Quantile regression analysis of the association between parental rearing and interpersonal sensitivity in Chinese adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Parental rearing is well documented as an important influencing factor of interpersonal sensitivity (IS). However, little research has focused on the extent by which various aspects of parental rearing in fluence IS. This study aimed to analyze the effects of parental rearing on IS, using quantile regression. We analyzed the extent of the influence of parental rearing on IS by quantile regression to provide definitive evidence on the family education of adolescents with IS problems. METHODS: The multiple cross-sectional studies were conducted among 3345 adolescents from Harbin, China, in 1999, 2006, 2009 and 2016. Furthermore, a multistage sampling method (stratified random cluster) was used to select participants. IS was assessed using a subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision. Perceived parental rearing was assessed using the Egna Minnen av. Barndoms Uppfostran. The ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression was used to determine the average effect of parental rearing on IS. The quantile regression was conducted to examine the established associations and to further explain the association. RESULTS: Paternal emotional warmth was found to be associated with IS across the quantile, especially after the 0.6 quantiles; however, this association was not found for maternal emotional warmth. Paternal punishment was associated with IS at the 0.22-0.27 and 0.60 quantile; however, maternal punishment had no significant effect on IS. QR method found that paternal overinvolvement was associated with IS at the 0.48-0.65 quantiles, but paternal overprotection was associated with IS across the quantile; however, maternal overinvolvement and overprotection was positively correlated with IS at the 0.07-0.95 quantiles. The correlation between paternal rejection and IS was found at the 0.40-0.75 and > 0.90 quantiles; maternal rejection was associated with IS within the 0.05-0.92 quantiles. CONCLUSIONS: Parental rearing practices predict different magnitudes of IS at varying levels. This study provides suggestions for parents to assess purposefully and systematically, intervene, and ameliorate adolescent IS problems. We also highlight the role of paternal rearing in children's IS problems, providing new ideas for family education.

Low Ca2+ concentration doping enhances the mechanical properties and ionic conductivity of Na3PS4 superionic conductors based on first-principles.

The mechanical strength and ionic conductivity of sulfide solid electrolytes have received widespread attention for their application in solid sodium batteries. Herein, first-principles calculations are used to determine the properties, including the electronic, mechanical and ionic transport properties, of Na3PS4 sulfide solid electrolytes doped with low and high Ca ion concentrations. Our theoretical results demonstrate that low Ca ion concentrations can be easily doped in tetragonal and cubic phases (t-Na3PS4 and c-Na3PS4) and create a suitable number of Na vacancies based on the formation energy analysis. Furthermore, the calculated density of states and charge density differences indicate that the surrounding electronic environment is changed, and Ca-S ionic bonds are formed in Na3PS4 with Ca-doping. In addition, the improved ductility and mechanical strength of c-Na3PS4 and t-Na3PS4 achieved by low-concentration Ca doping may help suppress dendritic growth and electrode deformation. Finally, sodium ion migration in Ca-doped Na3PS4 is described with the aid of the CI-NEB method, and it is found that the migration energy barriers are less than those of pure Na3PS4, which suggests that the sodium ion conductivity can be effectively improved by doping with low Ca2+ concentrations. The present work improves the understanding of the influence of doping on the performance of solid electrolytes and provides a feasible framework for the future design of high-performance solid electrodes.

Bone morphogenetic protein-7 inhibits endothelial-mesenchymal transition in pulmonary artery endothelial cell under hypoxia.

Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is characterized by structural changes in pulmonary arteries. Increased numbers of cells expressing α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) is a nearly universal finding in the remodeled artery. It has been confirmed endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) may be a source of those α-SMA-expressing cells. In addition, the EndoMT is reversible. Here, we show that under hypoxia, the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) was decreased both in vivo and in vitro. We also found that under normoxia, BMP-7 deficiency induced spontaneous EndoMT and cell migration. The hypoxia-induced EndoMT and cell migration were markedly attenuated after pretreatment with rh-BMP-7. Moreover, m-TOR phosphorylation was involved in EndoMT and BMP-7 suppressed hypoxia-induced m-TORC1 phosphorylation in pulmonary artery endothelial cells. Our results demonstrate that BMP-7 attenuates the hypoxia-induced EndoMT and cell migration by suppressing the m-TORC1 signaling pathway. Our study revealed a novel mechanism underlying the hypoxia-induced EndoMT in pulmonary artery endothelial cells and suggested a new therapeutic strategy targeting EndoMT for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Effects of Grain Size and Twin Layer Thickness on Crack Initiation at Twin Boundaries.

A theoretical model to explore the effect on crack initiation of nanotwinned materials was proposed based on the accumulation of dislocations at twin boundaries. First, a critical cracking initiation condition was established considering the number of dislocations pill-up at TBs, grain size and twin layer thickness, and a semi-quantitative relationship between the crystallographic orientation and the stacking fault energy was built. In addition, the number of dislocations pill-up was described by introducing the theory of strain gradient. Based on this model, the effects of grain size and twin lamellae thickness on dislocation density and crack initiation at twin boundaries were also discussed. The simulation results demonstrated that the crack initiation resistance can be improved by decreasing the grain size and increasing the twin lamellae, which keeps in agreement with recent experimental findings reported in the literature.

Metal-Ions Intercalation Mechanism in Layered Anode From First-Principles Calculation.

