Table_2_Exploring the effect of teacher autonomy support on Chinese EFL undergraduates’ academic English speaking performance through the mediation of basic psychological needs and classroom engagement.docx

IntroductionThe capacity to speak English for academic purposes is a pivotal facet of language education and assessment. Despite the substantial research approving the significant role of teachers in L2 learning, it remains unclear how exactly teachers’ support for students’ learning autonomy influences EFL learners’ academic English speaking performance.MethodsTo address this primary concern, this study drew ground from the Self-System Model of Motivational Development (SSMMD) and adopted a mixed-method approach to examine teacher autonomy support’s direct and indirect effects on Chinese EFL undergraduates’ academic English speaking performance through the mediation of basic psychological needs and classroom engagement. 247 first-year university students participating in academic English speaking courses were recruited in this study.Results and discussionThe quantitative results of the questionnaire indicated that students’ perceived teacher support for autonomy directly predicted English speaking performance, and it also indirectly influenced students’ speaking performance via the mediation of classroom engagement and basic psychological needs. Students’ responses in the semi-structured interview further verified the positive effect of teacher autonomy support on academic English speaking development in the classroom. Pedagogical implications were also discussed based on the findings.</p

Table_1_Exploring the effect of teacher autonomy support on Chinese EFL undergraduates’ academic English speaking performance through the mediation of basic psychological needs and classroom engagement.docx

IntroductionThe capacity to speak English for academic purposes is a pivotal facet of language education and assessment. Despite the substantial research approving the significant role of teachers in L2 learning, it remains unclear how exactly teachers’ support for students’ learning autonomy influences EFL learners’ academic English speaking performance.MethodsTo address this primary concern, this study drew ground from the Self-System Model of Motivational Development (SSMMD) and adopted a mixed-method approach to examine teacher autonomy support’s direct and indirect effects on Chinese EFL undergraduates’ academic English speaking performance through the mediation of basic psychological needs and classroom engagement. 247 first-year university students participating in academic English speaking courses were recruited in this study.Results and discussionThe quantitative results of the questionnaire indicated that students’ perceived teacher support for autonomy directly predicted English speaking performance, and it also indirectly influenced students’ speaking performance via the mediation of classroom engagement and basic psychological needs. Students’ responses in the semi-structured interview further verified the positive effect of teacher autonomy support on academic English speaking development in the classroom. Pedagogical implications were also discussed based on the findings.</p

Early Paleozoic granitoids from South China: implications for understanding the Wuyi-Yunkai orogen

The early Paleozoic Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny involves voluminous magmatism and represents the first major tectonothermal event in the South China block since the Neoproterozoic break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent. Here we investigate three representative granitic plutons in Guangxi province of southwest China with a view to understand the magmatic response of the Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny. We present the results of major and trace elements, Sr-Nd isotopes, zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope. LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb geochronology reveals that these plutons emplaced during the early Silurian (441–432 Ma), overlapping with the reported ages of the early Paleozoic magmatism in this orogen. Among the three plutons investigated in this study, the Qinjia pluton is characterized by weakly to strongly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.0–1.2) nature with SiO2 content varing from 70.6 to 72.3 wt.%. Combined with the relatively high εNd(t) values (−4.9 to −4.2) and εHf(t) values (−2.9 to +6.1), the Qinjia pluton is thought to derive from partial melting of metasedimentary and metabasic rocks and there may exsit juvenile components in magma source. The Damingshan porphyritic granites (SiO2 = 74.8–76.5 wt.%) and Yingqiao granites (SiO2 = 76.5–76.6 wt.%) are strongly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.1–1.6) and they have negative zircon εHf(t) values (−6.8 to −4.2, −12.8 to −6.1, respectively) and whole-rock εNd(t) values (−6.3 to −6.2, −8.4, respectively). These signatures indicate that the Damingshan and Yingqiao plutons were derived from partial melting of ancient metasedimentary rocks. Combining our data with those from previous studies on the magmatic, sedimentary and metamorphic records of this area, we suggest that the early Paleozoic magmatism is likely associated with lithospheric delamination and the Wuyi-Yunkai orogen is an intracontinental orogen linked to the far-field response to the assembly of the South China block with the Gondwana in the early Paleozoic.</p

