Determination of major drive of ozone formation and improvement of O3 prediction in typical North China Plain based on interpretable random forest model.

O3 pollution in China has become prominent in recent years, and it has become one of the most challenging issues in air pollution control. We used data on atmospheric pollutants and meteorology from 2019 to 2021 to build an interpretable random forest (RF) model, applying this model to predict O3 concentration in 2022 in five cities in the Southwest North China Plain. The model was also used to identify and explain the influence of various factors on O3 formation. The correlation coefficient R2 between the predicted O3 concentration and observed O3 concentration was 0.82, the MAE was 15.15 µg/m3, and the RMSE was 20.29 µg/m3, indicating that the model can effectively predict O3 concentration in the studying area. The results of correlation analysis, feature importance, and the driving factor analysis from SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) model indicated that temperature (T), NO2, and relative humidity (RH) are the top three features affecting O3 prediction, while the weights of wind speed and wind direction were relatively low. Thus, O3 in the southwestern North China Plain may mainly come from the formation of local photochemical activities. The dominant factors behind O3 also varied in different seasons. In spring and autumn, O3 pollution is more likely to occur under high NO2 concentration and high-temperature conditions, while in summer, it is more likely to occur under high-temperature and precipitation-free weather. In winter, NO2 is the dominant factor in O3 formation. Finally, the interpretable RF model is used to predict future O3 concentration based on features provided by Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) and Weather Research & Forecast (WRF) model, and the simulation performance of CMAQ on O3 concentration is enhanced to a certain extent, improving the prediction of future O3 pollution situations and guiding pollution control.

Leaching kinetics and bioaccumulation potential of additive-derived organophosphate esters in microplastics.

Considerable research has been conducted to evaluate microplastics (MPs) as vehicles for the transfer of hazardous pollutants in organisms. However, little effort has been devoted to the chemical release of hazardous additive-derived pollutants from MPs in gut simulations. This study looked at the leaching kinetics of organophosphate esters (OPFRs) from polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) MPs in the presence of gut surfactants, specifically sodium taurocholate, at two biologically relevant temperatures for marine organisms. Diffusion coefficients of OPFRs ranged from 1.71 × 10-20 to 4.04 × 10-18 m2 s-1 in PP and 2.91 × 10-18 to 1.51 × 10-15 m2 s-1 in PS. The accumulation factors for OPFRs in biota-plastic and biota-sediment interactions ranged from 1.52 × 10-3-69.1 and 0.02-0.7, respectively. Based on B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) calculations, the biodynamic model analysis revealed a slight increase in the bioaccumulation of OPFRs at a minor dose of 0.05% MPs. However, at higher concentrations (0.5% and 5% MPs), there was a decrease in bioaccumulation compared to the lower concentration for most OPFR compounds. In general, the ingestion of PE MPs notably contributed to the bioaccumulation of OPFRs in lugworms, whereas the contribution of PP and PS MPs was minimal. This could vary among sites exhibiting varying levels of MP concentrations or MPs displaying stronger affinities towards chemicals.

Parenting self-efficacy and parenting stress mediates the effects of the association of perceived social support and readiness for discharge among parents of children with primary nephrotic syndrome.

PURPOSE: To investigate the level of readiness for discharge among parents of children with primary nephrotic syndrome and to explore the mediating role of parenting self-efficacy and parenting stress between perceived social support and readiness for discharge. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five large tertiary general hospitals in Hunan, China. Data related to demographics, perceived social support, parenting self-efficacy, parenting stress, and readiness for discharge were collected from 350 parents of children diagnosed with primary nephrotic syndrome. Path analysis was used to determine the mediating roles of parenting self-efficacy and parenting stress in the relationship between perceived social support and readiness for discharge. RESULTS: Parents of children with nephrotic syndrome in China experienced low perceived social support, low readiness for discharge, and high parenting stress. Factors influencing readiness for discharge include the child's age, duration of illness, first episode or relapse, parental literacy and marital status. Parenting self-efficacy and parenting stress mediated the effects of the association of perceived social support and readiness for discharge. CONCLUSION: Perceived social support influences the readiness of parents of children with nephrotic syndrome. Parenting self-efficacy and parenting stress have a chain mediating effect of the association of perceived social support and readiness for discharge. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study emphasizes the mediating role of the psychological state of the child's parents. Nurses should take steps to increase perceived social support and parenting self-efficacy of the child's parents and to reduce parenting stress in order to improve readiness for discharge.