Layered structure (MoS2) has the potential use as an anode in metal-ions (M-ions) batteries. Here, first-principles calculations are used to systematically investigate the diffusion mechanisms and structural changes of MoS2 as anode in lithium (Li)-, sodium (Na)-, magnesium (Mg)- and Zinc (Zn)-ions batteries. Li and Na ions are shown to be stored in the MoS2 anode material due to the strong adsorption energies (~-2.25 eV), in contrast to a relatively weak adsorption of Mg and Zn ions for the pristine MoS2. To rationalize the results, we evaluate the charge transfer from the M-ions to the MoS2 anode, and find a significant hybridization between the adsorbed atoms and S atoms in the MoS2 anode. Furthermore, the migration energy barriers of M ions are explored using first-principles with the climbing image nudged elastic band (CINEB) method, and the migration energy barrier is in the order of Zn > Mg > Li > Na ions. Our results combined with the electrochemical performance experiments show that Li- and Na-ions batteries have good cycle and rate performance due to low ions migration energy barrier and high storage capability. However, the MoS2 anode shows poor electrochemical performance in Zn- and Mg-ions batteries, especially Zn-ion batteries. Further analysis reveals that the MoS2 structure undergoes the phase transformation from 2H to 1T during the intercalation of Li and Na ions, leading to strong interaction between M ions and the anode, and thus higher electrochemical performance, which, however, is difficult to occur in Mg- and Zn-ions batteries. This work focuses on the theoretical aspects of M-ions intercalation, and our findings may stimulate the experimental work for the intercalation of multi-ions to maximize the capacity of anode in M-ions batteries.

[Cytological comparison of anther and pollen growth in Liriope spicata var. prolifera and L. spicata].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the difference of anther and pollen growth between Liriope spicata var. prolifera and L. spicate, and investigate the mechanism of the sterility of Liriope spicata var. prolifera. METHODS: A comparative study on anther and pollen growth process was carried out between L. spicata var. prolifera and L. spicata by means of paraffin section. RESULTS: In L. spicata, the tapetum was secretory tapetum and began to degrade during dyad stage. The cells of tapetum and middle layer disappeared thoroughly when pollens were fully mature at 3-celled stage. In L. spicata var. prolifera, the degradation of the tapetum took place at the early time of meiosis stage and the tapetum cells inflated like vacuolization. The mononuclear pollens were abortive, which eventually formed abnormal pollens. CONCLUSION: The pollen abortion of L. spicata var. prolifera is associated with tapetum heteroplasia and degradation in advance.

[Comparative study on meiotic behavior and pollen development of medicinal plants Liriope spicata var. prolifera and L. spicata].

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the mechanism of sterility of Liriope spicata var. prolifera. METHOD: Meiotic behavior and pollen development of L. spicata var. prolifera were described in detail. Its proto-variety L. spicata was also investigated for comparison. RESULT: During the meiosis of microspore mother cells (MMC), most of cells displayed normally in L. spicata, but abnormally in L. spicata var. prolifera. The abnormity was showed that: some chromosomes or their fragments moved out of the spindle of the cell at metaphase; some chromosome bridges, fragments and lagging ones were formed at anaphase; and many microspores displayed the micronucleus at the telophase. The pollen development was abnormal in L. spicata var. prolifera and normal in L. spicata, with the aberration rate of pollen was 95.81% and 3.44% separately. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that some abnormalities of meiotic behavior and pollen development are main reasons for inducing microspore abortion during its development.

[Callus induction and plant regeneration of Liriope spicata var. prolifera anther].

OBJECTIVE: To study the technique of the callus induction from anther and plant regeneration of medicinal plants Liriope spicata var. prolifera. METHOD: Callus was induced from anther of L. spicata var. prolifera on a MS medium supplemented with different hormones. The squash methods combined with a microscope were used to analyze chromosomes of regenerated plantlets. RESULT: MS +2,4-D 1.0 mg x L(-1) + KT 2.0 mg x L(-1) gave the highest induction ratio which was 41.07%. MS +6-BA 1.5-2.0 mg x L(-1) + NAA 0.1-0.3 mg x L(-1) was suitable for the induction and proliferation of indefinite buds. The buds were transferred to 1/2 MS medium supplemented with NAA 0.1-0.3 mg x L(-1) for rooting. The shoots produced roots of culture and formed complete plantlets. The regenerated plantlets originated from somatic cells. At the same time, the effects of pretreatment of low temperature at 4 degrees C on the callus induction were studied and discussed. CONCLUSION: This paper sets up the method of tissue culture of anther somatic-cells and intermediate propagation of L. spicata var. prolifera.

Anti-diabetic effects of water extract and crude polysaccharides from tuberous root of Liriope spicata var. prolifera in mice.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of the water extract (WE) and crude polysaccharides (CPs) obtained from the tuberous root of Liriope spicata (Thund.) var. prolifera Y. T. Ma, which is widely used in prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: WE and CPs were administered orally at different doses (200 and 100 mg/kg body weight) to normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetic male BABL/c mice, respectively. The fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipids and insulin in serum were estimated and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed for the evaluation of hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. RESULTS: Both doses of WE and CPs did not show any appreciable effect on FBG in normal mice. However, they caused a marked decrease of FBG and a significant improvement on glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in STZ-induced type 2 diabetic mice. In addition, while lowering total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, WE and CPs elevated the relative high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level (HDL/TC) in serum. Compared to WE, the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of CPs were more marked. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that WE and CPs may have hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic potential for the type 2 diabetes and support the traditional use of the tuberous root of Liriope spicata var. prolifera as a hypoglycemic agent.