Induction of RNAi core machinery's gene expression by exogenous dsRNA and the effects of pre-exposure to dsRNA on the gene silencing efficiency in the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum)

The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, is an important agricultural pest and biological model organism, and RNA interference (RNAi) is an important tool for functional genomics and for insect pest management. However, the efficiency of RNAi in pea aphids is variable, limiting its application in aphids. In this study, we present optimized conditions for inducing and increasing the gene silencing efficiency of RNAi in pea aphids. The optimal gene silencing of the target Aphunchback gene was achieved by injecting 600 ng double-stranded (ds) RNA, and the highest mRNA depletion rate (74%) was detected at 36 h after injection. Moreover, the same gene silencing conditions were used to achieve transcript silencing for nine different genes in the pea aphid, although the silencing efficiencies for the different genes varied. Furthermore, the pre-exposure of aphids to dsRNA (600 ng dsGFP) led to significant hunchback silencing following a secondary exposure to 60 ng of dshunchback, a dose which did not lead to gene silencing when independently injected. The information presented here can be exploited to develop more efficient RNAi bioassays for pea aphids, both as gene functional study tools and an insect pest control strategy

Hierarchical Control Strategy for Active Hydropneumatic Suspension Vehicles Based on Genetic Algorithms

A new hierarchical control strategy for active hydropneumatic suspension systems is proposed. This strategy considers the dynamic characteristics of the actuator. The top hierarchy controller uses a combined control scheme: a genetic algorithm- (GA-) based self-tuning proportional-integral-derivative controller and a fuzzy logic controller. For practical implementations of the proposed control scheme, a GA-based self-learning process is initiated only when the defined performance index of vehicle dynamics exceeds a certain debounce time threshold. The designed control algorithm is implemented on a virtual prototype and cosimulations are performed with different road disturbance inputs. Cosimulation results show that the active hydropneumatic suspension system designed in this study significantly improves riding comfort characteristics of vehicles. The robustness and adaptability of the proposed controller are also examined when the control system is subjected to extremely rough road conditions

Infants learn to follow gaze in stages: Evidence confirming a robotic prediction

Gaze following is an early-emerging skill in infancy argued to be fundamental to joint attention and later language development. However, how gaze following emerges is a topic of great debate. Representational theories assume that in order to follow adults’ gaze, infants must have a rich sensitivity to adults’ communicative intention from birth. In contrast, learning-based theories hold that infants may learn to gaze follow based on low-level social reinforcement, without the need to understand others’ mental states. Nagai, Asada and Hosoda [Advanced Robotics, 20, 10 (2016)] successfully taught a robot to gaze follow through social reinforcement and found that the robot learned in stages: first in the horizontal plane, and later in the vertical plane – a prediction that does not follow from representational theories. In the current study, we tested this prediction in an eye-tracking paradigm. Six-month-olds did not follow gaze in either the horizontal or vertical plane, whereas 12-month-olds and 18-month-olds only followed gaze in the horizontal plane. These results confirm the core prediction of the robot model, suggesting that children may also learn to gaze follow through social reinforcement coupled with a structured learning environment

Infants learn to follow gaze in stages:Evidence confirming a robotic prediction

Gaze following is an early-emerging skill in infancy argued to be fundamental to joint attention and later language development. However, how gaze following emerges is a topic of great debate. Representational theories assume that in order to follow adults’ gaze, infants must have a rich sensitivity to adults’ communicative intention from birth. In contrast, learning-based theories hold that infants may learn to gaze follow based on low-level social reinforcement, without the need to understand others’ mental states. Nagai, Asada and Hosoda [Advanced Robotics, 20, 10 (2016)] successfully taught a robot to gaze follow through social reinforcement and found that the robot learned in stages: first in the horizontal plane, and later in the vertical plane – a prediction that does not follow from representational theories. In the current study, we tested this prediction in an eye-tracking paradigm. Six-month-olds did not follow gaze in either the horizontal or vertical plane, whereas 12-month-olds and 18-month-olds only followed gaze in the horizontal plane. These results confirm the core prediction of the robot model, suggesting that children may also learn to gaze follow through social reinforcement coupled with a structured learning environment

