checkpoint resistance. Hence, there is an urgent need to characterize the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and identify biomarkers to construct prognostic models of patient survival outcomes in order to understand biological mechanisms operating within the tumor microenvironment. Patients and methods: RNA sequence (RNA-seq) data from 303 TNBC samples were analyzed using an unsupervised cluster analysis approach to reveal distinctive cellular gene expression patterns within the TNBC tumor microenvironment (TME). A panel of T cell exhaustion signatures, immunosuppressive cell subtypes and clinical features were correlated with the immunotherapeutic response, as assessed according to gene expression patterns. The test dataset was then used to confirm the occurrence of immune depletion status and prognostic features and to formulate clinical treatment recommendations. Concurrently, a reliable risk prediction model and clinical treatment strategy were proposed based on TME immunosuppressive signature differences between TNBC patients with good versus poor survival status and other clinical prognostic factors. Results: Significantly enriched TNBC microenvironment T cell depletion signatures were detected in the analyzed RNA-seq data. A high proportion of certain immunosuppressive cell subtypes, 9 inhibitory checkpoints and enhanced anti-inflammatory cytokine expression profiles were noted in 21.4% of TNBC patients that led to the designation of this group of immunosuppressed patients as the immune depletion class (IDC). Although IDC group TNBC samples contained tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes present at high densities, IDC patient prognosis was poor. Notably, PD-L1 expression was relatively elevated in IDC patients that indicated their cancers were resistant to ICB treatment. Based on these findings, a set of gene expression signatures predicting IDC group PD-L1 resistance was identified then used to develop risk models for use in predicting clinical therapeutic outcomes. Conclusion: A novel TNBC immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment subtype associated with strong PD-L1 expression and possible resistance to ICB treatment was identified. This comprehensive gene expression pattern may provide fresh insights into drug resistance mechanisms for use in optimizing immunotherapeutic approaches for TNBC patients.

How well can an AI chatbot infer personality? Examining psychometric properties of machine-inferred personality scores.

The present study explores the plausibility of measuring personality indirectly through an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. This chatbot mines various textual features from users' free text responses collected during an online conversation/interview and then uses machine learning algorithms to infer personality scores. We comprehensively examine the psychometric properties of the machine-inferred personality scores, including reliability (internal consistency, split-half, and test-retest), factorial validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity. Participants were undergraduate students (n = 1,444) enrolled in a large southeastern public university in the United States who completed a self-report Big Five personality measure (IPIP-300) and engaged with an AI chatbot for approximately 20-30 min. In a subsample (n = 407), we obtained participants' cumulative grade point averages from the University Registrar and had their peers rate their college adjustment. In an additional sample (n = 61), we obtained test-retest data. Results indicated that machine-inferred personality scores (a) had overall acceptable reliability at both the domain and facet levels, (b) yielded a comparable factor structure to self-reported questionnaire-derived personality scores, (c) displayed good convergent validity but relatively poor discriminant validity (averaged convergent correlations = .48 vs. averaged machine-score correlations = .35 in the test sample), (d) showed low criterion-related validity, and (e) exhibited incremental validity over self-reported questionnaire-derived personality scores in some analyses. In addition, there was strong evidence for cross-sample generalizability of psychometric properties of machine scores. Theoretical implications, future research directions, and practical considerations are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Structural Basis for the Immunogenicity of the C-Terminus of VP1 of Echovirus 3 Revealed by the Binding of a Neutralizing Antibody.

Echovirus 3 (E3), a serotype of human enterovirus B (HEV-B), causes severe diseases in infants. Here, we determined the structures of E3 with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) 6D10 by cryo-EM to comprehensively understand the specificities and the immunological characteristic of this serotype. The solved cryo-EM structures of the F-, A-, and E-particles of E3 bound with 6D10 revealed the structural features of the virus-antibody interface. Importantly, the structures of E-particles bound with 6D10 revealed for the first time the nature of the C-terminus of VP1 for HEV-Bs at the structural level. The highly immunogenic nature of this region in the E-particles provides new strategies for vaccine development for HEV-Bs.