Chemical characteristics of long-term acid rain and its impact on lake water chemistry: A case study in Southwest China.

The chemical composition of acid rain and its impact on lake water chemistry in Chongqing, China, from 2000 to 2020 were studied in this study. The regional acid rain intensity is affected jointly by the acid gas emissions and the neutralization of alkaline substances. The pH of precipitation experienced three stages of fluctuating decline, continuous improvement, and a slight correction. Precipitation pH showed inflection points in 2010, mainly due to the total control actions of SO2 and NOx implemented in 2011. The total ion concentrations in rural areas and urban areas were 489.08 µeq/L and 618.57 µeq/L, respectively. The top four ions were SO42-, Ca2+, NH4+ and NO3-, which accounted for more than 90% of the total ion concentration, indicating the anthropogenic effects. Before 2010, SO42- fluctuated greatly while NO3- continued to rise; however, after 2010, both SO42- and NO3- began to decline rapidly, with the rates of -12.03 µeq/(L·year) and -4.11 µeq/(L·year). Because the decline rate of SO42- was 2.91 times that of NO3-, the regional acid rain has changed from sulfuric acid rain to mixed sulfuric and nitric acid rain. The lake water is weakly acidic, with an average pH of 5.86, and the acidification frequency is 30.00%. Acidification of lake water is jointly affected by acid deposition and acid neutralization capacity of lake water. Acid deposition has a profound impact on water acidification, and nitrogen (N) deposition, especially reduced N deposition, should be the focus of future research.

Correlations between activation, family adaptation, and self-perceived burden in breast cancer patients with an implanted venous access port: A cross-sectional study.

We found that activation and family adaptation on the self-perceived burden of breast cancer patients with an implanted venous access port (IVAP), and to analyze the correlations among these scores. A total of 256 patients completed a general data questionnaire, the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), the Family adaptation and Cohesion Scale II-Chinese version (FACES-II-CV), and the Self-perceived Burden Scale (SPBS). The total scores for activation, family adaptation, and self-perceived burden were 63.31 ± 18.92, 42.72 ± 7.937, and 28.55 ± 7.89, respectively. We analyzed activation and family adaptation were associated with self-perceived burden (P < .05) the patients' self-perceived burden main factors is included Main caregiver, disease stage, complications, Type of health insurance, activation, and family adaptation. The activation, family adaptation, and self-perceived burden of breast cancer patients with an IVAP are closely related, which suggests that clinical workers should consider the patient family to formulate an intervention plan to improve patient activation, and thus reduce the self-perceived burden. For example, hospitals regularly conduct breast cancer health education activities, or invite psychological counselors to provide services to patients.

Age and sex-specific differences of mindfulness traits with measurement invariance controlled in Chinese adult population: A pilot study.

Objectives: To examine the relationships of age and sex with mindfulness traits among Chinese adults with controlling for measurement invariance. Methods: A total of 1777 participants completing the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire were included for analysis. Their age and sex information were also collected. Descriptive analysis, Pearson's Chi-Square test and analysis of variance were performed to test the age- and sex-specific differences, measurement invariance was examined by confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Excellent data fit to the model indicated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across age and sex. Participants aged 60 or above scored significantly higher in dimensions of acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, nonreactivity to inner experience, and the total scores than younger individuals, who had higher scores in the observing domain. In addition, females scored higher in describing and observing than males, while the latter had higher score in nonreactivity to inner experience. Conclusions: The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Mindfulness showed acceptable measurement invariance across age and sex in Chinese adult population. The old and the young differs in the traits of awareness, observing, nonjudging of inner experience, nonreactivity to inner experience and the total mindfulness level, while males and females varied in describing, observing and nonreactivity to inner experience. Individual differences should be considered and well addressed in future studies on mindfulness.

