Search

The purpose of this study was to explore the longitudinal links between interpersonal competences and loneliness in Chinese college students. Participants were N = 623 undergraduate students (Mage = 20.34 years, SDage = 1.28 years; 42.5% males) from Shanghai, P.R. China, which were followed over two years, with half a year apart. The Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (ICQ) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale were used to measure interpersonal competences and loneliness at each time point. Results indicated that as compared with the unidirectional model, the bidirectional model represented the best fit for the data. Within this model, after controlling for the stability of the variables, interpersonal competences directly contributed to later decreases in loneliness and loneliness directly led to decreases in interpersonal competences from Time 1 to Time 3, but not from Time 3 to Time 4. There is a bidirectional relationship between college students' interpersonal competences and loneliness. Higher interpersonal competences can mitigate later loneliness, and higher loneliness can also weaken later interpersonal competences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 and consequent quarantine policies have substantially altered family lives worldwide. Potential associations between parental negative emotional expressions towards the pandemic, family factors, and child psychological adjustment remain under-explored. Accordingly, the goal of the present study was to examine the relation between maternal panic over COVID-19 and children's depressive symptoms, with a focus on the potential moderating role of children's daily routines during a period of strict quarantine. Participants were N = 1,589 children (Mage = 13.13 years, SD = 1.54; 50.7% girls) and their mothers, from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, in Mainland China. Data were collected in April of 2020, when school closure policies were in effect. Mothers reported their panic over COVID-19 and children reported their depressive symptoms and daily routines during the quarantine period. Overall, results indicated a significant positive association between maternal panic over COVID-19 and child depressive symptoms. However, maintaining regular daily routines was found to be a significant moderator of this association, with higher levels of daily routines attenuating the link between maternal panic reactions and child psychological distress (i.e., buffering effect). The results highlight the protective role of regular daily routines in promoting psychological adjustment among Chinese children during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this longitudinal study was to examine developmental trajectories of emotional school engagement among Chinese elementary school children. In addition, we sought to explore the role of early peer relationships and academic achievement as predictors of these trajectories. Participants at the outset of the study were N = 1,136 second-grade students (582 boys; Mage = 8.59 years) in mainland China. At Time 1, peers provided nominations of peer preference and victimization, and teachers rated children's academic achievement. Longitudinal data on self-reported emotional engagement were then collected annually for four years. Among the results, two distinct trajectories of emotional school engagement were identified: High-Decreasing and Low-Increasing. Children at Time 1 with more positive peer relationships and higher academic achievement were more likely to be in the High-Decreasing trajectory. Children with higher academic achievement also displayed a more rapid decrease in their emotional engagement in the High-Decreasing subgroup and a lower increase in their emotional engagement in the Low-Increasing subgroup. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of emotional engagement in the Chinese cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bohai Sea (BS) is the unique semi-closed inland sea of China, characterized by degraded water quality due to significant terrestrial pollution input. In order to improve its water quality, a dedicated action named "Uphill Battles for Integrated Bohai Sea Management" (UBIBSM, 2018–2020) was implemented by the Chinese government. To evaluate the action effectiveness toward water quality improvement, variability of the satellite-observed water transparency (Secchi disk depth, ZSD) was explored, with special emphasis on the nearshore waters (within 20 km from the coastline) prone to terrestrial influence. (1) Compared to the status before the action began (2011–2017), majority (87.3%) of the nearshore waters turned clear during the action implementation period (2018–2020), characterized by the elevated ZSD by 11.6% ± 12.1%. (2) Nevertheless, the improvement was not spatially uniform, with higher ZSD improvement in provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, and Shandong (13.2% ± 16.5%, 13.2% ± 11.6%, 10.8% ± 10.2%, respectively) followed by Tianjin (6.2% ± 4.7%). (3) Bayesian trend analysis found the abrupt ZSD improvement in April 2018, which coincided with the initiation of UBIBSM, implying the water quality response to pollution control. More importantly, the independent statistics of land-based pollutant discharge also indicated that the significant reduction of terrestrial pollutant input during the UBIBSM action was the main driver of observed ZSD improvement. (4) Compared with previous pollution control actions in the BS, UBIBSM was found to be the most successful one during the past 20 years, in terms of transparency improvement over nearshore waters. The presented results proved the UBIBSM-achieved remarkable water quality improvement, taking the advantage of long-term consistent and objective data record from satellite ocean color observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron is an important micronutrient that plays a vital role in host defenses and bacterial pathogenicity. As iron treatments increase the risk of infection by stimulating the growth and virulence of bacterial pathogens, their roles in anti-infection immunity have frequently been underestimated. To estimate whether adequate dietary iron intake would help defend against pathogenic bacterial infection, mice were fed iron-deficient (2 mg kg−1 feed), iron-sufficient (35 mg kg−1 feed), or iron-enriched diet (350 mg kg−1 feed) for 12 weeks, followed by oral infection with Salmonella typhimurium. Our results revealed that dietary iron intake improved mucus layer function and decelerated the invasion of the pathogenic bacteria, Salmonella typhimurium. Positive correlations between serum iron and the number of goblet cells and mucin2 were found in response to total iron intake in mice. Unabsorbed iron in the intestinal tract affected the gut microbiota composition, and the abundance of Bacteroidales, family Muribaculaceae, was positively correlated with their mucin2 expression. However, the results from antibiotic-treated mice showed that the dietary iron-regulated mucin layer function was not microbial-dependent. Furthermore, in vitro studies revealed that ferric citrate directly induced mucin2 expression and promoted the proliferation of goblet cells in both ileal and colonic organoids. Thus, dietary iron intake improves serum iron levels, regulates goblet cell regeneration and mucin layer function, and plays a positive role in the prevention of pathogenic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc deficiency has a huge impact on male reproduction. The zinc transporter (ZnT) family is involved in the maintenance of zinc homeostasis and testosterone synthesis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be investigated. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine the effect of zinc transporter 4 (ZnT4) on testosterone synthesis in male Kunming mice and mouse Leydig cells. The results of this study showed that compared with the zinc normal diet group (Con group), the zinc-deficient diet group (ZnD group) had decreased zinc content and increased ZnT4 expression in testicular tissues, and decreased serum testosterone levels, suggesting that ZnT4 may be involved in Leydig cell injury resulting from a zinc-deficient diet. Subsequently, mouse Leydig cell line TM3 cells were used to analyze the effect of ZnT4 downregulation on TM3 cell proliferation and apoptosis, on testosterone synthesis, and its underlying mechanisms. Here, we show that knockdown of ZnT4 can induce the accumulation of zinc, inhibit the viability, and induce apoptosis in TM3 cells. In addition, knockdown of ZnT4 downregulated testosterone concentration and expression of testosterone synthesis–related proteins steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/D5-D4 isomerase (3β-HSD) in TM3 cells, while hCG could rescue their levels. We show that it is ZnT4 that plays a role in testosterone production through a mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR autophagy pathway, whereas mTORC1 complex inhibitor (Rapa) blocks the decrease in testosterone levels caused by ZnT4 downregulation. In conclusion, the above results indicate that ZnT4 plays an important role in regulating testosterone synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element for human growth and its deficiency causes huge health impacts. The present study was conducted to examine the mechanisms by which Zn-deficient diet impairs reproductive function and its reversibility. Hence, SPF grade male Kunming (KM) mice were divided into three groups. Zn-normal diet group (ZN group) was provided with Zn-normal diet (Zn content = 30 mg/kg, DY19410Y) for 8 weeks. Zn-deficient diet group (ZD group) was provided with Zn-deficient diet (Zn content < 1 mg/kg, DY19401) for 8 weeks. Zn-deficient and Zn-normal diet group (ZDN group) was provided with 4 weeks Zn-deficient diet followed by 4 weeks Zn-normal diet. After 8 weeks, the overnight-fasted mice were sacrificed, and blood and organs were collected for further analysis. The results showed that Zn-deficient diet caused testicular structural disorders, decreased semen quality, imbalance in zinc homeostasis, and impaired autophagy. Semen quality, testosterone, serum Zn, testicular tissue Zn, testicular free Zn ions, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), zinc transporter 7(ZnT7), Beclin1, autophagy-related 5(ATG5), and the ratio of light chain 3(LC3) II/LC3I were significantly decreased, and ZnT4, Zrt-, Irt-like protein7 (ZIP7), and ZIP13 expression were significantly increased in ZD group mice, while the changes in above indicators caused by Zn-deficient diet were significantly alleviated in the ZDN group. It was concluded that Zn-deficient diet causes testicular structural disorders and decreased semen quality by causing imbalances in Zn homeostasis and impaired autophagy in male mice. Reproductive damages caused by Zn-deficient diet are reversible, and Zn-normal diet can alleviate them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From late childhood, friendships as a distinct peer experience become increasingly salient in affecting individual development. This one-year longitudinal study examined same-domain and cross-domain effects of aggression and depression in friendships among early adolescents in China. Participants included 226 students (95 boys) within 113 friendship dyads initially in sixth grade (initial mean age = 12 years) in two public junior high schools. Data on aggression, depression, and friendship were collected from self-reports and peer nominations in 2017 and 2018. The results using the actor-partner interdependence model showed that friends' aggression positively predicted adolescents' later