The role of emotions as mechanisms of mid-test warning messages during personality testing: A field experiment.

This study focuses on the role of emotions in personnel selection and faking research. In particular, we posit that emotions are likely to be activated when applicants receive warning messages from organizations. Drawing on Nabi (Nabi, Communication Theory, 9, 1999, 292) cognitive-functional model of discrete negative emotions, we propose and empirically test the effects of three discrete negative emotions (guilt, fear, and anger) triggered by a warning message during a personality test on personality score accuracy and perceived test fairness. Participants in this within-subjects field experiment were 1,447 applicants for graduate school at a large public university in China. They completed two parallel forms of a personality test: one within a selection context, and another within a developmental context 6 months later as a baseline measure. In the selection context, a warning (or a control) message was randomly assigned to participants during the personality test. Emotions and perceived test fairness were measured after the test was completed. Results indicated that guilt, fear, and anger each played a unique role. Guilt explained how mid-test warnings improved personality score accuracy among fakers, whereas fear accounted for why nonfakers over-corrected their personality scores. Finally, anger explained why the mid-test warnings reduced perceived test fairness for both fakers and nonfakers. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Light-responsive polymersomes with a charge-switch for targeted drug delivery.

Unlike the traditional block amphiphilic polymersomes, we herein report a lipid-like amphiphilic polymer that self-assembles into photo-responsive polymersomes for drug delivery. The introduction of a quaternary ammonium moiety not only provides a hydrophilic segment of the polymersomes, but also enables electrostatic adsorption with folic acid, thus achieving the targeting of cancer cells with overexpression of folate receptor. Upon light irradiation, the photocleavage reaction of the o-nitrobenzyl moiety disintegrates polymersomes by changing the polymer structure from cationic amphiphilic state to zwitterionic hydrophilic state, thus realizing photo-triggered drug release. The data showed that anticancer drugs (doxorubicin hydrochloride, DOX·HCl) can be loaded into the hydrophilic cavity of polymersomes and controllably released by photo-induced disintegration of polymersomes. Cellular assay showed that the active targeting of folic acid and photo-triggered release endowed the DOX-loaded polymersomes with a higher cytotoxicity to HeLa cells. Such cationic polymersomes provide a novel strategy for designing effective and intelligent drug carriers, and have potential application as a novel integrated platform for targeted drug delivery.

Structures of Coxsackievirus A10 unveil the molecular mechanisms of receptor binding and viral uncoating.

Coxsackievirus A10 (CVA10), a human type-A Enterovirus (HEV-A), can cause diseases ranging from hand-foot-and-mouth disease to polio-myelitis-like disease. CVA10, together with some other HEV-As, utilizing the molecule KREMEN1 as an entry receptor, constitutes a KREMEN1-dependent subgroup within HEV-As. Currently, there is no vaccine or antiviral therapy available for treating diseases caused by CVA10. The atomic-resolution structure of the CVA10 virion, which is within the KREMEN1-dependent subgroup, shows significant conformational differences in the putative receptor binding sites and serotype-specific epitopes, when compared to the SCARB2-dependent subgroup of HEV-A, such as EV71, highlighting specific differences between the sub-groups. We also report two expanded structures of CVA10, an empty particle and uncoating intermediate at atomic resolution, as well as a medium-resolution genome structure reconstructed using a symmetry-mismatch method. Structural comparisons coupled with previous results, reveal an ordered signal transmission process for enterovirus uncoating, converting exo-genetic receptor-attachment inputs into a generic RNA release mechanism.

Family boundary characteristics, work-family conflict and life satisfaction: A moderated mediation model.

Although work-family border and boundary theory suggest individuals' boundary characteristics influence their work-family relationship, it is largely unknown how boundary flexibility and permeability mutually influence work-family conflict and subsequent employee outcomes. Moreover, the existing work-family conflict research has been mainly conducted in the United States and other Western countries. To address these gaps in the work-family literature, the present study examines a moderated mediation model regarding how family boundary characteristics may influence individuals' work-family conflict and life satisfaction with a sample of 278 Chinese full-time employees. Results showed that employees' family flexibility negatively related to their perceived work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW), and both these two relationships were augmented by individuals' family permeability. In addition, WIF mediated the relationship between family flexibility and life satisfaction; the indirect effect of family flexibility on life satisfaction via WIF was stronger for individuals with higher family permeability. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.