Feasibility and effect of emotional freedom therapy on sleep quality in patients with end-stage renal disease receiving maintenance hemodialysis: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility and efficacy of emotional freedom therapy (EFT) in improving sleep quality and managing negative emotions in end-stage renal disease patients on maintenance hemodialysis. METHODS: Between May 2021 and February 2022, 66 maintenance hemodialysis patients with sleep problems were recruited and randomized into an intervention and control group. The intervention group underwent a 12-week intervention of EFT. Two groups' hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS) scores, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and interdialysis weight gain (IDWG) before and one week after the formal intervention were collected and compared. Feasibility analysis was performed using a feasibility questionnaire and in-depth interviews with patients. RESULTS: Before the intervention, there was no statistical difference in the anxiety, depression, PSQI scores and IDWG between the two groups. After balancing the effects of gender and pre-intervention scores, two-way ANCOVA results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups after the intervention in terms of anxiety, depression, sleep quality, sleep duration, daytime dysfunction and PSQI total score. However, interactions effect for IDWG was statistically significant. Simple effects analysis revealed a difference in post-intervention IDWG between the intervention and control groups for patients over 65 (p < 0.05). Most patients agreed or strongly agreed that the EFT was easy to schedule and they did not experience difficulties during learning the EFT process (respectively 75% and 71.88%). And 75% of the participants were willing to continue practicing EFT. Qualitative content analysis identified five prominent categories related to feasibility and acceptability: affirmation, benefits, communication, support and trust. CONCLUSION: EFT can relieve anxiety and depression, enhance sleep quality, and improve the physical condition of patients with end-stage renal disease receiving maintenance hemodialysis. As well, the EFT intervention is practicable, acceptable, and perceived as being beneficial to the patient.

Fus3/Kss1-MAP kinase and Ste12-like control distinct biocontrol-traits besides regulation of insect cuticle penetration via phosphorylation cascade in a filamentous fungal pathogen.

BACKGROUND: Homolog of the yeast Fus3/Kss1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and its target transcription factor, Ste12-like, are involved in penetration of host cuticle/pathogenicity in many ascomycete pathogens. However, details of their interaction during fungal infection, as well as their controlled other virulence-associated traits, are unclear. RESULTS: Ste12-like (BbSte12) and Fus3/Kss1 MAPK homolog (Bbmpk1) interacted in nucleus, and phosphorylation of BbSte12 by Bbmpk1 was essential for penetration of insect cuticle in an insect fungal pathogen, Beauveria bassiana. However, some distinct biocontrol-traits were found to be mediated by Ste12 and Bbmpk1. In contrast to ΔBbmpk1 colony that grew more rapid than wild-type strain, inactivation of BbSte12 resulted in the opposite phenotype, which was consistent with their different proliferation rates in insect hemocoel after direct injection of conidia bypass the cuticle. Reduced conidial yield with decreased hydrophobicity was examined in both mutants, however they displayed distinct conidiogenesis, accompanying with differently altered cell cycle, distinct hyphal branching and septum formation. Moreover, ΔBbmpk1 showed increased tolerance to oxidative agent, whereas the opposite phenotype was seen for ΔBbSte12 strain. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that Bbmpk1 controlled 356 genes depending on BbSte12 during cuticle penetration, but 1077 and 584 genes were independently controlled by Bbmpk1 and BbSte12. CONCLUSION: BbSte12 and Bbmpk1 separately participate in additional pathways for control of conidiation, growth and hyphal differentiation, as well as oxidative stress response besides regulating cuticle penetration via phosphorylation cascade. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influences of Heider Balance on Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Quality of Life in Bladder Cancer Patients after Urinary Diversion.

