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Social confidence functions as a vital spiritual force in fostering the positive and healthy evolution of society. This paper explores how social media exposure contributes to the construction of social confidence within the framework of Media-system Dependency Theory. The research unveils the following key findings: (1) Social media exposure positively facilitates social confidence; (2) Group efficacy and group cohesion, perceived as manifestations of cognitive divergence between "efficacy" and "collective" within collective efficacy, both serve as mediating mechanisms influencing the impact of social media exposure on social confidence. The Channel Testing of Causality confirms that group cohesion plays a significantly more crucial role as a pathway compared to group efficacy; (3) The differentiated impact of social media exposure, encompassing Tencent WeChat and Sina Weibo, materializes in distinct components of social confidence and follows different influence pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate clinical values of proportional postoperative reduction of albumin (ΔALB) in the prediction of postoperative complications following sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer and evaluate whether it affects long-term outcomes. Methods A case-control trail was performed on 809 rectal cancer patients (345 females and 464 males, at an average age of 60.3±11.2 years) undergoing sphincter-preserving surgery in our department between July 2010 and June 2016. Postoperative complications were graded using Clavien-Dindo classification. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to assess the predictive values of ΔALB. The patients were divided into 3 groups based on the first and third quartiles of the ΔALB level. Chi-square test for trend was performed to analyze the change tendency in the incidence of postoperative complications among the 3 groups. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent risk factors for postoperative complications. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival curve and compared by Log-rank test. Results Among the 809 surgical cases, laparoscopic surgery was accomplished in 669 cases, 22 cases required converted open surgery (a conversion rate of 3.2%), and 118 cases underwent open surgery. Postoperative complications occurred in 226 patients, with a rate of 27.9%, and an increased trend of the rate was displayed among the ΔALB groups (Chi-square=7.955, P=0.005). Multivariate analysis indicated that the risk for developing postoperative complications was 1.791 times higher in the patients with high ΔALB level (ΔALB≥34.7%) than those with low ΔALB level (ΔALB < 21.9%)(OR=1.791, 95%CI: 1.139~2.817, P=0.012). The complication and non-complication groups had a 5-year OS rate of 76.6% and 81.6% (Chi-square=2.836, P=0.092), and a 5-year DFS rate of 65.4% and 74.7%, respectively (Chi-square=5.875, P=0.015). There were no statistical differences in OS and DFS rate among the ΔALB groups. Conclusion ΔALB is an independent risk factor for postoperative complications in rectal cancer patients after sphincter-preserving surgery, with advantages of low-cost, convenience, and rapid response in prediction of postoperative complications. Since postoperative complications will influence patients' long-term survival, special attention should be paid to ΔALB to improve the long-term prognosis.

Raspberry ketone accounts for the characteristic aroma of the raspberry fruit. In order to explore the genes involved in raspberry ketone synthesis, the transcriptome in fruit tissues of two red raspberry varieties "Polka" and "Orange legend", were sequenced and 24213 single genes were obtained. As the red raspberry fruit ripening, genes involved in flavonoid and anthocyanin synthesis were up-regulated, while those associated with lignin synthesis were down-regulated. A gene (RinPKS4) highly related to raspberry ketone synthesis was identified by transcriptome analysis, and RinPKS4 gene was over-expressed in raspberry in order to further understand the function of RinPKS4 gene in raspberry ketone synthesis. The results showed that the gene expression level of RinPKS4 in the leaf tissues of a transgenic lines increased by about 4-fold and the content of raspberry ketone increased by 42.64% compared with the wide type. This study lays a theoretical foundation for further study on the synthesis and regulation of raspberry ketone in red raspberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data collected in the seventh wave of the World Values Survey, this article examines how traditional and new media consumption have had very different effects on attitudes towards homosexuality in Taiwan and China. It further explores how such differences reflect each society's media democracy. A historical analysis of the democratic movements and their relations to media freedom in Taiwan and China is presented, which provides the research background and theoretical foundation for our assumptions as part of the literature review. The ensuing statistical analysis verifies these assumptions in depth. Our findings show that the effect of new media is generally positive in both societies, whereas that of traditional media varies: it is very negative in China yet statistically insignificant in Taiwan. Based on these results, we argue that the more democratised the media space, the more likely it is to promote tolerance of homosexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally occurring substances and their derivatives function as vital resources for pesticides that can be used in fields, such as insecticide production and fungicide development. As a botanical entity displaying multifaceted biological functions, wormwood has received thorough scrutiny across multiple sectors. The insect repellency potency combined with antibacterial and antifungal activities of wormwood position it as a potential candidate for prospective development into eco-friendly chemical pesticides. In this research, Wormwood essential oil was procured via ethanol water under ultrasonic scenarios and subsequently diluted with PEG 400 to formulate green chemical pesticides. The defensive efficacy of this green pesticide on plants was validated through 2 weeks of clustered plant growth experiments. Active constituents that exerted their effects were scrutinized by GC-MS. Furthermore, this green pesticide also displays efficacious effects on the prevention and management of aphids, exhibiting a dose-dependent relationship. 4-terpenol, eucalyptol, carvacrol, and L-borneol were identified by GC-MS as the predominant active constituents in this green chemical pesticide. Wormwood can be leveraged to develop green chemical pesticides, which can protect plants without contaminating the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood glucose (BG) concentration of the human body serves as an important index for diagnosis of diabetes, and its detection methods need to be more efficient due to high mortality rates for diabetes. Typical household BG meters are invasive products based on electrochemistry and rely on finger pricks to procure blood, which might result in skin damage and bacterial infections. Moreover, such BG meters can only detect the BG concentration at a certain time while ignoring the BG level at other times. Recently, to achieve microinvasive, noninvasive and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) by detecting body fluid, such as sweat or tears, the research direction has been gradually developing toward wearable devices. This review discusses the glucose detection mechanism of various electrochemical and optical glucose sensors, and briefly analyzes their advantages and challenges. Additionally, wearable products based on various principles that have appeared on the market are also summarized. Furthermore, based on the analysis, this review proposes a design concept for future research directions.