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Previous studies have suggested that bullying may be contagious in adolescents. The present study examined whether ego depletion mediated the association between peer bullying and participant bullying and whether the mediating process was moderated by participant trait self-control. A sample of 2217 Chinese high school students (16.92 ± 0.94 years; 1068 boys and 1084 girls) were invited to fill in the questionnaires. The results reveal that after controlling for gender, grade and neuroticism, ego depletion partially mediates the positive relationship between peer bullying and participant bullying. Further, participant trait self-control moderates the relationship between peer bullying and participant bullying and that between peer bullying and participant ego depletion. That is, the strength of the contagion effect is lower in adolescents with high trait self-control compared to those with low trait self-control. In conclusion, this study provides empirical evidence of the contagion of bullying in adolescents. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Accidents caused by vehicles changing lanes occur frequently on highways. Moreover, frequent lane changes can severely impact traffic flow during peak commuting hours and on busy roads. A novel framework based on a multi-relational graph convolutional network (MR-GCN) is herein proposed to address these challenges. First, a dynamic multilevel relational graph was designed to describe interactions between vehicles and road objects at different spatio-temporal granularities, with real-time updates to edge weights to enhance understanding of complex traffic scenarios. Second, an improved spatio-temporal interaction graph generation method was introduced, focusing on spatio-temporal variations and capturing complex interaction patterns to enhance prediction accuracy and adaptability. Finally, by integrating a dynamic multi-relational graph convolutional network (DMR-GCN) with dynamic scene sensing and interaction learning mechanisms, the framework enables real-time updates of complex vehicle relationships, thereby improving behavior prediction's accuracy and real-time performance. Experimental validation on multiple benchmark datasets, including KITTI, Apollo, and Indian, showed that our algorithmic framework achieves significant performance improvements in vehicle behavior prediction tasks, with Map, Recall, and F1 scores reaching 90%, 88%, and 89%, respectively, outperforming existing algorithms. Additionally, the model achieved a Map of 91%, a Recall of 89%, and an F1 score of 90% under congested road conditions in a self-collected high-speed traffic scenario dataset, further demonstrating its robustness and adaptability in high-speed traffic conditions. These results show that the proposed model is highly practical and stable in real-world applications such as traffic control systems and self-driving vehicles, providing strong support for efficient vehicle behavior prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thorough exploration of Ecosystem Services (ESs) and their intricate interactions across time and space is a prerequisite for the sustainable management of multiple ESs. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the ESs of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration (MRYRUA) across multiple spatial and temporal scales, thereby enhancing ecosystem management and informed scientific decision-making. Specifically, this study employed the InVEST model, hot spot analysis, a geographically weighted regression model, and self-organizing feature mapping combined with K-means clustering to systematically quantify the spatiotemporal characteristics, trade-offs, synergies, and ecosystem service clusters of habitat quality (HQ), water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS), soil conservation (SC), and landscape aesthetics (LA) at grid and county scales from 2000 to 2020. The results revealed the following: (1) There was significant spatial heterogeneity among various ESs, with an overall spatial pattern exhibiting layered and interwoven variations. (2) Trade-offs predominantly characterized the relationships among ESs in the MRYRUA, with the absolute values of correlation coefficients mostly reaching their nadir in 2010. The interaction strengths between HQ and CS, and between CS and SC, increased with scale, while the relationships and strengths between LA and other ESs were less affected by scale changes. (3) At the grid scale, five types of ecosystem service bundles (ESBs) were identified, whereas at the district scale, four types of ESBs were delineated, including three common types: the WY–LA synergy bundle, Ecological transition bundle, and Key synergetic bundle, and three distinct types: the HQ–CS synergy bundle, Integrated ecological bundle, and Key synergetic bundle. The transitions of these ESBs over the 20 year period generally exhibited fluctuating evolutionary characteristics, with more pronounced fluctuations as the scale expanded. The results improve our comprehension of how ESs are related across various scales and provide theoretical and scientific references for multi-scale sustainable ecosystem zoning management and ecological environment governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface symmetry of the substrate plays an important role in the epitaxial high-quality growth of 2D materials; however, in-depth and in situ studies on these materials during growth are still limited due to the lack of effective in situ monitoring approaches. In this work, taking the growth of MoSe2 as an example, the distinct growth processes on Al2O3 ( 11 2 ¯ 0 ) and Al2O3 (0001) are revealed by parallel monitoring using in situ reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) and differential reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), respectively, highlighting the dominant role of the surface symmetry. In our previous study, we found that the RAS signal of MoSe2 grown on Al2O3 ( 11 2 ¯ 0 ) initially increased and decreased ultimately to the magnitude of bare Al2O3 ( 11 2 ¯ 0 ) when the first layer of MoSe2 was fully merged, which is herein verified by the complementary DRS measurement that is directly related to the film coverage. Consequently, the changing rate of reflectance anisotropy (RA) intensity at 