Objective: To explore the influences of Heider balance on knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP), and quality of life in bladder cancer patients after urinary diversion. Methods: A set of bladder cancer patients after urinary diversion in our hospital from January 2016 to December 2020 were included in this study. Patients who received out-hospital intervention based on Heider balance were included in the observation group (85 cases). Meanwhile, patients who received routine out-hospital intervention were included in the control group (85 cases), and these patients matched with the observation group by gender, age, and education level. The scores of KAP, WHO quality of life-100 (WHOQOL-100) before discharge and at 6 months after discharge, and the rate of complications were compared in the two groups. Results: At 6 months after discharge, the score of these items of KAP including basic knowledge of disease, procedure of pouch replacement, dealing with pouch leakage, skin care of stoma, purchase and storage of pouch, dealing with stoma complications, optimistic mentality for disease, optimistic mentality for stoma, trust in medical staff, willingness to correct bad habits, confidence in maintaining health behavior, maintaining in health dietary habit, maintaining in health behavior, learning from relevant books, learning from relevant videos, experienced in pouch replacement, and experienced in care of stoma of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group (t = 6.144, 9.366, 3.129, 3.809, 4.173, 5.923, 2.788, 8.871, 3.291, 10.797, 7.067, 7.805, 3.828, 9.454, 2.827, 4.059, and 8.662, respectively, all P < 0.05). The scores of 16 items of WHOQOL-100 such as energy and fatigue, sleep and rest, positive feelings, thinking, learning, memory and concentration, self-esteem, body image and appearance, negative feelings, mobility, activities of daily living, dependence on medical support, personal relationships, social support, health and social care: availability and quality, opportunities to get new information/skills, opportunities for recreation and leisure, and quality of life from viewpoint in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (t = 2.666, 2.571, 2.961, 3.453, 4.279, 2.781, 3.775, 4.807, 5.850, 4.194, 3.324, 3.873, 5.118, 3.244, 2.956, and 4.218, respectively, all P < 0.05). The rate of complications of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group (x 2 = 5.829, P < 0.05). Conclusion: The Heider balance can help to reduce the rate of complications, improve knowledge, attitude, practice, and quality of life in urinary diversion patients. These merits make it an attractive approach in guidance of out-hospital intervention.

The efficacy and safety of microwave ablation versus conventional open surgery for the treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Microwave ablation (MWA) technology has been applied to the treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC); however, its use as an alternative to conventional open surgery (OS) remains controversial, because it belongs to non-tumor radical treatment. Our article sought to compare the efficacy and safety of MWA and OS in the treatment of PTMC. Methods: We searched seven databases for studies evaluating the treatment of patients with PTMC using MWA as intervention group and OS as control group, the main outcome contained intra-operative, post-operative and follow-up outcomes. Review Manager 5.4 was used to estimate the effects of the results of the included articles and Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 was used to assess the risk of bias. The data were pooled to calculate the mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the continuous data and the odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs for the dichotomous data. Results: A total of 13 studies, comprising 1,088 and 1,081 patients in the MWA and OS groups, respectively, were identified that compared the results of MWA to OS in the treatment of PTMC. All of the articles were at low risk of bias. There were no differences in terms of the recurrence rate (OR =0.80, 95% CI: 0.37 to 1.77; P=0.59) or lymph node metastasis (OR =0.71, 95% CI: 0.26 to 1.95; P=0.51) between the 2 groups. However, compared to the OS group, the MWA group had a shorter operation time (MD =-44.85, 95% CI: 5.73 to 20.68; P<0.00001), less intra-operative blood loss (MD =-23.37, 95% CI: -29.57 to -17.17; P<0.00001), a smaller surgical incision (MD =-47.04, 95% CI: -81.93 to -12.14; P=0.008), a shorter postoperative hospital stay (MD =-4.19, 95% CI: -5.46 to -2.92; P<0.00001), lower hospitalization expenses (MD =-85.65, 95% CI: -133.86 to -37.45; P<0.00001), and fewer complications (OR =0.23, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.33; P<0.00001). Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that MWA is better than OS at treating PTMC in terms of both intra-operative and post-operative outcomes. Due to the quality and number of the included studies, the long-term effects and suitability of MWA in the treatment of PTMC need to be further studied.

The effects of body scan meditation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Standardized mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been proved to be effective across many populations while the time commitment for the standardized intervention leads to high attrition rate. To address the problem, there has been a growing interest in conducting a single component of MBSR such as body scan. However, the impact of a sole mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of body scan meditation. A search of databases, including PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrance, Proquest Dissertations, and Theses, was conducted for randomized controlled trials with no population restriction. Fourteen independent articles were identified and outcomes were divided into seven categories. A meta-analysis with robust variance estimation was conducted separately for different outcome categories. Body scan only had small effect on mindfulness when compared with passive control (Hedge's g = .268, 95% CI = [0.032, 0.504], p < .05). The attrition rate of long-term interventions was low. The quality of these studies was low. There was high heterogeneity across studies. A sole body scan meditation is not effective enough to improve health-related outcomes.

ABCDEF pulmonary rehabilitation program can improve the mid-term lung function of lung cancer patients after thoracoscopic surgery: A randomized controlled study.

