Search

Parent-child communication plays a crucial role in children's healthy growth. Nevertheless, there is currently a paucity of instruments designed to measure the quality of parent-child communication from a psychological perspective. Accordingly, based on the self psychology theory, this study has developed the Parent-Child Communication Quality Scale (PCCQS) to assess the quality of parent-child communication in terms of the extent to which children's psychological needs are met. A total of 1095 urban children (50.9% girls, M = 9.92, SD = 1.15) aged 8 to 12 years in eastern China were surveyed in this study. The measurement structure of the PCCQS was examined using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the CFA supported the second-order, four-factor structure of the PCCQS, with the 15-item PCCQS consisting of four factors (i.e., mirroring, idealization, empathy, and appropriate response). In conclusion, the PCCQS has good construct and criterion validity, as well as high internal consistency and split-half reliability. The scale is therefore a valuable tool for assessing the quality of parent-child communication.

We provide an alternative psychometric perspective on the empirical statistical dependencies observed between response accuracy residuals (RARs) and response time residuals (RTRs) in the context of the van der Linden model. This perspective emphasizes the RAR (or parts of the RAR) as being exogenous and having a directional influence on response time. Our simple and theoretically justifiable perspective adds to previous joint response time/accuracy models and comports with recent generalizations of the D-diffusion IRT model incorporating person-by-item interactions, and thus similarly reproduces many of the recently highlighted empirical findings concerning the associations between RARs and RTRs. Using both empirical and simulation-based results, we show how our psychometric perspective has both applied and interpretational implications. Specifically, it would suggest that (1) studies of item parameter estimate heterogeneity in relation to response times may reflect more of a psychometric artifact (due to the exogenous effects of the RARs) as opposed to providing insights about the response process (e.g., the application of different response strategies) and that (2) efforts to use RTRs as indicators of latent proficiency should attend to the anticipated interactions between the latent proficiency and RAR on response times. The validity of our psychometric perspective against alternatives likely relies on appeals to theory; the best perspective to take may vary depending on the test setting.

As a globally invasive quarantine pest, the cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis , is spreading rapidly, posing serious threats against agricultural and forestry production and biosecurity. In recent years, the niche conservatism hypothesis has been widely debated, which is particularly evident in invasive biology research. Identifying the niche dynamics of P. solenopsis , as well as assessing its global invasion risk, is of both theoretical and practical importance. Based on 462 occurrence points and 19 bioclimatic variables, we used n -dimensional hypervolume analysis to quantify the multidimensional climatic niche of this pest in both its native and invasive ranges. We examined niche conservatism and further optimized the MaxEnt model parameters to predict the global invasion risk of P. solenopsis under both current and future climate conditions. Our findings indicated that the niche hypervolume of this pest in invasive ranges was significantly larger than that in its native ranges, with 99.45% of the niche differentiation contributed by niche expansion, with the remaining less than 1% explained by space replacement. Niche expansion was most evident in Oceania and Eurasia. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.83) and true skill statistic (0.62) indicated the model's robust performance. The areas of suitable habitats for P. solenopsis are increasing significantly and the northward spread is obvious in future climate change scenarios. North Africa, northern China, Mediterranean regions, and northern Europe had an increased invasion risk of P. solenopsis . This study provided scientific support for the early warning and control of P. solenopsis.

A long-term high-fat diet causes hepatic steatosis, which further leads to oxidative stress and inflammation. In this study, we firstly investigated the regulation effects of different amounts of quinoa on hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation of rats fed a high-fat diet, then the gut microbiota was dynamically determined. Sprague-Dawley (SD, male) rats were randomized into four groups: normal controls (NC, fed standard chow), model groups (HF, fed a high-fat diet), low quinoa intake (HF + LQ), and high quinoa intake (HF + HQ) groups, which were supplemented with 9% and 27% quinoa in the high-fat feed (equivalent to 100 g/day and 300 g/day human intake, respectively). The results showed that quinoa intake significantly inhibited the hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, ameliorated hepatic steatosis pathologically; effectively rescued the decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA). The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and leptin in rats of two quinoa groups were close to those of the NC group. Besides, high quinoa intake significantly increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia , and low quinoa intake significantly increased the relative abundance of Blautia at the genus level. The relative abundances of Blautia and Dorea in rats in the HF + HQ group were lower than those in rats in the HF + LQ group. In addition, the relative abundances of Clostridium and Turicibacter of rats in the two quinoa intervention groups were lower than those of rats in the HF group after 12 weeks of intervention. In summary, quinoa exhibits a series of beneficial effects in the prevention of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is suggested to be a component of a daily diet for the prevention of NAFLD.

