The Influence of Affective Empathy on Online News Belief: The Moderated Mediation of State Empathy and News Type.

The belief in online news has become a topical issue. Previous studies demonstrated the role emotion plays in fake news vulnerability. However, few studies have explored the effect of empathy on online news belief. This study investigated the relationship between trait empathy, state empathy, belief in online news, and the potential moderating effect of news type. One hundred and forty undergraduates evaluated 50 online news pieces (25 real, 25 fake) regarding their belief, state empathy, valence, arousal, and familiarity. Trait empathy data were collected using the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. State empathy was positively correlated with affective empathy in trait empathy and believability, and affective empathy was positively correlated with believability. The influence of affective empathy on news belief was partially mediated by state empathy and regulated by news type (fake, real). We discuss the influence of empathy on online news belief and its internal processes. This study shares some unique insights for researchers, practitioners, social media users, and social media platform providers.

The influence of sentence focus on mental simulation: A possible cause of ACE instability.

Recent studies have revealed the instability of the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE). The current study was designed to demonstrate the hypothesis that the instability of the ACE may be attributed to the instability of focused information in a sentence. A pilot study indicated that the focused information of sentences was relatively stable in the sentence-picture verification task but exhibited significant interindividual variability in the action-sentence compatibility paradigm in previous studies. Experiments 1 and 2 examined the effect of sentence focus on the shape match effect and the ACE by manipulating the focused information of sentences using the focus marker word "" (is). Experiment 1 found that the shape match effect occurred in the original sentence, while it disappeared when the word "" (is) was used to make an object noun no longer the focus of a sentence. Experiment 2 failed to observe the ACE regardless of whether the sentence focus was on the action information. Experiment 3 modified the focus manipulation to observe its impact on the ACE using different fonts and underlines to highlight the focused information. The results indicated that the ACE only occurred when the action information was the sentence focus. These findings suggest that sentence focus influences mental simulation, and the instability of the ACE is likely to be associated with the instability of sentence focus in previous studies. This outcome highlights the crucial role of identifying specific information as the critical element expressed in the current linguistic context for successful simulation.

The influence of sentence focus on motor system activity in language comprehension and its temporal dynamics: Preliminary evidence from sEMG.

Previous research has shown that individual experiences and experimental tasks can influence the occurrence of mental simulation during sentence comprehension. However, little research has focused on the effect of sentence focus on mental simulation and its temporal dynamics. Sentence focus refers to the hierarchical structure of information within a sentence, where focused information represents the most prominent and essential information. In contrast, nonfocused information provides a background for the focused information. The present study investigated whether sentence focus would affect the activity of the motor system in language comprehension and at which stage the effect of sentence focus occurred. We measured spontaneous arm muscle electrical activity by surface electromyography (sEMG) while participants read action-focused, nonaction-focused, and control sentences. We observed greater spontaneous muscle electrical activity in the flexor common muscle of the fingers when participants read action-focused sentences compared to nonaction-focused and control sentences. Additionally, there was an interactive trend between sentence type and time, spontaneous muscle electrical activity while reading action-focused sentences was observed in both early (1 ms to 300 ms after the presentation of the action phrase) and late time windows (901 ms to 1500 ms after the action phrase). The findings suggest that the motor system exhibits flexible engagement during language comprehension and the impact of sentence focus on motor system activity may be throughout both the lexical-semantic retrieval and sentence-meaning integration stages.

Transcriptome and metabolome profiling unveil the mechanisms of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. peel coloration.

Coloring is an important external quality of jujube fruit (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), however during long-term storage, its commercial value degrades as the peel color and lustre significantly fade. Here, the gene expression and metabolite concentration were profiled in the fruit peel of jujube harvested at three ripening periods to elucidate the color formation mechanism. A strong accumulation of malvidin 3-O-glucoside and delphinidin 3-O-glucoside correlated with the reddening of jujube peel. At the onset of the fruit ripening, strong activities of the genes in the early steps of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway were observed. During the last ripening periods, three UDP-glucose flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT) involved in the accumulation of anthocyanins were significantly increased and their proper manipulation could delay the peel reddening. This study sheds light on the metabolic pathways and candidate genes underlying the peel coloration in jujube and lays a foundation for the improvement of jujube fruit appeal during long-term storage.