Background Pulmonary rehabilitation is recommended for most patients with lung diseases. However, some previous studies have shown that pulmonary rehabilitation has no obvious effect on short-term lung function in patients with lung cancer. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the ABCDEF pulmonary rehabilitation program on lung cancer patients who have undergone surgery. Design This was a randomized controlled trial with repeated measures. Settings The study was conducted in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department of a 4000-bed comprising training and research hospital from 2019 to 2020. Participants A total of 90 patients who underwent thoracoscopic pneumonectomy were divided into two groups of 45, using a completely randomized model. Methods Patients in the experimental group participated in an ABCDEF program (Acapella positive vibration pressure training, breathing exercise, cycling training, dance in the square, education, and follow-up) after surgery. In contrast, the regular care provided to the control group focused on breathing and expectoration guidance. The study outcomes were the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC ratio, 6 min walking distance, Borg score, incidence of postoperative complications, length of indwelling chest tube, and length of postoperative stay. Generalized estimating equation models were used to compare the changes in the outcomes between the groups over time. Results The ABCDEF pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients who underwent thoracoscopic pneumonectomy was found to be more effective in increasing lung function at 3 months after discharge (p<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference on the day of discharge (p>0.05). Exercise tolerance was different at both time points (p<0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). The length of postoperative stay in the experimental group was also shorter (p<0.05), however, the length of the indwelling chest tube was not significantly different between the intervention and control groups (p>0.05). Conclusions This study showed that the ABCDEF pulmonary rehabilitation program could effectively improve mid-term lung function and exercise tolerance in patients after thoracoscopic pneumonectomy, and reduce the incidence of postoperative complications along with the length of postoperative hospital stay.

Scutellarin Reduces Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury Involving in Vascular Endothelium Protection and PKG Signal.

Flavonoid glycoside scutellarin (SCU) has been widely applied in the treatment of cerebral ischemic diseases in China. In this article, we conducted research on the working mechanisms of SCU in hypoxia reoxygenation (HR) injury of isolated cerebral basilar artery (BA) and erebral ischemia reperfusion (CIR) injury in rat models. In isolated rat BA rings, HR causes endothelial dysfunction (ED) and acetylcholine (ACh) induces endothelium-dependent vasodilation. The myography result showed that SCU (100 µM) was able to significantly improve the endothelium-dependent vasodilation induced by Ach. However, SCU did not affect the ACh-induced relaxation in normal BA. Further studies suggested that SCU (10-1000 µM) dose-dependently induced relaxation in isolated BA rings which were significantly blocked by the cGMP dependent protein kinase (PKG) inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cGMPs (PKGI-rp, 4 µM). Pre-incubation with SCU (500 µM) reversed the impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation induced by HR, but the reversing effect was blocked if PKGI-rp (4 µM) was added. The brain slice staining test in rats' model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced CIR proved that the administration of SCU (45, 90 mg/kg, iv) significantly reduced the area of cerebral infarction. The Western blot assay result showed that SCU (45 mg/kg, iv) increased brain PKG activity and PKG protein level after CIR surgery. In conclusion, our findings suggested that SCU possesses the ability of protecting brain cells against CIR injury through vascular endothelium protection and PKG signal.

Characteristics and health risks of benzene series and halocarbons near a typical chemical industrial park.

Health risks of typical benzene series and halocarbons (BSHs) in a densely populated area near a large-scale chemical industrial park were investigated. Ambient and indoor air and tap water samples were collected in summer and winter; and the concentration characteristics, sources, and exposure risks of typical BSH species, including five benzene series (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m,p-xylene) and five halocarbons (dichloromethane, trichloromethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloromethane, and tetrachloroethylene), were analysed. The total mean concentrations of BSHs were 53.32 µg m-3, 36.29 µg m-3, and 26.88 µg L-1 in indoor air, ambient air, and tap water, respectively. Halocarbons dominated the total BSHs with concentrations relatively higher than those in many other industrial areas. Industrial solvent use, industrial processes, and vehicle exhaust emissions were the principal sources of BSHs in ambient air. The use of household products (e.g., detergents and pesticides) was the principal source of indoor BSHs. Inhalation is the primary human exposure route. Ingestion of drinking water was also an important exposure route but had less impact than inhalation. Lifetime non-cancer risks of individual and cumulative BSHs were below the threshold (HQ = 1), indicating no significant lifetime non-cancer risks in the study area. However, tetrachloromethane, benzene, trichloromethane, ethylbenzene, and trichloroethylene showed potential lifetime cancer risk. The cumulative lifetime cancer risks exceeded the tolerable benchmark (1 × 10-4), indicating a lifetime cancer risk of BSHs to residents near the chemical industry park. This study provides valuable information for the management of public health in chemical industrial parks.

