Prosocial advice to close versus non-close others.

Six studies (two pre-registered, total N = 1861) examined whether individuals would be more likely to give advice to close rather than non-close others against engaging in prosocial behaviours. The results consistently showed that participants were less inclined to advise close (vs. non-close) others to donate blood (Studies 2 and 3), to donate money (Study 5) and to engage in volunteer activities (Studies 1-6). Moreover, Studies 3, 5 and 6 also provided evidence suggesting that prosocial advice given to close others was more contingent on cost judgements than that given to non-close others. These findings have significant implications for the understanding of social influences on prosocial behaviours.

Sensitive and selective detection of puerarin based on the hybrid of reduced graphene oxide and molecularly imprinted polymer.

Puerarin, an important isoflavone, has been widely used for the treatment of angina and hypertension. In this work, we developed a novel electrochemical sensor for the detection of puerarin based on the hybrid of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). The RGO/MIP sensor functions by target puerarin recognition and electro-oxidization via a two-proton and two-electron process, enabling the detection of puerarin with good selectivity and high sensitivity. The MIP layer was integrated on the surface of RGO by the electro-co-polymerization of o-phenylenediamine (monomer) and puerarin (template), resulting in high surface area, binding capacity, good conductivity and faster mass transfer. The nanostructure of the RGO/MIP hybrid was demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Experimental conditions involved in the sensor fabrication process were evaluated. Under the optimized condition, a wide linear range (0.02 µM ∼ 40 µM) and a low detection limit (0.006 µM) were achieved. The sensor was applied to detect puerarin in human urine and injection samples, and the result was comparable with that of the gold standard method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), indicating a promise in the further application to pharmacokinetics or therapeutic drug monitoring.