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Background: For medical diagnosis, clinicians typically begin with a patient's chief concerns, followed by questions about symptoms and medical history, physical examinations, and requests for necessary auxiliary examinations to gather comprehensive medical information. This complex medical investigation process has yet to be modeled by existing artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies., Objective: The aim of this study was to develop an AI-driven medical inquiry assistant for clinical diagnosis that provides inquiry recommendations by simulating clinicians' medical investigating logic via reinforcement learning., Methods: We compiled multicenter, deidentified outpatient electronic health records from 76 hospitals in Shenzhen, China, spanning the period from July to November 2021. These records consisted of both unstructured textual information and structured laboratory test results. We first performed feature extraction and standardization using natural language processing techniques and then used a reinforcement learning actor-critic framework to explore the rational and effective inquiry logic. To align the inquiry process with actual clinical practice, we segmented the inquiry into 4 stages: inquiring about symptoms and medical history, conducting physical examinations, requesting auxiliary examinations, and terminating the inquiry with a diagnosis. External validation was conducted to validate the inquiry logic of the AI model., Results: This study focused on 2 retrospective inquiry-and-diagnosis tasks in the emergency and pediatrics departments. The emergency departments provided records of 339,020 consultations including mainly children (median age 5.2, IQR 2.6-26.1 years) with various types of upper respiratory tract infections (250,638/339,020, 73.93%). The pediatrics department provided records of 561,659 consultations, mainly of children (median age 3.8, IQR 2.0-5.7 years) with various types of upper respiratory tract infections (498,408/561,659, 88.73%). When conducting its own inquiries in both scenarios, the AI model demonstrated high diagnostic performance, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.955 (95% CI 0.953-0.956) and 0.943 (95% CI 0.941-0.944), respectively. When the AI model was used in a simulated collaboration with physicians, it notably reduced the average number of physicians' inquiries to 46% (6.037/13.26; 95% CI 6.009-6.064) and 43% (6.245/14.364; 95% CI 6.225-6.269) while achieving areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.972 (95% CI 0.970-0.973) and 0.968 (95% CI 0.967-0.969) in the scenarios. External validation revealed a normalized Kendall τ distance of 0.323 (95% CI 0.301-0.346), indicating the inquiry consistency of the AI model with physicians., Conclusions: This retrospective analysis of predominantly respiratory pediatric presentations in emergency and pediatrics departments demonstrated that an AI-driven diagnostic assistant had high diagnostic performance both in stand-alone use and in simulated collaboration with clinicians. Its investigation process was found to be consistent with the clinicians' medical investigation logic. These findings highlight the diagnostic assistant's promise in assisting the decision-making processes of health care professionals., (©Xuan Zou, Weijie He, Yu Huang, Yi Ouyang, Zhen Zhang, Yu Wu, Yongsheng Wu, Lili Feng, Sheng Wu, Mengqi Yang, Xuyan Chen, Yefeng Zheng, Rui Jiang, Ting Chen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 23.08.2024.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Adprhl2 (OMIM: 610624) mutation associated stress-induced childhood-onset neurodegeneration with variable ataxia and seizures (CONDSIAS, OMIM: 618170) is a sporadic neurodegenerative disease with poor prognosis. ADPRHL2 encodes ADP-ribosylhydrolase 3 (ARH3), which participates in ADP-ribosylation to remove poly-ADP ribose (PAR). We found a new compound heterozygous mutation in the ADPRHL2 gene c.580C > T (p.Gln194Ter) and c.803-1G > A in a 30-month-old boy, who showed gait instability, abnormal EEG, and developmental delay after respiratory infection. He died of convulsions 4 months after onset. By constructing a mutant plasmid and using Western blot to detect the expression of ARH3 and PAR, it was demonstrated that the ADPRHL2 gene c.580C > T (p.Gln194Ter) and c.803-1G > A is pathogenic according to ACMG guidelines., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Dan Sun reports financial support was provided by Wuhan Knowledge innovation special project. Dan Sun reports financial support was provided by the Key research and development program of Hubei Province. Dan Sun reports financial support was provided by Construction Project of Hubei Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for Childhood Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Dan Sun reports financial support was provided by 10.13039/501100020487Nature Science Foundation of Hubei Province. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most widespread mycotoxin contaminant hazardous to human and animal health globally. It acts as a crucial virulence factor to stimulate the spread of pathogenic Fusarium within wheat plants. Control of DON and Fusarium disease contributes enormously to food safety, which relies on chemical fungicides. Here, we report the biodegradation of DON using a novel soil bacterium, Devosia insulae FS10-7, and its biocontrol effect against Fusarium crown rot. We demonstrated that strain FS10-7 degraded DON to 3-epi-DON by forming a 3-keto-DON intermediate. Such degradation activity can be maintained at a wide range of pH (4 to 10) and temperature (16 to 42°C) values under aerobic conditions. Notably, strain FS10-7 exhibited practical inhibitory effects on Fusarium crown rot disease caused by F. graminearum and F. pseudograminearum in the in vitro Petri dish test under laboratory conditions and the pot experiment under greenhouse conditions. The mechanisms underlying the biocontrol ability of strain FS10-7 were preliminarily investigated to be associated with its high DON-degrading activity rather than direct antagonism. These results establish the foundation to develop further bioagents capable of biodegrading mycotoxins in cereals and derived products and, accordingly, biocontrol plant diseases caused by DON-producing pathogens., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