Case-based learning combined with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education concept to improve clinical thinking of undergraduate nursing students: A randomized experiment.

Aims: The present study was conducted to apply and examine case-based learning (CBL) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education concept in the training of nursing student's clinical thinking. Design: A randomized experimental design with non-equivalent group pretest-posttest. Methods: Participants were requested to participant in either of the two programmes: traditional education programme as a control group or CBL combined with STEM education concept (the STEM group). Questionnaires of critical thinking, self-directed learning, self-efficacy were administered before and after the experiment. Results: Differences between the STEM group and control group were observed in critical thinking, self-directed learning, self-efficacy and career choice over one semester. Accordingly, CBL combined with STEM education concept enhanced the nursing student's clinical thinking.

Tianma Formula Alleviates Dementia via ACER2-Mediated Sphingolipid Signaling Pathway Involving Aß.

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the molecular mechanism of the antagonistic effect of traditional Chinese medicine Tianma formula (TF) on dementia including vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to provide a scientific basis for the study of traditional Chinese medicine for prevention and treatment of dementia. METHOD: The TF was derived from the concerted application of traditional Chinese medicine. We detected the pharmacological effect of TF in VaD rats. The molecular mechanism of TF was examined by APP/PS1 mice in vivo, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) in vitro, ELISA, pathological assay via HE staining, and transcriptome. Based on RNA-seq analysis in VaD rats, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and then verified by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and ELISA. The molecular mechanisms of TF on dementia were further confirmed by network pharmacology and molecular docking finally. RESULTS: The Morris water maze showed that TF could improve the cognitive memory function of the VaD rats. The ELISA and histological analysis suggested that TF could protect the hippocampus via reducing tau and IL-6 levels and increasing SYN expression. Meanwhile, it could protect the neurological function by alleviating Aß deposition in APP/PS1 mice and C. elegans. In the RNA-seq analysis, 3 sphingolipid metabolism pathway-related genes, ADORA3, FCER1G, and ACER2, and another 5 nerve-related genes in 45 key DEGs were identified, so it indicated that the protection mechanism of TF was mainly associated with the sphingolipid metabolism pathway. In the qPCR assay, compared with the model group, the mRNA expressions of the 8 genes mentioned above were upregulated, and these results were consistent with RNA-seq. The protein and mRNA levels of ACER2 were also upregulated. Also, the results of network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking were consistent with those of RNA-seq analysis. CONCLUSION: TF alleviates dementia by reducing Aß deposition via the ACER2-mediated sphingolipid signaling pathway.

Utilization and professionalism toward social media among undergraduate nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Social media has become an integrated part of nursing profession, requiring nursing students to develop confidentiality and professional fitness to practice. The aim of this study was to investigate nursing students' usage, professionalism and attitudes toward social media. METHODS: A cross-section study was conducted online among undergraduate nursing students (n = 654). Questionnaires of self-directed learning, self-efficacy and usage and views toward social media were administered. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Ethical approval was obtained from the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine. RESULTS: All participants were social media users. QQ (93.2%) was the most frequently used. 74.5% respondents spent 2-6 h on social media daily. The majority held positive attitudes toward social media. Year group and gender had influence on perceptions and attitudes toward social media. Furthermore, 81.5% students believed that social media positively influenced self-directed learning. Self-directed learning and learning motivation acted as predictors of the attitudes toward social media. Meanwhile, 67.3% students had posted personal photos and videos online, and 82.4% of them did not have privacy setting on social media. In addition,13.8% students attacked others or posted improper photos online. 22.9% participants witnessed improper posts from schoolmates or teachers, such as complaints about schoolmates or teachers (22.2%), foul language (11.1%), violence (3.9%), sexually suggestive photos (2.6%) and patient confidentiality (0.7%). In all, 15.0% respondents accepted "friend request" from patients. A total of 58.2% students were not aware of professional standards of behavior online for health care providers. In addition, 52.3% participants insisted that it is essential to develop social media and professionalism course for nursing students. CONCLUSION: Nursing students use social media extensively. Some students are at risk of carrying out unprofessional behavior which have detrimental effects on students' future opportunities. This suggests that best practices and training in nurse education should be implemented to help students to be informed of professionalism.