aggression and that friends' depression positively predicted adolescents' later depression, indicating same-domain contagion effects. In addition, friends' aggression positively predicted adolescents' later depression, indicating cross-domain cascading effects. The results suggest that adolescents with more aggressive friends are at risk for developing higher levels of social-behavioral and psychological problems with time. The results help understand the role of friendships in individual maladaptive development and are discussed in terms of the Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popularity has been empirically linked to psychological and several indices of school adjustment outcomes during childhood and early adolescence. Yet, best friend popularity in relation to the adjustment outcomes remains unclear, especially in more interdependent-oriented cultures. To address this gap, this study applied the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to simultaneously considering whether, and how, the popularity of youth (actor effects) and their best friends (partner effects) contribute uniquely to psychological well-being and school adjustment outcomes, after controlling for social preference. Age and gender differences were also examined. Participants were 162 same-gender best friend dyads (81 boys, Mage = 11.24 years, SD = 1.18) from Shanghai, P.R. China. Among the results, both youth's own and their best friends' popularity were positively related to self-esteem and school attitudes, and negatively related to depressive symptoms. In addition, results from multi-group analyses revealed both actor and partner effects did not vary across gender. Finally, exploratory analyses showed that only actor effects varied across age for the associations between popularity and self-esteem and school attitudes. These findings highlight the important role of the best friend's popularity in promoting Chinese youth's experiences of psychological and school adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative disease with amyloid beta accumulation as a major hallmark, has become a dire global health concern as there is a lack of clear understanding of the causative agent. It is a major cause of dementia which is increasing exponentially with age. Alzheimer's disease is marked by tau hyperphosphorylation and amyloid beta accumulation that robs people of their memories. Amyloid beta deposition initiated a spectrum of microglia-activated neuroinflammation, and microglia and astrocyte activation elicited expressions of various inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Neuroinflammation is one of the cardinal features of Alzheimer's disease. Pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling plays multifarious roles in neurodegeneration and neuroprotection. Induction of proinflammatory signaling leads to discharge of immune mediators which affect functions of neurons and cause cell death. Sluggish anti-inflammatory system also contributes to neuroinflammation. Numerous pathways like NFκB, p38 MAPK, Akt/mTOR, caspase, nitric oxide, and COX are involved in triggering brain immune cells like astrocytes and microglia to secrete inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukins, and chemokines and participate in Alzheimer's disease pathology. PPAR-γ agonists tend to boost the phagocytosis of amyloid beta and decrease the inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. Recent findings suggest the cross-link between gut microbiota and neuroinflammation contributing in AD which has been explained in this study. The role of cellular, molecular pathways and involvement of inflammatory mediators in neuroinflammation has also been described; targeting them could be a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Due to the use of brittle materials and special structure, the porcelain column electrical equipment is easy to be damaged in the earthquake, so it is necessary to carry out the research on the damping control of this kind of equipment. Methods: In this study, the damping control test and finite-element analysis of T-shaped circuit breaker model were implemented using shape memory alloy cables. First, based on the similarity theory, an experimental model with a scale of 1/4.5 is designed and made, and the seismic response control study on the circuit breaker model with the shape memory alloy (SMA) is implemented under different peak ground acceleration (PGA) of earthquake motion. Then, the inertia and springs/dashpots in the special setting module of ABAQUS are selected to simulate the SMA control, and the finite-element analysis of seismic response of circuit breaker model is carried out and compared with the test results. Finally, the study discussed the influence of the effective length and dip angle of the SMA cables on the damping performance for circuit breaker. Results: The results show that the SMA passive cable damping system can effectively reduce the top seismic response of T-shaped porcelain column circuit breaker. When PGA is 8 m/s2 at El Centro wave, the reduction rates of displacement and acceleration response are 38.1% and 21.