Muscle atrophy is one of the main causes of sarcopenia-the age-related loss of skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated the effect of turmeric ( Curcuma longa ) extract (TE) supplementation on age-related muscle atrophy in a senescence-accelerated mouse model and explored the underlying mechanisms. Twenty-six-week-old male, senescence-accelerated mouse resistant (SAMR) mice received the AIN-93G basal diet, while twenty-six-week-old male, senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice received the AIN-93G basal diet or a 2% TE powder-supplemented diet for ten weeks. Our findings revealed that TE supplementation showed certain effects on ameliorating the decrease in body weight, tibialis anterior weight, and mesenteric fat tissue weight in SAMP8 mice. TE improved gene expression in the glucocorticoid receptor-FoxO signaling pathway in skeletal muscle, including redd1 , klf15 , foxo1 , murf1 , and mafbx . Furthermore, TE might have the certain potential on improving the dynamic balance between anabolic and catabolic processes by inhibiting the binding of glucocorticoid receptor or FoxO1 to the glucocorticoid response element or FoxO-binding element in the MuRF1 promoter in skeletal muscle, thereby promoting muscle mass and strength, and preventing muscle atrophy and sarcopenia prevention. Moreover, TE may have reduced mitochondrial damage and maintained cell growth and division by downregulating the mRNA expression of the genes mfn2 and tsc2 . Thus, the results indicated TE's potential for preventing age-related muscle atrophy and sarcopenia.

Background: Understanding immune responses after HBV vaccination is important to prevent HBV infection in PLWH and to achieve successful treatment., Methods: Thirty-two PLWHs with CD4 + cell count > 350 cells/µL and HIV RNA < 200 copies/mL were vaccinated with 20 µg of HBV vaccine at weeks 0, 4, and 24 in this prospective study. We measured total HIV DNA levels, HBsAb titers and HBsAg-specific T-cell responses during follow-up time., Results: All patients achieved protective HBsAb titer after immunization. The magnitude of the IFN-r and TNF-a response to HBsAg was 22.0 (IQR: 6.5-65.0) and 106.50 (IQR: 58.5-203.0) spot-forming cells (SFC)/10 5 PBMC, respectively at week 0. The level of IFN-r secreted at weeks 12 and weeks 36 to 48 was comparable with that at week 0. However, IFN-r response was higher at weeks 12 than that at weeks 36 to 48 ( p = 0.02). The level of TNF-a secreted at weeks 12 was higher than that at week 0 ( p < 0.001). Total HIV DNA levels were 2.76 (IQR: 2.47-3.07), 2.77 (IQR: 2.50-3.09), 2.77 (IQR: 2.41-2.89) log 10 copies/10 6 PBMCs at weeks 0, 12, 36 to 48, respectively. No correlation was observed between IFN-r and TNF-a levels and HBsAb titer as well as total HIV DNA levels after immunization., Conclusion: Humoral immunity was satisfactory, but cellular immunity and decline in HIV reservoir were not optimal after HBV vaccine immunization in these patients.

Antimicrobial host defense peptides (HDPs) are critically important for innate immunity. Small-molecule compounds with the ability to induce HDP synthesis are being actively explored for antimicrobial therapy. To facilitate the discovery of the compounds that specifically activate human β-defensin 1 ( DEFB1 ) gene transcription, we established a cell-based high-throughput screening assay that employs HT-29/ DEFB1-luc , a stable reporter cell line expressing the luciferase gene driven by a 3-Kb DEFB1 gene promoter. A screening of a library of 148 small-molecule epigenetic compounds led to the identification of 28 hits, with a minimum strictly standardized mean difference of 3.0. Fourteen compounds were further selected and confirmed to be capable of inducing DEFB1 mRNA expression in human HT-29 colonic epithelial cells. Desirably, the human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide ( CAMP ) gene was also induced by these epigenetic compounds. Benzamide-containing histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) were among the most potent HDP inducers identified in this study. Additionally, several major genes involved in intestinal barrier function, such as claudin-1, claudin-2, tight junction protein 1, and mucin 2, were differentially regulated by HDP inducers. These findings suggest the potential for the development of benzamide-based HDACi as host-directed antimicrobials for infectious disease control and prevention.