While Wallerian degeneration (WD) is a crucial pathological process induced with spinal cord injury (SCI), its underlying mechanisms is still understudied. In this study, we aim to assess structural alterations and clinical significance of WD in the cervical cord following SCI using multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which combines T2*-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). T2*-weighted images allow segmentation of anatomical structures and the detection of WD on macrostructural level. DTI, on the other hand, can identify the reduction in neuroaxonal integrity by measuring the diffusion of water molecules on the microstructural level. In this prospective study, 35 SCI patients (19 paraplegic and 16 tetraplegic patients) and 12 healthy controls were recruited between July 2020 and May 2022. The hyperintensity voxels in the dorsal column was manually labeled as WD on T2*-weighted images. The mean cross-sectional area (CSA) and mean DTI indexes of WD at the C2 level were calculated and compared between groups. Correlation analysis was used to determine the associations of the magnitude of WD with lesion characteristics and clinical outcomes. Compared with controls, SCI patients showed evident hyperintensity (35/35) and decreased neuroaxonal integrity ( p  < 0.05) within the dorsal column at the C2 level. A higher neurological level of injury was associated with a larger mean CSA and reduction in neuroaxonal integrity within WD ( p  < 0.05). Smaller total and dorsal tissue bridges were related to greater mean CSA and lower fractional anisotropy values in WD ( p  < 0.05), respectively. Moreover, SCI participants with significantly larger CSAs and significantly lower microstructural integrity had worse sensory outcomes ( p  < 0.05). This comprehensive evaluation of WD can help us better understand the mechanisms of WD, monitor progression, and assess the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions after SCI.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), as important components of lipids, play indispensable roles in the development of all organisms. ∆12 fatty acid desaturase ( FAD12 ) is a speed-determining step in the biosynthesis of PUFAs. Here, we report the characterization of FAD12 in Fusarium graminearum, which is the prevalent agent of Fusarium head blight, a destructive plant disease worldwide. The results demonstrated that deletion of the FgFAD12 gene resulted in defects in vegetative growth, conidial germination and plant pathogenesis but not sexual reproduction. A fatty acid analysis further proved that the deletion of FgFAD12 restrained the reaction of oleic acid to linoleic acid, and a large amount of oleic acid was detected in the cells. Moreover, the ∆ Fgfad12 mutant showed increased resistance to osmotic stress and reduced tolerance to oxidative stress. The expression of FgFAD12 did show a temperature-dependent manner, which was not affected at a low temperature of 10 °C when compared to 25 °C. RNA-seq analysis further demonstrated that most genes enriched in fatty acid metabolism, the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid degradation, steroid biosynthesis and fatty acid elongation pathways were significantly up-regulated in the ∆ Fgfad12 mutants. Overall, our results indicate that FgFAD12 is essential for linoleic acid biosynthesis and plays an important role in the infection process of F. graminearum .