DataSheet_1_Association of Brain Metastases With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Efficacy in Advanced Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.docx

BackgroundIn pivotal immunotherapy trials, the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors as treatments for lung cancer patients with brain metastases remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the relative efficacy of immunotherapy versus standard systemic therapy in advanced lung cancer patients with and without brain metastases.MethodsSystematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane database, and conference proceedings up to Aug 6, 2020 without year and language restrictions. The main outcomes were the overall survival in patients with and without brain metastases measured by hazard ratios, and the difference in efficacy between patients with and without brain metastases was measured by ratio of hazard ratios.ResultsNine eligible randomized controlled trials involving 6241 patients (682 [11%] with brain metastases and 5559 [89%] without brain metastases) were included in the analysis. A survival benefit of immunotherapy was observed for both patients with brain metastases (HR, 0.75; 95%CI, 0.53-0.97; P = .026) and patients without brain metastases (HR, 0.75; 95%CI, 0.67-0.83; P ConclusionsImmunotherapy can significantly improve overall survival for advanced lung cancer patients with asymptomatic brain metastases, especially in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, but the magnitude of benefit is brain metastases dependent.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020206597.</p

Table_1_Anti-Angiogenic Drugs Inhibit Interstitial Lung Disease Progression in Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.docx

BackgroundInterstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most serious complication of chemotherapy in lung cancer patients with pre-existing ILD. The effect of anti-angiogenic drugs in lung cancer patients with ILD remains unclear. We examined the effect of anti-angiogenic drugs on reducing the risk of ILD progression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving chemotherapy.MethodsWe analyzed the risk of ILD progression in 52 patients with advanced NSCLC with ILD who received first-line chemotherapy with (anti-angiogenic group, n = 22) and without (non-anti-angiogenic group, n = 30) anti-angiogenic drugs between August 2014 and January 2021.ResultsThe incidences of chemotherapy-related ILD progression were significantly lower in the anti-angiogenic than in the non-anti-angiogenic groups (0% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.033). However, there were no differences in other events as the competing risk factors of ILD progression between the two groups. The overall-cumulative incidence of ILD progression during the first-line and subsequent chemotherapy was 30.8% (16 of the 52). The median progression-free survival had no significant difference between the anti-angiogenic and the non-anti-angiogenic groups (10.3 vs. 8.1 months, p = 0.386).ConclusionsThe addition of anti-angiogenic drugs to chemotherapy regimens may reduce the risk of chemotherapy-related ILD progression in patients with NSCLC-ILD.</p

Image_2_Lycopene Is Enriched in Tomato Fruit by CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Multiplex Genome Editing.TIF

Numerous studies have been focusing on breeding tomato plants with enhanced lycopene accumulation, considering its positive effects of fruits on the visual and functional properties. In this study, we used a bidirectional strategy: promoting the biosynthesis of lycopene, while inhibiting the conversion from lycopene to β- and α-carotene. The accumulation of lycopene was promoted by knocking down some genes associated with the carotenoid metabolic pathway. Finally, five genes were selected to be edited in genome by CRISPR/Cas9 system using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Our findings indicated that CRISPR/Cas9 is a site-specific genome editing technology that allows highly efficient target mutagenesis in multiple genes of interest. Surprisingly, the lycopene content in tomato fruit subjected to genome editing was successfully increased to about 5.1-fold. The homozygous mutations were stably transmitted to subsequent generations. Taken together, our results suggest that CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for significantly improving lycopene content in tomato fruit with advantages such as high efficiency, rare off-target mutations, and stable heredity.</p

Image_5_Lycopene Is Enriched in Tomato Fruit by CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Multiplex Genome Editing.tif