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the finite-element analysis results of dynamic response of circuit breaker model are in good agreement with experiment results, which verifies the validity of the established finite-element model. Moreover, the SMA lasso damping device can effectively reduce the porcelain bushing root stress of the circuit breaker in the earthquake, when the length of SMA wire is 200 mm, the dip angle is 60°, the SMA cable system has the best damping effect on the circuit breaker model. Conclusion: The research results are of great significance to ensure the safe operation of the power system under the earthquake action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although psychologically controlling and autonomy-supportive parenting are important indicators of social anxiety during early adolescence, less research has explored distinct roles of father and mother parenting, especially in interdependent-oriented culture. This 3-year longitudinal study examined the reciprocal associations between such parenting and early adolescent social anxiety from multi-informants in the Chinese context. A sample of 1,140 Chinese early adolescents (51.1% boys; Mage = 10.50 years) and their parents participated at Wave 1. The results did not reveal reciprocal relations between fathers' reported parenting and social anxiety, but indicated paternal parenting effects from boys' perceptions of autonomy support to social anxiety, and child effects from social anxiety to girls' perceived psychological control. Maternal parenting effects were present for boys' perceptions of autonomy support and girls' perceptions of psychological control. The findings highlight the distinct roles of father and mother parenting across child gender and suggest differentiated relations of parenting to social anxiety during early adolescence in the Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preferring to spend time alone (for any reason) has been empirically linked to symptoms of internalizing problems among Chinese children and early adolescents. However, little is known about the implications of affinity for solitude (i.e., an enjoyment of solitude) in China. Moreover, it remains unclear how affinity for solitude and depressive symptoms development simultaneously in early adolescence. To address these gaps, this study examined the longitudinal and parallel associations between affinity for solitude and depressive symptoms among Chinese early adolescents. Participants were 853 adolescents (48.4% female; Mage = 14.65 years, SD = 0.54) from mainland China followed over three years from Grade 7 to Grade 9. Assessments of affinity for solitude and depressive symptoms were obtained each year via adolescent self-reports. Among the findings, results from parallel latent growth modeling suggested that higher initial levels of affinity for solitude in Grade7 negatively predicted the slope of adolescents' depressive symptoms. This indicates that higher levels of affinity for solitude in Grade 7 predicted a slower increase in adolescents' depressive symptoms levels over three years. Implications are discussed that consider the adaptive mechanism of affinity for solitude among Chinese adolescents in the development of depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite empirical findings that prosociality is related to decreased depressive symptoms in children, little is known about the directionality of the relations and the mechanisms that may explain the relations. To address these gaps, this study examined bi-directional associations between prosociality and depressive symptoms and the mediating effects of peer preference on the associations in Chinese children. Multi-wave longitudinal data were collected each year from Grades 3 to 6 in a sample of children in China (initial N = 1012; 51.6% girls; initial Mage = 8.68 years). The results showed that prosociality and depression negatively contributed to each other over time. Prosociality also predicted increased peer preference, which in turn contributed to fewer depressive symptoms, suggesting that peer preference was a mediator of the contributions of prosociality to depressive symptoms. These findings indicate the temporal ordering of prosociality and depressive symptoms and the processes in the development of depressive symptoms in Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present study was to explore the potential moderating role of quality of Parent–child relationships in the relations between child shyness and peer difficulties across the transition to middle school. Participants were 215 children attending public primary schools in Shanghai, People's Republic of China, who were followed from Grade 5 to Grade 6. Children reported on the quality of their relationships with mothers and fathers (conflict, support), while peer-nominations were used to assess shyness, peer rejection, and peer victimization. Among the results, shyness in Grade 5 was positively associated with peer rejection and peer victimization in Grade 6. The associations between shyness and peer relationship difficulties were stronger among Parent–child relationships characterized by higher levels of conflict and lower levels of support and attenuated among Parent–child relationships characterized by lower levels of conflict and higher levels of support. Gender differences were also found; parent support moderated the relations between shyness and peer difficulties, for girls, but not for boys. At lower levels of parent support, the association between shyness and peer difficulties among girls were stronger. Taken together, the findings offer evidence that the quality of Parent–child relationships function as a moderator, providing support for the Goodness-of-Fit model. Highlights: Shyness was predictive of later peer rejection and peer victimization. Parent–child relationships moderated the association between shyness and peer relationship difficulties. The association between shyness and peer relationship difficulties during the transition to middle school was more prominent when the Parent–child relationship was characterized by higher levels of conflict and lower levels of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have been conducted to examine the role shyness plays in friendship selection and influences processes, particularly how befriending shy peers affects individual's psychological adjustment. To address these gaps, this study investigated the selection, de-selection, same behavior influence effects of shyness in the friendship