Drought-induced metabolic dysregulation significantly enhances the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which, in turn, exerts a substantial influence on the oxidation-reduction regulatory status of cells. These ROS, under conditions of drought stress, become highly reactive entities capable of targeting various plant organelles, metabolites, and molecules. Consequently, disruption affects a wide array of metabolic pathways and eventually leads to the demise of the cells. Given this understanding, this study aimed to investigate the effects of different drought stress levels on the growth and development of the invasive weed Wedelia trilobata and its co-responding native counterpart Wedelia chinensis . Both plants evolved their defense mechanisms to increase their antioxidants and hormone contents to detoxify ROS to avoid oxidative damage. Still, the chlorophyll content fluctuated and increased in a polyethylene-glycol-simulated drought. The proline content also rose in the plants, but W. chinensis showed a significant negative correlation between proline and malondialdehyde in different plant parts. Thus, W. trilobata and W. chinensis exhibited diverse or unlike endogenous hormone regulation patterns under drought conditions. Meanwhile, W. trilobata and W. chinensis pointedly increased the content of indole acetic acid and gibberellic acid in a different drought stress environment. A positive correlation was found between endogenous hormones in other plant parts, including in the roots and leaves. Both simulated and natural drought conditions exerted a significant influence on both plant species, with W. trilobata displaying superior adaptation characterized by enhanced growth, bolstered antioxidant defense mechanisms, and heightened hormonal activities.

Aim: To investigate the effect of treatment with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and galacto- and fructo-oligosaccharides on ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Materials & methods: A total of 90 mice, divided into nine groups, were administered FMT or prebiotics or combined treatment. The disease activity index scores, gut microbiota and inflammation factors were evaluated. Results: The treatment using FMT combined with galacto- and fructo-oligosaccharides in a 9:1 ratio significantly reduced intestinal barrier damage and alleviated symptoms of UC. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and short-chain fatty acids were significantly increased after the combined treatment. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that FMT with prebiotics is a new method for UC treatment.

The ketogenic diet (KD) has shown excellent performance in the treatment of refractory epilepsy, but how it works is not yet fully understood. Gut microbiota is associated with various neurological disorders through the brain-gut axis. Different dietary patterns have different effects on the composition and function of gut microbiota. Here, by analyzing fecal samples from some patients with mitochondrial epilepsy before and after KD treatment through 16SrRNA sequencing, we found that KD intervention reduced the abundance of Firmicutes in the patient's gut, while the abundance of Bacteroidota increased in the KD group. LefSe analysis showed that Actinobacteriota , Phascolarctobacterium had significant advantages in the control group, while Bacteroides increased significantly after KD intervention, especially Bacteroides fragilis . Functional analysis showed that there were significant differences in 12 pathways in level 3. These changes suggest that KD can change the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota in patients and affect their function. Changes in specific bacterial groups in the gut may serve as biomarkers for the therapeutic effects of KD on epilepsy., Competing Interests: WH was employed by Aegicare (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wang, Huang, Li, Chen, Yang, Wang, Han, Zheng, Wang, Liang, He, Fang, Liao and Sun.)