Intrauterine contraception use among women receiving post-abortion care in Guangzhou, China: a cross-sectional study

Background: In China, long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods are recommended mainly for married women who were reluctant to have more children. The inclusion of LARC methods (maily intrauterine device, IUD) into Post-Abortion Care (PAC) service for all women is a new concept. We aim to explore the uptake of IUD and the possible factors affecting IUD use among women receiving PAC in Guangzhou, China. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2019 and July 2020 among 945 women in Guangzhou. The Multivariate logistic regression was employed toexamine factors associated withIUD uptake. Results: The prevalence of IUD uptake was 17.4% at one month after receiving PAC in Guangzhou, China. Unmarried women were 61% significantly less likely to use IUD than married women. Immigrants were 76% significantly less likely to use IUD than non-immigrants. Women who had no children or only one child were 68% and 60% significantly less likely to use IUD compared to those who had more than two children. Barriers to the use of IUD were lack of familiarity with respect to IUD, concerns related to future fertility and women with limited decision-making autonomy regarding IUD use. Conclusions: The study highlighted the needs for policies and education programs to promote the use of IUD to prevent repeat unintended pregnancy during the immediate post-abortion period

Having others in mind

The ability to coordinate effectively is fundamental to human society. This thesis explored a key contributing factor to coordination: the tendency to have the presence, actions, needs, expectations, and other mental states of other social agents in mind. This can occur at different levels of awareness and may involve adjusting one’s behavior and mental states to accommodate others, even when such adjustments contradict one’s initial intentions. Three studies were conducted. The first two examined various domains of Having Others in Mind in children and adults. Study 1a explored this tendency in 4- to 7-year-old UK children, using behavioral tasks assessing spontaneous sensitivity to others’ bodies, goals, needs, and expectations. Some children showed early signs of Having Others in Mind, and this increased with age. No significant interrelations were found among tasks. Study 1b extended the investigation to adults, assessing Cognitive and Affective Perspective Taking, Emotional Contagion, Obligation, Self-other Correspondence, Considerateness, and Guilt using a questionnaire. Here, interrelations were found among most of the subscales. Chapter 3 focused on Having Others in Mind in the moral domain. Five-year-old Chinese and UK children evaluated individuals who failed to fulfill their obligations and the reasons they gave, in varying contexts. Chinese children showed a stronger preference for individuals who provided good reasons than UK children and expressed more normative force in their justifications. In short, young children showed a flexible interpretation of the strengths of obligations when obligation and cultural contexts vary. Together, these studies point to a potential unifying tendency, Having Others in Mind, that begins in early childhood and spans across perceptual, action, affective, and moral domains. This thesis thus provides new insights into an everyday yet often unnoticed tendency that may play a crucial role in facilitating smooth and precise coordination between individuals: Having Others in Mind

Children's judgments of others' reasons for not fulfilling their obligations

Children understand obligations in the context of joint commitments by 3 years of age (e.g., Gräfenhain et al., 2009). Besides the specific obligations present in commitments, there are also more general, agent-neutral kinds of obligations, like the obligation to help. When both types of obligations are not fulfilled, the offenders might provide reasons to justify themselves, and the quality of these reasons will be judged by the offended party. Children aged from 3 to 5 years can distinguish good reasons from poor ones in other contexts (e.g., Harris et al., 2015; Schleihauf et al., 2022). In this cross-cultural study of Chinese and UK children, we investigate 5-year-olds' judgment of two individuals who did not fulfil their obligations based on the reasons the individuals gave for this to evaluate children's understanding of obligations in different contexts. Participants will be presented with two stories (one involving joint commitments and one involving helping) in which two individuals failed to fulfil their obligation and then gave their (good vs. poor) reasons for doing this. For example, the good reason for breaking a promise to perform a joint activity was “I didn't show up because the bus I was taking broke down on my way there” and the poor reason in the same situation was “I didn't show up because I decided to stay at home to watch TV.” In different versions of the stories, the obligation will be stronger vs. weaker, or there will be no (or just a very minimal) obligation. Children will then be asked about their attitudes toward these two individuals through forced choice and rating questions about liking, trust, blame and punishment, and will also be asked to provide justifications for their responses. Testing will take place in a video call with a live experimenter