2.5 eV is well matched with the dynamic changes in differential reflectance (DR) intensity. Moreover, the surface-dominated uniform orientation of MoSe2 islands at various stages determined by RAS was further investigated by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). By contrast, the RAS signal of MoSe2 grown on Al2O3 (0001) remains at zero during the whole growth, implying that the discontinuous MoSe2 islands have no preferential orientations. This work demonstrates that the combination of in situ RAS and DRS can provide valuable insights into the growth of unidirectional aligned islands and help optimize the fabrication process for single-crystal transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global ecological decline resulting from urban development presents a significant challenge for numerous regions striving to reconcile conservation efforts with developmental needs. This study explores the relationship between ecosystem service value (ESV) and habitat quality (HQ) under various scenarios to elucidate prospective development trajectories. This study utilized the PLUS model to simulate land use patterns in the Chengdu metropolitan area across four distinct development scenarios. Furthermore, it employed the equivalent factor method and the Invest model to quantify ESV and HQ values, and investigated the coupling coordination between ESV and HQ for each city using a coupling coordination model (CCM). The findings are as follows: (1) Between 2000 and 2020, land use in the Chengdu metropolitan area primarily expanded through the development of construction land. (2) Concurrently, ESV demonstrated a fluctuating trend characterized by an initial decline succeeded by an upsurge, culminating under the Development–Ecological Balance Scenario. Likewise, HQ displayed a similar fluctuating pattern with an initial decline succeeded by an increase, reaching its zenith under the Ecological Dominance Scenario. (3) The coupling coordination between ESV and HQ exhibited variability across cities and scenarios. Ultimately, this study offers a distinctive perspective on evaluating the interplay between urban development and conservation, providing valuable insights for promoting sustainable development in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microspheres can break the diffraction limit and magnify nano-structure imaging, and with its advantages of low cost and label-free operation, microsphere-assisted imaging has become an irreplaceable tool in the life sciences and for precision measurements. However, the tiny size and limited imaging field of traditional solid microspheres cause difficulties when imaging large sample areas. Alternatively, droplets have similar properties to those of microspheres, with large surface curvature and refractive-index difference from the surrounding environment, and they can also serve as lenses to focus light for observation and imaging. Previous work has shown that droplets with controllable size can be generated using an optical tweezer system and can be driven by optical traps to move precisely like solid microspheres. Here, a novel microdroplet-assisted imaging technology based on optical tweezers is proposed that better integrates the generation, manipulation, and utilization of droplets. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: •Controllable droplet generation in an optical tweezer system by using photogenerated droplets. •The generated droplets can aid imaging in the same way as can solid microspheres but with larger field of view and higher imaging quality. •Droplets can be cleaned easily from flexible samples without causing mechanical damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐symmetry 2D materials have received tremendous attention due to their anisotropic optical, electrical, and mechanical properties and viable candidates for polarized photodetectors, anisotropic field‐effect transistors, and nanomechanical systems. Here, an interesting low‐symmetry 2D material (GaPS4) is reported and its in‐plane anisotropic structure, optical, and mechanical properties are investigated. The polarized Raman and absorption spectra prove the sensitivity of GaPS4 to crystalline orientation and linear dichroism. The experimental results of azimuth‐dependent reflectance difference microscopy can visually reveal the in‐plane optical anisotropy of GaPS4 flakes. Moreover, an interesting pressurized bubble method is designed to verify the anisotropic mechanical properties of GaPS4 flakes and saddle‐like bubble devices of GaPS4 are successfully fabricated. The saddle‐like bubble devices exhibit visual anisotropic deflection variations along the orthogonal direction. Kelvin probe force microscope enables the direct identifying of the surface potential distribution of bubble devices under strain. Interest would be excited in the anisotropic optical and mechanical properties and relevant device applications of low‐symmetry 2D materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) materials provides a platform for the cutting-edge nano- and optoelectronic devices. Exploring low-dimensional materials and revealing their anisotropic behavior are crucial for designing angle-dependent nanodevices. The metallicity of molybdenum dioxide (MoO2) crystal differentiates it from the most commonly studied semi-conductive anisotropic 2D materials. However, the studies on its optical anisotropy are still lacking. Here, two most commonly obtained shapes of rhombic and hexagonal MoO2 were synthesized by one step method of chemical vapor deposition. The rhombic and hexagonal MoO2 display a slight frequency shift of 1–5 cm−1 depending on the variation modes, but the Raman modes at 366 cm−1 remain unaltered. Using a combination of differential reflectance spectroscopy and reflectance difference spectroscopy, we revealed the unusual narrow-band optical anisotropies of rhombic and hexagonal MoO2 crystals in the visible wavelength region due to its unique metallic properties. Furthermore, it is found that the center wavelengths of the narrow-band optical anisotropy of the MoO2 crystal can be effectively adjusted by coherent optical interference. Our results present an interesting anisotropic metallic 2D candidate and an effective cavity-based approach to regulate the center wavelengths of as-obtained narrow-band optical anisotropy, which is