Enhancing the synthesis of endogenous host defense peptides (HDPs) has emerged as a novel antibiotic-free approach to infectious disease control and prevention. A number of epigenetic compounds have been identified as HDP inducers and several have proved beneficial in antimicrobial therapy. However, species-specific regulation of HDP synthesis is evident. In attempt to identify epigenetic compounds with potent HDP-inducing activity for poultry-specific application, we developed a stable luciferase reporter cell line, known as HTC/ AvBD10-luc , following our earlier construction of HTC/ AvBD9-luc . HTC/ AvBD10 - luc was developed through permanent integration of a chicken macrophage cell line, HTC, with a lentiviral luciferase reporter vector driven by a 4-Kb AvBD10 gene promoter. Using a high throughput screening assay based on the two stable cell lines, we identified 33 hits, mostly being histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, from a library of 148 epigenetic compounds. Among them, entinostat and its structural analog, tucidinostat, were particularly effective in promoting multiple HDP gene expression in chicken macrophages and jejunal explants. Desirably, neither compounds triggered an inflammatory response. Moreover, oral gavage of entinostat significantly enhanced HDP gene expression in the chicken intestinal tract. Collectively, the high throughput assay proves to be effective in identifying HDP inducers, and both entinostat and tucidinostat could be potentially useful as alternatives to antibiotics to enhance intestinal immunity and disease resistance.

Overexposure to mental stress throughout life is a significant risk factor for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. The immune system can initiate a physiological response, releasing stress hormones and pro-inflammatory cytokines, in response to stressors. These effects can overcome allostatic physiological mechanisms and generate a pro-inflammatory environment with deleterious effects if occurring chronically. Previous studies in our lab have identified key anti-inflammatory properties of a bioavailable polyphenolic preparation BDPP and its ability to mitigate stress responses via the attenuation of NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent responses. Inflammasome activation is part of the first line of defense against stimuli of different natures, provides a rapid response, and, therefore, is of capital importance within the innate immunity response. malvidin-3- O -glucoside (MG), a natural anthocyanin present in high proportions in grapes, has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects, but its mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aims to elucidate the therapeutic potential of MG on inflammasome-induced inflammation in vitro and in a mouse model of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). Here, it is shown that MG is an anti-pyroptotic phenolic metabolite that targets NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 inflammasomes, subsequently reducing caspase-1 and IL-1β protein levels in murine primary cortical microglia and the brain, as its beneficial effect to counteract anxiety and depression is also demonstrated. The present study supports the role of MG to mitigate bacterial-mediated inflammation (lipopolysaccharide or LPS) in vitro and CUS-induced behavior impairment in vivo to address stress-induced inflammasome-mediated innate response.

The nanocone-shaped carbon nanotubes field-emitter array (NCNA) is a near-ideal field-emitter array that combines the advantages of geometry and material. In contrast to previous methods of field-emitter array, laser ablation is a low-cost and clean method that does not require any photolithography or wet chemistry. However, nanocone shapes are hard to achieve through laser ablation due to the micrometer-scale focusing spot. Here, we develop an ultraviolet (UV) laser beam patterning technique that is capable of reliably realizing NCNA with a cone-tip radius of ≈300 nm, utilizing optimized beam focusing and unique carbon nanotube-light interaction properties. The patterned array provided smaller turn-on fields (reduced from 2.6 to 1.6 V/μm) in emitters and supported a higher (increased from 10 to 140 mA/cm 2 ) and more stable emission than their unpatterned counterparts. The present technique may be widely applied in the fabrication of high-performance CNTs field-emitter arrays.