Nitrogen wet deposition in the Three Gorges Reservoir area: Characteristics, fluxes, and contributions to the aquatic environment.

Measurements of nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in precipitation were conducted at six different sites in the hinterland of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) area from January 2016 to December 2017. The characteristics and the sources of nitrogen (N) species were identified. N flux of wet deposition in the hinterland of the TGR area were 13.56 ± 2.95 kg N ha-1 yr-1, of which the proportions of NO3--N, NH4+-N and DON were 60.9%, 25.1% and 14.0%, respectively. N flux in urban area was significantly higher than those in suburban, agricultural, and wetland areas. Industrial activities, biomass burning, and secondary transformation were the main contributors of N in urban area. In agricultural area, biomass burning, crustal, and manure were main sources of N. In suburban area, mixed emissions from industry, agriculture, and crustal sources were primary contributors of N. For wetlands, the major contributions were from industrial sector and biomass burning. Additional, analysis of regional distribution of dissolved N deposition in the TGR area was conducted by combining current study data and previously published data between 2000 and 2017. N flux of wet deposition in the entire TGR area ranged from 12.17 to 51.93 kg N ha-1 yr-1, with an average of 26.81 kg N ha-1 yr-1. Regional N distribution was greatest in the tail region, followed by the head region, and then the hinterland in the TGR area. The amount of N entering the TGR directly through atmospheric wet deposition was 2906 t yr-1, accounting for 2.1% of the total N inputs. N load from wet deposition had exceeded the critical loads from that of the water, forest, and even some farmland ecosystems in the TGR area. Decreasing NH3 emissions from agricultural activities is the key to alleviate the regional N deposition.

[Emotion Recognition Based on Multiple Physiological Signals].

Emotion is a series of reactions triggered by a specific object or situation that affects a person's physiological state and can, therefore, be identified by physiological signals. This paper proposes an emotion recognition model. Extracted the features of physiological signals such as photoplethysmography, galvanic skin response, respiration amplitude, and skin temperature. The SVM-RFE-CBR(Recursive Feature Elimination-Correlation Bias Reduction-Support Vector Machine) algorithm was performed to select features and support vector machines for classification. Finally, the model was implemented on the DEAP dataset for an emotion recognition experiment. In the rating scale of valence, arousal, and dominance, the accuracy rates of 73.5%, 81.3%, and 76.1% were obtained respectively. The result shows that emotional recognition can be effectively performed by combining a variety of physiological signals.

Characteristics and potential exposure risks of environmentally persistent free radicals in PM2.5 in the three gorges reservoir area, Southwestern China.

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are a novel class of hazardous substances that can exist stably in airborne particles for a period ranging from days to weeks and are potentially toxic to human health. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) was used to characterize particulate EPFRs in Wanzhou in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in 2017. During the whole of 2017, the average concentration of particulate EPFRs was 7.0 × 1013 ± 1.7 × 1013 spins/m3. The seasonal concentration of EPFRs in PM2.5 showed a trend of autumn > winter > spring > summer. The maxima and minima of EPFRs occurred in spring with concentrations of 2.1 × 1014 spins/m3 and 9.4 × 1012 spins/m3 respectively. The EPFRs in PM2.5 were mainly carbon-centered radicals with adjacent oxygen atoms. Significant positive correlations were found between EPFRs and SO42-, NO3- and NH4+ (r > 0.55, n = 111), indicating that EPFRs are associated with secondary sources. The atmospheric processing of particles from coal combustion, traffic, and agriculture were important sources of EPFRs. They were also particularly well correlated with K+ and Cl- in winter, suggesting that EPFRs may also be derived from wintertime biomass burning emissions. The amount of inhalable EPFRs in Wanzhou was equivalent to the range of 2.3-6.8 cigarettes per capita per day. This study provides evidence of the potential health risks of EPFRs in PM2.5, and references for air pollution control in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.