The hepatotoxin microcystin-LR is a strong inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatase (PP) 1 and PP2A. The onset of its cytotoxicity depends on its selective uptake via the hepatocyte uptake transporters, organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) 1B1 and OATP1B3. Understanding and preventing the cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR is crucial to maintain human health. This chemoprevention study demonstrates that the herbal plant extract of iwajisha (20 µg/mL) reduced microcystin-LR cytotoxicity in OATP1B3-expressing cells by approximately six times. In addition, 20 µM acteoside, which is one of the major compounds in iwajisha, reduced microcystin-LR cytotoxicity by approximately 7.4 times. Acteoside could also reduce the cytotoxicity of other compounds, such as okadaic acid and nodularin, which are both substrates of OATP1B3 and inhibitors of PP1/PP2A. To investigate the mechanism by which the cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR is attenuated by acteosides, microcystin-LR and microcystin-LR-binding proteins in cells were examined after microcystin-LR and acteosides were co-exposed. Thus, acteoside noncompetitively inhibited microcystin-LR uptake by OATP1B3-expressing cells. Furthermore, acteoside inhibited the intracellular interaction of microcystin-LR with its binding protein(s), including the 22 kDa protein. Furthermore, using immunoblot analysis, acteoside induced the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which is one of the survival signaling molecules. These results suggest that acteoside reduces microcystin-LR cytotoxicity through several mechanisms, including the inhibition of microcystin-LR uptake via OATP1B3, and decreased interaction between microcystin-LR and its binding protein(s), and that ERK signaling activation contributes to the attenuation effect of acteoside against microcystin-LR cytotoxicity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Treatment of several autoimmune diseases and types of cancer has been an intense area of research over the past two decades. Many signaling pathways that regulate innate and/or adaptive immunity, as well as those that induce overexpression or mutation of protein kinases, have been targeted for drug discovery. One of the serine/threonine kinases, Interleukin-1 Receptor Associated Kinase 4 (IRAK4) regulates signaling through various Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and interleukin-1 receptor (IL1R). It controls diverse cellular processes including inflammation, apoptosis, and cellular differentiation. MyD88 gain-of-function mutations or overexpression of IRAK4 has been implicated in various types of malignancies such as Waldenström macroglobulinemia, B cell lymphoma, colorectal cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, etc. Moreover, over activation of IRAK4 is also associated with several autoimmune diseases. The significant role of IRAK4 makes it an interesting target for the discovery and development of potent small molecule inhibitors. A few potent IRAK4 inhibitors such as PF-06650833, RA9 and BAY1834845 have recently entered phase I/II clinical trial studies. Nevertheless, there is still a need of selective inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and various autoimmune diseases. A great need for the same intrigued us to perform molecular modeling studies on 4,6-diaminonicotinamide derivatives as IRAK4 inhibitors. We performed molecular docking and dynamics simulation of 50 ns for one of the most active compounds of the dataset. We also carried out MM-PBSA binding free energy calculation to identify the active site residues, interactions of which are contributing to the total binding energy. The final 50 ns conformation of the most active compound was selected to perform dataset alignment in a 3D-QSAR study. Generated RF-CoMFA ( q 2 = 0.751, ONC = 4, r 2 = 0.911) model revealed reasonable statistical results. Overall results of molecular dynamics simulation, MM-PBSA binding free energy calculation and RF-CoMFA model revealed important active site residues of IRAK4 and necessary structural properties of ligand to design more potent IRAK4 inhibitors. We designed few IRAK4 inhibitors based on these results, which possessed higher activity (predicted pIC 50 ) than the most active compounds of the dataset selected for this study. Moreover, ADMET properties of these inhibitors revealed promising results and need to be validated using experimental studies.