The rising concern of antimicrobial resistance highlights a need for effective alternatives to antibiotics for livestock production. Butyrate, forskolin, and lactose are three natural products known to induce the synthesis of host defense peptides (HDP), which are a critical component of innate immunity. In this study, the synergy among butyrate, forskolin, and lactose in enhancing innate host defense, barrier function, and resistance to necrotic enteritis and coccidiosis was investigated. Our results indicated that the three compounds synergistically augmented the expressions of multiple HDP and barrier function genes in chicken HD11 macrophages. The compounds also showed an obvious synergy in promoting HDP gene expressions in chicken jejunal explants. Dietary supplementation of a combination of 1 g/kg sodium butyrate, 10 mg/kg forskolin-containing plant extract, and 10 g/kg lactose dramatically improved the survival of chickens from 39% to 94% ( p < 0.001) in a co-infection model of necrotic enteritis. Furthermore, the three compounds largely reversed growth suppression, significantly alleviated intestinal lesions, and reduced colonization of Clostridium perfringens or Eimeria maxima in chickens with necrotic enteritis and coccidiosis ( p < 0.01). Collectively, dietary supplementation of butyrate, forskolin, and lactose is a promising antibiotic alternative approach to disease control and prevention for poultry and possibly other livestock species.

Owing to their extraordinary physical and chemical properties, two-dimensional (2D) materials have aroused extensive attention and have been widely used in photonic and optoelectronic devices, catalytic reactions, and biomedicine. In particular, 2D materials possess a unique bandgap structure and nonlinear optical properties, which can be used as saturable absorbers in ultrafast lasers. Here, we mainly review the top-down and bottom-up methods for preparing 2D materials, such as graphene, topological insulators, transition metal dichalcogenides, black phosphorus, and MXenes. Then, we focus on the ultrafast applications of 2D materials at the typical operating wavelengths of 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 μm. The key parameters and output performance of ultrafast pulsed lasers based on 2D materials are discussed. Furthermore, an outlook regarding the fabrication methods and the development of 2D materials in ultrafast photonics is also presented.

This study evaluated the effects of early intervention with Clostridium butyricum ( C. butyricum ) on shaping the intestinal microbiota of Muscovy ducklings. A total of 160 1-day-old male ducks were randomly divided into two groups: the CB group was administered with 1 mL of C. butyricum (2 × 10 9 CFU/mL), while the C group was given 1 mL of saline. The administration lasted for 3 days. We found that C. butyricum had no significant effect on growth performance. The results indicated that inoculation with C. butyricum could significantly increase the abundance of genera Bacteroides , Lachnospiraceae &#95;uncultured, and Ruminococcaceae on Day 14 and reduce the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Klebsiella on Days 1 and 3. Moreover, the CB group ducks had higher concentrations of acetic, propionic, and butyrate in the cecum than the C group. Overall, these results suggest that early intervention with C. butyricum could have positive effects on Muscovy ducks' intestinal health, which might be attributed to the modulation in the intestinal microbial composition and the increased concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). C. butyricum might even have the potential to help the colonization of beneficial bacteria in the intestine microbiota in Muscovy ducks in poultry and other livestock.

Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) are commonly used in the livestock industry at subtherapeutic levels to improve production efficiency, which is achieved mainly through modulation of the intestinal microbiota. However, how different classes of AGPs, particularly ionophores, regulate the gut microbiota remains unclear. In this study, male Cobb broiler chickens were supplemented for 14 days with or without one of five commonly used AGPs including three classical antibiotics (bacitracin methylene disalicylate, tylosin, and virginiamycin) and two ionophores (monensin and salinomycin) that differ in antimicrobial spectrum and mechanisms. Deep sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that two ionophores drastically reduced a number of rare bacteria resulting in a significant decrease in richness and a concomitant increase in evenness of the cecal microbiota, whereas three antibiotics had no obvious impact. Although each AGP modulated the gut microbiota differently, the closer the antibacterial spectrum of AGPs, the more similarly the microbiota was regulated. Importantly, all AGPs had a strong tendency to enrich butyrate- and lactic acid-producing bacteria, while reducing bile salt hydrolase-producing bacteria, suggestive of enhanced metabolism and utilization of dietary carbohydrates and lipids and improved energy harvest, which may collectively be responsible for the growth-promoting effect of AGPs.