Testing for measurement invariance with respect to an ordinal variable.

Researchers are often interested in testing for measurement invariance with respect to an ordinal auxiliary variable such as age group, income class, or school grade. In a factor-analytic context, these tests are traditionally carried out via a likelihood ratio test statistic comparing a model where parameters differ across groups to a model where parameters are equal across groups. This test neglects the fact that the auxiliary variable is ordinal, and it is also known to be overly sensitive at large sample sizes. In this paper, we propose test statistics that explicitly account for the ordinality of the auxiliary variable, resulting in higher power against "monotonic" violations of measurement invariance and lower power against "non-monotonic" ones. The statistics are derived from a family of tests based on stochastic processes that have recently received attention in the psychometric literature. The statistics are illustrated via an application involving real data, and their performance is studied via simulation.

Simultaneous quantification of alleles E198A and H6Y in the ß-tubulin gene conferring benzimidazole resistance in Monilinia fructicola using a duplex real-time (TaqMan) PCR.

BACKGROUND: The benzimidazole fungicide thiophanate-methyl is commonly used for the control of brown rot of stone fruits. Low and high levels of resistance to this fungicide have been found in field isolates of the causal pathogen Monilinia fructicola. RESULTS: The minor groove binding (MGB) TaqMan probes specific for alleles E198A and H6Y conferring the high and low levels of resistance in the ß-tubulin gene of M. fructicola were designed. A duplex real-time PCR assay based on these probes was developed for simultaneous quantification of both mutations in a pathogen population. The specificity tests for the primers and probes were conducted using different fungal species of stone and pome fruit pathogens. Similar results were obtained between the duplex real-time (TaqMan) PCR assay and the conventional method to quantify the frequencies of alleles E198A and H6Y of eight samples from different peach orchards. CONCLUSION: The MGB TaqMan probe based duplex real-time PCR provides a useful tool for simultaneous quantification of both alleles, E198A and H6Y, conferring high and low resistance, and has a potential in monitoring the benzimidazole-resistance in M. fructicola populations in stone and pome fruit orchards.

Testing the efficacy of a new procedure for reducing faking on personality tests within selection contexts.

The authors propose a new procedure for reducing faking on personality tests within selection contexts. This computer-based procedure attempts to identify and warn potential fakers early on during the testing process and then give them a chance for recourse. Two field studies were conducted to test the efficacy of the proposed procedure. Study 1 participants were 157 applicants competing for 10 staff positions at a large university located in a southern city in the People's Republic of China. In Study 1, potential fakers received a warning message, whereas nonfakers received a nonwarning (control) message. Study 2 participants were 386 Chinese college students applying for membership of a popular student organization at the same university where Study 1 was conducted. In Study 2, the warning and control messages were randomly assigned to all applicants. Results showed some promise for the proposed procedure, but several practical issues need to be considered.

Measuring gratitude in youth: assessing the psychometric properties of adult gratitude scales in children and adolescents.

Before the developmental trajectory, outcomes, and related interventions of gratitude can be accurately and confidently studied among the youth, researchers must ensure that they have psychometrically sound measures of gratitude that are suitable for this population. Thus, considering that no known scales were specifically designed to measure gratitude in youth, this study aimed to answer an important question: Are the existing gratitude scales used with adults valid for use with youth? The present study is an empirical investigation, based on a large youth sample (N = 1,405) with ages ranging from 10 to 19 years old, of the psychometric properties of scores of the Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6; M. E. McCullough, R. A. Emmons, & J.-A. Tsang, 2002), the Gratitude Adjective Checklist (GAC; M. E. McCullough, R. A. Emmons, & J.-A. Tsang, 2002), and the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test (GRAT)-short form (M. Thomas & P. Watkins, 2003). Single-group and multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the factor structures of these gratitude scales resemble those found with adults and were invariant across age groups. Scores of all three gratitude scales revealed acceptable internal consistency estimates (i.e., >.70) across age groups. Results showed that whereas scores of all three gratitude scales were positively correlated with each other for 14- to 19-year-olds, GRAT-short form scores tended to display relatively low correlations with scores of the other two measures for younger children (10-13 years old). Furthermore, the nomological network analysis showed that scores of all three gratitude scales were positively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction scores across the age groups. The relationships with negative affect and depression scores, however, seemed dependent on the child's age. Pending results from subsequent research recommendations for researchers interested in studying gratitude in youth are offered.