Fusarium seedling blight (FSB) is an important disease of wheat occurring as part of the Fusarium disease complex consisting also of Fusarium head blight (FHB). 240 Chinese elite cultivars and lines were evaluated in greenhouse experiments for FSB resistance and genotyped using the wheat 90 K single nucleotide polymorphism arrays. Among them, 23 accessions had an average lesion length of less than 0.6 cm, exhibiting potential for breeding for FSB resistance in wheat. Jingfumai 1 and Yangmai 11 had a relatively high resistance to both FSB and FHB simultaneously. Six relatively stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected on chromosome arms 1DL, 3AS, 3BL, 6BL, 7AL, and Un using the mixed linear model approach, interpreting 4.83-7.53% of phenotypic variation. There was a negative correlation between the average FSB lesion length and the BLUE FHB index with a low coefficient, and resistance to both diseases appeared to be conferred by different QTLs across the same population. Four KASP markers were detected on 1DL, 3AS, 3BL, and 6BL in QTLs to facilitate marker-assisted selection. Combined with transcriptome data analysis, eight defense-related genes were considered as candidates for mapping QTLs. The resistant elite germplasm, mapped QTLs, and KASP markers developed in this study are useful resources for enhancing Fusarium seedling blight in wheat breeding., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Liu, Zhu, Zhu, Chen, Niu, He, Tong, Song, Zhang, Ma and Gao.)

The development of one's self-concept unfolds within early interactions with intimate significant others for childhood and adolescence. Previous studies suggest that people define themselves in part through internalized perceptions of other people's beliefs about them, known as reflected self-appraisals. Even in adulthood, reflected self-appraisals still remain critically influential on direct self-appraisals, and the affect might depend on the different types of others. In the present study, for the first time, we extend the classic "other-reference" paradigm to the field of reflected self-appraisals in order to examine whether there is a difference in the memory performance of reflected self-appraisals on different types of others in an early adult sample. In the experiment, participants were told to encode personality trait words by judging how different types of others (romantic partners, friends, and classmates) think about the participants themselves. After a retention interval, they received a surprise recognition memory test. The results showed that the memory performance of romantic partners is significantly better than that of friends and classmates, indicating that the memory performance of reflected self-appraisals varies across the others with different levels of closeness. Specifically, the closer the relationship between people and others is, the better the memory performance of reflected self-appraisals will be. Meanwhile, the speed and the encoding deepness of the reflected self-appraisals vary among different genders, leading to the gender effect of recognition memory. This study might help deepen our understanding on the development of self-concept in adulthood., (Copyright © 2020 Yue, Yang, He, Yue and Pan.)

Background: Stripe rust (yellow rust) is a significant disease for bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. A genome-wide association study was conducted on 240 Chinese wheat cultivars and elite lines genotyped with the wheat 90 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays to decipher the genetic architecture of stripe rust resistance in Chinese germplasm., Results: Stripe rust resistance was evaluated at the adult plant stage in Pixian and Xindu in Sichuan province in the 2015-2016 cropping season, and in Wuhan in Hubei province in the 2013-2014, 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 cropping seasons. Twelve stable loci for stripe rust resistance were identified by GWAS using TASSEL and GAPIT software. These loci were distributed on chromosomes 1B, 1D, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4B (3), 4D, 6D, and 7B and explained 3.6 to 10.3% of the phenotypic variation. Six of the loci corresponded with previously reported genes/QTLs, including Sr2/Yr30/Lr27, while the other six (QYr.hbaas-1BS, QYr.hbaas-2BL, QYr.hbaas-3AL, QYr.hbaas-4BL.3, QYr.hbaas-4DL, and QYr.hbaas-6DS) are probably novel. The results suggest high genetic diversity for stripe rust resistance in this population. The resistance alleles of QYr.hbaas-2AS, QYr.hbaas-3BS, QYr.hbaas-4DL, and QYr.hbaas-7BL were rare in the present panel, indicating their potential use in breeding for stripe rust resistance in China. Eleven penta-primer amplification refractory mutation system (PARMS) markers were developed from SNPs significantly associated with seven mapped QTLs. Twenty-seven genes were predicted for mapped QTLs. Six of them were considered as candidates for their high relative expression levels post-inoculation., Conclusion: The resistant germplasm, mapped QTLs, and PARMS markers developed in this study are resources for enhancing stripe rust resistance in wheat breeding.