highly beneficial for the wavelength-selected devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acceleration of urbanization has significantly impacted the changing regional thermal environment, leading to a series of ecological and environment-related problems. A scientific evaluation of the urban thermal security pattern (TSPurban) strongly benefits the planning and layout of sustainable development and the construction of comfortable human settlements. To analyze the characteristics of the TSPurban under cross-regional differences and provide targeted solutions to mitigate the urban heat island effect in later stages, the logical system research framework of the TSPurban based on the "construction–evaluation–optimization" model was explored using reverse thinking. This study selected the Wuhan metropolitan area in China as the research object. First, a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) model was used to extract the top 30 core heat island patches, and Conefor 2.6 software was used for connection analysis to evaluate their importance. Second, based on the characteristics of various land cover types, the friction (cost) map of surface urban heat island (SUHI) diffusion was simulated. The spatial attributes of the heat island resistance surface were examined using a standard deviation ellipse and hot spot analysis. Finally, this paper used circuit theory to find 56 low-cost heat island links (corridors) and circuit scape software to find widely distributed vital nodes. The optimization of the TSPurban network was then investigated using a reverse thinking process. Heat island patches, corridors, and vital nodes are among the crucial components of the TSPurban. By obstructing corridor links and disturbing important nodes, it is possible to appropriately and proficiently reduce the TSPurban network's connection efficiency and stability, which will have a positive influence on regional climate mitigation and the heat island effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metropolitan areas in China are not only the core spatial carriers of urbanization development but also the main generators of land use carbon emission (LUCE). However, existing research lacks comparative studies on the differential patterns and impact factors of LUCE in different stages of metropolitan areas. Therefore, this paper deeply analyzes the spatial characteristics of LUCE and the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the economy contributive coefficient (ECC) and ecological support coefficient (ESC) in three different stages of metropolitan areas in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), China. Moreover, quantitative modelling of the impact factors of LUCE in these different stages of metropolitan areas is furtherly revealed. Results show that: (1) The more mature stage of the metropolitan area, the higher the amount of LUCE, and the more districts or counties with high carbon emissions levels are clustered. (2) At the metropolitan area scale, the more mature the metropolitan area is and the lower the CCD between ECC and ESC is, while at the finer scale, more developed counties have lower CCD. (3) Resident population, per capita GDP, and urbanization rate have good explanatory effects on carbon emissions in these three metropolitan areas; however, except for the urbanization rate, which has a negative effect on LUCE in Nanchang metropolitan area (NMA), the other two factors have positive effects on LUCE in these three metropolitan areas. This study has important implications for different stages of metropolitan areas to formulate targeted LUCE reduction policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic steatosis results from several processes. To assess their relative roles, hepatocellular long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) uptake was assayed in hepatocytes from C57BL/6J control mice, mice with steatosis from a high-fat diet (HFD) or 10%, 14%, or 18% ethanol (EtOH) in drinking water [functioning leptin-signaling groups (FLSGs)], and ob/ob and db/db mice. [V.sub.max] for uptake was increased vs. controls (P < 0.001) and correlated significantly with liver weight and triglycerides (TGs) in all FLSG mice but was minimally or not increased in ob/ob and db/db mice, in which liver weights and TGs greatly exceeded projections from regressions in FLSG animals. Coefficients of determination ([R.sup.2]) for these FLSG regressions suggest that increased LCFA uptake accounts for ~80% of the increase in hepatic TGs within these groups, but increased lipogenic gene expression data suggest that enhanced LCFA synthesis is the major contributor in ob/ob and db/db. Got2, Cd36, Slc27a2, and Slc27a5 gene expression ratios were significantly upregulated in the EtOH groups, correlating with sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) and [V.sub.max], but only Cd36 expression was increased in HFD, ob/ob, and db/db mice. Comparison of [V.sub.max] with serum insulin and leptin suggests that both hormones contribute to upregulation of uptake in the FLSG animals. Thus, increased LCFA uptake, reflecting SREBPlc-mediated upregulation of four distinct transporters, is the dominant cause of steatosis in EtOH-fed mice. In ob/ob and db/db mice, increased LCFA synthesis appears more important. In FLSG animals, insulin upregulates hepatocellular LCFA uptake. Leptin appears to upregulate LCFA uptake or to be essential for full expression of upregulation by insulin. ethanol; fatty acid transport; fatty acid synthesis; gene expression; obesity doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00434.2009.

We researched the mechanical unfolding of protein domains in monomeric protein NuG2 and the tandem polyproteins (NuG2)8 and (NuG2)16 using a dual-trap optical tweezers system. By stretching NuG2 and its polyproteins, (NuG2)8 and (NuG2)16 at the constant pulling speed of 500 nm sâˆ'1, we achieved the mechanical unfolding force of each domain in these proteins. Besides, we calculated the energy dissipation of NuG2, (NuG2)8 and (NuG2)16 by measuring the area enclosed by stretching and relaxation traces. Our results represent a key step towards engineering artificial polyproteins with controllable mechanical force and energy dissipation properties for force-buffering and energy dissipator applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]