network in Chinese adolescents using the longitudinal social network analysis. It also explored the possible pathways that transmit indirect influences of friends' shyness to individual's psychological maladjustments (i.e., loneliness and depressive symptoms). A sample of adolescents (N = 1254, 48.4% girls, Mage = 13.20 years at Time 1) were followed for three years in middle schools. The results showed that adolescents tended to befriend those who had similar shyness level during T1–T2 interval, but the friendships between shy friends were more likely to terminate during T2–T3 interval. Moreover, adolescents were found to become more similar with their friends in shyness over time. The study also found that friends' shyness at T1 would influence individual's loneliness at T3 via 1) increasing friends' loneliness at T2 or 2) increasing individual's shyness level at T2. Those two pathways, however, were not found for depressive symptoms. These findings indicate that shyness plays an important role in the friendship formation and dissolution and befriending shy peers may have implications for adolescents' development of shyness and loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new deep learning model for Remaining Useful Life (RUL) prediction of complex industrial system components using Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs). The used model is an enhanced deep LSTM approach, for which Gaussian mixture clustering is performed for all collected sensors data and operational monitoring information. This distribution-based clustering using the hyperparameter ε leads to an adequate deep neural network for RUL prediction. An expectation-maximization algorithm was implemented to configure the deep LSTM network for RUL estimation. The proposed Gaussian mixture Clustering-based deep LSTM model for useful life prediction of the industrial components is trained and tested on the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation (C-MAPSS) datasets. The experiments of the enhanced deep LSTM model show clearly the relevance of using Gaussian mixture clustering for quality improvement of RUL prediction through deep LSTM models. (https://github.com/sayahmhgithub/EnhancedLSTM4RUL.git). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to explore longitudinal associations among child shyness, harsh maternal and paternal parenting styles, and close teacher-child relationships in the cultural context of contemporary urban China. Participants were N = 1,154 third through seventh-grade students (566 boys, 588 girls; Mage = 10.78 years, SD = 1.55), recruited from schools in Shanghai, P. R. China. Data were collected at two time-periods over a one-year period using multi-source assessments. Children provided self-reports of shyness, mothers and fathers rated their own harsh parenting, and teachers assessed teacher-child relationships. Among the results, shyness predicted increased incremental change in harsh parenting (for both mothers and fathers) and incremental decrease in close teacher-child relationships one year later. Results are discussed in terms of the evolving meaning and implications of child shyness in contemporary Chinese culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to intentionally control behavior to achieve specific goals helps children concentrate in school and behave appropriately in social situations. In Chinese culture, where self-regulation is highly valued by parents and teachers, children’s difficulties self-regulating may contribute to increased learning problems and subsequent authoritarian parenting. In this study we explored the longitudinal linkages among Chinese children’s self-regulation, learning problems, and authoritarian parenting using a developmental cascades model. Participants were N = 617 primary school students in Shanghai, P.R. China followed over three years from Grade 3-4 to Grade 5-6. Measures of children’s self-regulation, learning problems, and maternal authoritarian parenting were obtained each year from a combination of child self-reports and maternal and teacher ratings. Among the results: (1) compared with the unidirectional and bidirectional models, the developmental cascades model was deemed the best fit for the data; (2) earlier self-regulation negatively predicted later authoritarian parenting via a pathway through academic performance; (3) academic performance directly and indirectly contributed to greater self-regulation. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of self-regulation for Chinese children’s academic success and authoritarian parenting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of addition of group VIII elements to Li/CaO on the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane has been investigated in the range of 550-650°c. Iron, cobalt and nickel promote the reaction. The experiments show that iron and cobalt additives in Li/CaO catalysts mainly increase the catalytic activity. Li/Ni/CaO catalyst gives a high ethane conversion and excellent ethylene selectivity. The results on the catalyst are probably due to coordinative interaction between lithium and nickel. The characteristics of the catalysts revealed by XRD also give evidence that the promotion for both catalytic activity and ethylene selectivity is directly related to the formation of favorable crystal phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new transuranium neutron-deficient isotope235Am was produced by 35 MeV proton to bombard the rare radioactive238Pu target. The products were transported and collected by the He-jet system. The Am isotopes were separated and purified by radiochemistry method and the y-ray, X-ray and y-X(y) coincidence of the samples was measured. The synthesis of235Am was definitely identified. Its measured half-life is (15±5) min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]