Argonaute (AGO) proteins and small RNAs (sRNAs) are core components of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). It has been reported that miRNAs regulate plant height and grain size in rice, but which AGO is involved in grain size regulation remains unclear. Here, we report that enhanced expression of OsAGO17, a putative AGO protein, could improve grain size and weight and promote stem development in rice. Cytological evidence showed that these effects are mainly caused by alteration of cell elongation. Expression analyses showed that OsAGO17 was highly expressed in young panicles and nodes, which was consistent with the expression pattern of OsmiR397b. SRNA sequencing, stem-loop RT-PCR and sRNA blotting showed that the expression of OsmiR397b was reduced in ago17 and enhanced in the OsAGO17 OE lines. Four OsmiR397b target laccase (LAC) genes showed complementary expression patterns with OsAGO17 and OsmiR397b. Combined with the results of immunoprecipitation (IP) analysis, we suggested that OsAGO17 formed an RISC with OsmiR397b and affected rice development by suppression of LAC expression. In conclusion, OsAGO17 might be a critical protein in the sRNA pathway and positively regulates grain size and weight in rice., (© 2019 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

High-performance glucose biosensors are highly desired for healthcare. To meet these demands, glucose biosensors, particularly enzyme-free glucose biosensors, have received much attention. Two-dimensional materials, e.g., graphene, with high surface area, excellent electrical properties, and good biocompatibility, have been the main focus of biosensor research in the last decade. This review presents the recent progress made in enzyme-free glucose biosensors based on MoS 2 nanocomposites. Two different techniques for glucose detections are introduced, with an emphasis on electrochemical glucose biosensors. Challenges and future perspectives of MoS 2 nanocomposite glucose biosensors are also discussed.

Background: Ultrasonography is a simple and noninvasive examination that can be easily performed after renal transplantation because of the lack of toxicity. The resistive index (RI) was measured using Doppler ultrasound at 7 days postoperatively in patients who underwent renal transplantation. The study aimed to determine the risk of graft loss and premature death within 1 year after transplantation., Methods: This study was conducted from January 2011 to October 2017 and involved 97 patients who underwent renal transplantation at the Chosun University Hospital, Kwangju, Korea. Brain-dead donors were selected. Several parameters were assessed as recipient variables. In addition, postoperative delayed renal function and complications were examined. At 7 days after surgery, the RI was measured in all patients (the mean value of three measurements taken at different positions was used)., Results: Of the 97 patients, 40 had an RI of ≥0.8 or greater. Of these, four patients died, and a total of seven developed transplant failure. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict the risk of transplant failure and mortality based on complex influences of the relevant variables. The RI showed a relative risk value of 12.711 for transplant failure (P=0.003) and was significantly associated with mortality (P=0.001)., Conclusions: The RI was highly correlated with graft loss and recipient mortality after renal transplantation. Measurement of the RI after renal transplantation may lead to a more aggressive management of high-risk patients, and consequently improve the post-transplantation outcome., (Copyright: © 2020 The Korean Society for Transplantation.)