<p>Numerous studies have been focusing on breeding tomato plants with enhanced lycopene accumulation, considering its positive effects of fruits on the visual and functional properties. In this study, we used a bidirectional strategy: promoting the biosynthesis of lycopene, while inhibiting the conversion from lycopene to β- and α-carotene. The accumulation of lycopene was promoted by knocking down some genes associated with the carotenoid metabolic pathway. Finally, five genes were selected to be edited in genome by CRISPR/Cas9 system using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Our findings indicated that CRISPR/Cas9 is a site-specific genome editing technology that allows highly efficient target mutagenesis in multiple genes of interest. Surprisingly, the lycopene content in tomato fruit subjected to genome editing was successfully increased to about 5.1-fold. The homozygous mutations were stably transmitted to subsequent generations. Taken together, our results suggest that CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for significantly improving lycopene content in tomato fruit with advantages such as high efficiency, rare off-target mutations, and stable heredity.</p

Image_1_Lycopene Is Enriched in Tomato Fruit by CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Multiplex Genome Editing.PDF

<p>Numerous studies have been focusing on breeding tomato plants with enhanced lycopene accumulation, considering its positive effects of fruits on the visual and functional properties. In this study, we used a bidirectional strategy: promoting the biosynthesis of lycopene, while inhibiting the conversion from lycopene to β- and α-carotene. The accumulation of lycopene was promoted by knocking down some genes associated with the carotenoid metabolic pathway. Finally, five genes were selected to be edited in genome by CRISPR/Cas9 system using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Our findings indicated that CRISPR/Cas9 is a site-specific genome editing technology that allows highly efficient target mutagenesis in multiple genes of interest. Surprisingly, the lycopene content in tomato fruit subjected to genome editing was successfully increased to about 5.1-fold. The homozygous mutations were stably transmitted to subsequent generations. Taken together, our results suggest that CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for significantly improving lycopene content in tomato fruit with advantages such as high efficiency, rare off-target mutations, and stable heredity.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Lycopene Is Enriched in Tomato Fruit by CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Multiplex Genome Editing.DOC

<p>Numerous studies have been focusing on breeding tomato plants with enhanced lycopene accumulation, considering its positive effects of fruits on the visual and functional properties. In this study, we used a bidirectional strategy: promoting the biosynthesis of lycopene, while inhibiting the conversion from lycopene to β- and α-carotene. The accumulation of lycopene was promoted by knocking down some genes associated with the carotenoid metabolic pathway. Finally, five genes were selected to be edited in genome by CRISPR/Cas9 system using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Our findings indicated that CRISPR/Cas9 is a site-specific genome editing technology that allows highly efficient target mutagenesis in multiple genes of interest. Surprisingly, the lycopene content in tomato fruit subjected to genome editing was successfully increased to about 5.1-fold. The homozygous mutations were stably transmitted to subsequent generations. Taken together, our results suggest that CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for significantly improving lycopene content in tomato fruit with advantages such as high efficiency, rare off-target mutations, and stable heredity.</p

Image_4_Lycopene Is Enriched in Tomato Fruit by CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Multiplex Genome Editing.TIF

<p>Numerous studies have been focusing on breeding tomato plants with enhanced lycopene accumulation, considering its positive effects of fruits on the visual and functional properties. In this study, we used a bidirectional strategy: promoting the biosynthesis of lycopene, while inhibiting the conversion from lycopene to β- and α-carotene. The accumulation of lycopene was promoted by knocking down some genes associated with the carotenoid metabolic pathway. Finally, five genes were selected to be edited in genome by CRISPR/Cas9 system using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Our findings indicated that CRISPR/Cas9 is a site-specific genome editing technology that allows highly efficient target mutagenesis in multiple genes of interest. Surprisingly, the lycopene content in tomato fruit subjected to genome editing was successfully increased to about 5.1-fold. The homozygous mutations were stably transmitted to subsequent generations. Taken together, our results suggest that CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for significantly improving lycopene content in tomato fruit with advantages such as high efficiency, rare off-target mutations, and stable heredity.</p