Comparisons of organizational constraints and their relations to strains in China and the United States.

Organizational constraints is an important source of job stress. To study the relations between organizational constraints and four indices of job strains in cross-cultural work settings, both self-report and coworker-report data were collected from university employees in two culturally dissimilar countries: China and the United States. As predicted, U.S. university employees reported more interpersonal constraints than did their Chinese counterparts. No country difference was found for job context constraints. Both self-report and coworker-report data revealed significant correlations between organizational constraints and job strains in both countries. Country moderated the relations between interpersonal constraints and negative emotions/job satisfaction/voluntary lateness, with stronger correlations in the United States than in China. Country also moderated the relations between job context constraints and all four indicators of job strains, indicating that U.S. university employees were more sensitive to workplace constraints than were their Chinese counterparts. Suggestions are provided for future research and practice applications.

Genetic diversity of populations of Monilinia fructicola (Fungi, Ascomycota, Helotiales) from China.

The genetic variation among 128 isolates of Monilinia fructicola (Fungi, Ascomycota, Helotiales) from China was analyzed using Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers and compared with those of samples from California, USA and New Zealand. A total of 72 reproducible DNA fragments were scored, of which 87.5% (63/72) were polymorphic. The Nei's gene diversity and Shannon's diversity indices of three Chinese regional populations were very similar to that from California. However, several differences were observed among geographic populations of M. fructicola from both within China and between China and California. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of isolates from different geographic locations suggested that most of the observed genetic variation was found within populations. Results of this study are inconsistent with the hypothesis that the Chinese populations of M. fructicola were derived from a single or few recent migrants from other countries. Instead, our results suggest that M. fructicola has been in China long before its first official recording in 2003.

Organizational and cultural entry: a new type of orientation program for multiple boundary crossings.

A longitudinal field experiment was designed to test the efficacy of a new type of orientation program in facilitating sojourners' organizational and cultural entry. Focused on stress coping, this new approach to orientation has the following features: (a) a thorough needs assessment identified the major stressors from both organizational and cultural entry, (b) sojourners were provided with realistic information regarding their future tasks and environment, and (c) sojourners were taught various coping skills to handle the major stressors. Seventy-two new graduate students from Asia entering a large midwestern public university in the United States were randomly assigned to either a traditional orientation program or the new program. The participants were assessed immediately after the orientation, as well as at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months post-entry. Results show that participants in the new orientation program had lower pre-entry expectations, felt less stressed, and reported higher levels of academic and interaction adjustment at 6 and 9 months post-entry than participants in the traditional orientation program. Many of the beneficial effects from the new orientation experience were not immediately apparent; rather, they emerged over time. Sojourner stress was found to mediate some of the treatment effects, as predicted.

Longitudinal examination of the role of goal orientation in cross-cultural adjustment.

In this longitudinal study, the authors introduced goal orientation theory to the study of cross-cultural adjustment. The authors examined relationships among dispositional goal orientation, domain-specific self-efficacy, and cross-cultural adjustment. Results indicated that a learning orientation was positively related to sojourners' academic and social self-efficacy, whereas a performance orientation was negatively related to sojourners' social self-efficacy. Sojourners' academic and social self-efficacy were positively related to academic and social adjustment, respectively. A learning orientation was positively related to academic and social adjustment, and the relationship was mediated by self-efficacy. A performance orientation was not related to adjustment. Finally, academic adjustment was positively related to grade point average. The authors discussed implications for research and practices.