In this article, blue-emitting carbon dots (CDs) were prepared via hydrothermal treatment of sodium citrate and NH 4 HCO 3 , and then combined with 3-aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) to prepare APBA modified-CDs. APBA acted as the receptor of dopamine (DA). Using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a stabilizer and N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O as a reducing reagent, BSA-stabilized and red-emitting copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) were prepared. By carbodiimide-activated coupling, novel nanohybrids consisting of CDs and CuNCs were constructed and exhibited dual-emitting fluorescence (FL). In the presence of DA, marked FL (at 440nm) quenching of nanohybrids was detected. Specific coupling interactions between boric acid of APBA and cis-glycol of DA induced the combination of DA and APBA on the surface of CDs. As a superior electron receptor, DA triggered the electron transfer from CDs to DA, resulting in the FL quenching of CDs in nanohybrids. The FL (at 640nm) of CuNCs in nanohybrids was almost unchanged after the addition of DA, and so further used for a reference FL to develop a novel ratiometric FL probe for DA detection. In addition to high sensitivity and selectivity, superior analytical performances of this probe were confirmed in applications, including dual-signal FL sensing of DA and naked-eye visual FL imaging of DA in aqueous solution and on filter paper., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this article, red-emitting copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) were prepared in the matrix of bovine serum albumin (BSA) through using N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O as a reducing agent and BSA as a stabilizer. In the aqueous suspension of BSA-Cu NCs, the addition of rutin enabled the combination of rutin with BSA around Cu NCs via hydrogen bond and electrostatic interactions between functional groups of BSA and rutin. The approaching of rutin to Cu NCs induced that the fluorescence (FL) of Cu NCs was quenched by rutin due to the electron transfer from Cu NCs to rutin. Under the optimal conditions, the FL of Cu NCs was linearly decreased with the increase of rutin concentration from 0.1 to100 μM, together with a low detection limit of ca. 0.02μM. The FL quenching responses of Cu NCs were highly selective and sensitive towards rutin, over potential interferents in real human serum samples. Based on BSA-Cu NCs, this as-proposed FL probe exhibited a superior capability of rutin detection in real human serum samples. Significantly, this probe of rutin could realize the FL sensing of rutin and the naked-eye visual FL imaging detection of rutin in aqueous solution and on filter paper., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper analyzes studies of mindfulness and the self, with the aim of deepening our understanding of the potential benefits of mindfulness and meditation for mental health and well-being. Our review of empirical research reveals that positive changes in attitudes toward the self and others as a result of mindfulness-enabled practices can play an important role in modulating many mental and physical health problems. Accordingly, we introduce a new concept-the "mindful self"-and compare it with related psychological constructs to describe the positive changes in self-attitude associated with mindfulness meditation practices or interventions. The mindful self is conceptualized as a mindfulness-enlightened self-view and attitude developed by internalizing and integrating the essence of Buddhist psychology into one's self-system. We further posit that the mindful self will be an important intermediary between mindfulness intervention and mental health problems, and an important moderator in promoting well-being. More generally, we suggest that the mindful self may also be an applicable concept with which to describe and predict the higher level of self-development of those who grow up in the culture of Buddhism or regularly engage in meditation over a long period of time.

Given the mixed findings regarding the relationship between mortality salience (MS) and prosocial behavior, the present research retested how MS influences prosocial behaviors in Chinese culture. Results showed that although participants have different levels of death thought accessibility between an organ donation scenario and a general charity scenario, their willingness for prosocial behaviors were not significantly different between the two scenarios, indicating that under the influence of Chinese culture MS did not decrease prosocial behaviors. The findings point to the importance of uncovering the role of Chinese philosophy about death and life in shaping people's positive death reflection.

Given finite attentional resources, how emotional aspects of stimuli are processed automatically is controversial. Present study examined the time-course for automatic processing of facial expression by assessing N170, and late positive potentials (LPPs) of event-related potentials (ERPs) using a modified rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm. Observers were required to confirm a certain house image and to detect whether a face image was presented at the end of a series of pictures. There were no significant main effects on emotional type for P1 amplitudes, whereas happy and fearful expressions elicited larger N170 amplitudes than neutral expressions. Significantly different LPP amplitudes were elicited depending on the type of emotional facial expressions (fear > happy > neutral). These results indicated that threatening priority was absent but discrimination of expressive vs. neutral faces occurred in implicit emotional tasks, at approximately 250 ms post-stimulus. Moreover, the three types of expressions were discriminated during the later stages of processing. Encoding emotional information of faces can be automated to a relatively higher degree, when attentional resources are mostly allocated to superficial analyzing.