High-Density Genetic Map Construction and QTL Mapping of Leaf and Needling Traits in Ziziphus jujuba Mill.

The Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill., 2n = 2x = 24), one of the most popular fruit trees in Asia, is widely cultivated and utilized in China, where it is traditionally consumed as both a fresh and dried food resource. A high-density genetic map can provide the necessary framework for quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses and map-based gene cloning and molecular breeding. In this study, we constructed a new high-density genetic linkage map via a genotyping-by-sequencing approach. For the consensus linkage map, a total of 3,792 markers spanning 2,167.5 cM were mapped onto 12 linkage groups, with an average marker interval distance of 0.358 cM. The genetic map anchored 301 Mb (85.7%) of scaffolds from the sequenced Z. jujuba "Junzao" genome. Based on this genetic map, 30 potential QTLs were detected, including 27 QTLs for leaf traits and 3 QTLs for needling length. This high-density genetic map and the identified QTLs for relevant agronomic traits lay the groundwork for functional genetic mapping, map-based cloning, and marker-assisted selection in jujube.

Comparative genome analysis of jujube witches'-broom Phytoplasma, an obligate pathogen that causes jujube witches'-broom disease.

BACKGROUND: JWB phytoplasma is a kind of insect-transmitted and uncultivable bacterial plant pathogen causeing a destructive Jujube disease. To date, no genome information about JWB phytoplasma has been published, which hindered its characterization at genomic level. To understand its pathogenicity and ecology, the genome of a JWB phytoplasma isolate jwb-nky was sequenced and compared with other phytoplasmas enabled us to explore the mechanisms of genomic rearrangement. RESULTS: The complete genome sequence of JWB phytoplasma (jwb-nky) was determined, which consisting of one circular chromosome of 750,803 bp with a GC content of 23.3%. 694 protein-encoding genes, 2 operons for rRNA genes and 31 tRNA genes as well as 4 potential mobile units (PMUs) containing clusters of DNA repeats were identified. Based on PHIbaes analysis, a large number of genes were genome-specific and approximately 13% of JWB phytoplasma genes were predicted to be associated with virulence. Although transporters for maltose, dipeptides/oligopeptides, spermidine/putrescine, cobalt, Mn/Zn and methionine were identified, KEGG pathway analysis revealed the reduced metabolic capabilities of JWB phytoplasma. Comparative genome analyses between JWB phytoplasma and other phytoplasmas shows the occurrence of large-scale gene rearrangements. The low synteny with other phytoplasmas indicated that the expansion of multiple gene families/duplication probably occurred separately after differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the complete genome sequence of a JWB phytoplasma isolate jwb-nky that causing JWB disease was reported for the first time and a number of species-specific genes were identified in the genome. The study enhanced our understandings about genomic basis and the pathogenicity mechanism of this pathogen, which will aid in the development of improved strategies for efficient management of JWB diseases.

Analysis of the MdMYB1 gene sequence and development of new molecular markers related to apple skin color and fruit-bearing traits.

MdMYB1, a key transcription factor determining apple skin color, coordinately regulates genes in the anthocyanin pathway. In this study, we analyzed the MdMYB1 gene and its relationship to apple skin color and fruit-bearing traits to better understand this gene and its application to apple breeding. A previously reported MdMYB1 dCAPS marker failed to identify alleles of the MdMYB1 gene in 'Fuji', a very important apple cultivar. In this study, we revealed that the polymorphic site related to the MdMYB1 dCAPS marker is heterozygous in 'Fuji'. In addition, two new polymorphic sites related to apple skin color were identified in the MdMYB1 gene, with two new molecular markers accordingly developed. Testing of these markers in 'Fuji' and its progeny revealed that they could predict apple skin color and identify alleles of the MdMYB1 gene in this cultivar. Most interestingly, the allele MdMYB1-2 in 'Gala' apple and its hybrid plants was found to be related to the fruit-bearing trait, and the molecular marker Mb2 was able to identify the MdMYB1-2 allele. Our study is apparently the first to report a relationship between the MdMYB1 allele and the fruit-bearing trait in apple. More work is needed to determine whether and how the MdMYB1 gene or a gene linked to the MdMYB1-2 allele influences the flowering trait in perennial apple trees, and whether flowering in other plants is influenced by related genes.