Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds and Endogenous Extracts and Study of Expression Patterns of TPS and BSMT in the Flowers of Seven Lilium Cultivars.

Lily is one of the most important cut flowers in the world, with a rich floral fragrance. To further explore the fragrance emission mechanisms of lily cultivars, headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and organic solvent extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (OSE-GC-MS) were used to unveil the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and endogenous extracts of seven lily cultivars. Furthermore, real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the expression levels of two key genes (TPS and BSMT) related to the biosynthesis of monoterpenoids and methyl benzoate. The results show that forty-five VOCs were detected in the petals of seven lily cultivars, and the main compounds were monoterpenoids and phenylpropanoids/benzenoids. Dichloromethane was the best solvent for extracting the endogenous extracts of Lilium 'Viviana' petals and eighteen endogenous extracts were detected using dichloromethane to extract the petals of seven lily cultivars. Each compound's emission ratio (natural logarithm of the ratio of VOC content to endogenous extract content) was calculated, and linear regression analyses between emission ratios and boiling points were conducted. Significant linear negative correlations existed between the emission ratios and boiling points of compounds, and the regression equations' coefficients of determination (R2) were all greater than 0.7. TPS was expressed highly in 'Viviana', 'Pink News', and 'Palazzo', and BSMT was expressed highly in 'Pink News' and 'Palazzo'. Correlation analyses between the gene expression levels and the monoterpenoids and methyl benzoate contents found that the TPS expression levels have strong positive correlations with monoterpenoids content, while no correlations were found between the expression levels of BSMT and the contents of methyl benzoate. This study lays the foundation for research on the release patterns of VOCs in the flowers of Lilium, and the breeding of lilies for their floral fragrance.

Imagination-Based Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: A New Meditation Method Developed from Chinese Buddhism.

Many loving-kindness and compassion meditation methods used in psychological research are derived from Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism. Zhiyi (), a representative figure of Chinese Buddhism, proposed a different meditation method, namely, imagination-based loving-kindness and compassion meditation. The current article introduces the imagination-based loving-kindness and compassion meditation proposed by Zhiyi and compares it with meditation methods from Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism. Zhiyi's method limits the content of imagination during meditation, which can be an essential supplement to the free association method derived from Theravada Buddhism. Zhiyi's method of helping others entirely through imagination differs significantly from the tonglen method derived from Tibetan Buddhism and may be more suitable for participants without religious beliefs. Based on Zhiyi's source text and previous psychological studies, a mental-health training program for imagination-based loving-kindness and compassion meditation is proposed. The limitations of Zhiyi's method and the future directions for empirical research on Zhiyi's method are also discussed. The differences between Zhiyi's method and other methods in terms of effects and applicable populations need to be examined in future studies.

Short-Term Effects of Competitive Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study.

Previous research on factors affecting video game player aggression has mainly reflected on the violent content of video games; in recent years, some researchers have focused on competitive factors in video games. However, little research has examined the sole impacts of competitive factors in video games without violent content on aggression, and the neurological processes of these effects are still unknown. The present study was the first to examine the electrophysiological characteristics of short-term competitive video game exposure and aggression. Thirty-five participants played a video game in either competitive or solo mode for 15 min, followed by an ERP experiment based on the oddball paradigm and the hot sauce paradigm to measure aggressive behavior. Results showed that playing competitive game mode was associated with faster judgment of aggressive words, larger P300 amplitudes, and selection of more chili powder than in solo mode. Mediation analysis further revealed that the P300 amplitude evoked by the aggressive words partially mediated the relationship between competitive game exposure and aggressive behavior. These findings support the general aggression model. However, this study has limitations, such as a single form of competitive game examined and single blindness, which need further improvement in future studies.

A network analysis of internet gaming disorder symptoms.

We examined the symptoms network of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). We recruited 793 heavy game players online and 184 of them were diagnosed with IGD. We measured IGD via the 27-item IGD Scale and analyzed symptoms to examine how they interacted with each other to drive the addictive behaviors. Furthermore, we added motives and psychological well-being variables into the network. We found that the most central symptoms were conflict, withdrawal, and tolerance. Overall, two distinct groups of symptoms were discovered: one group for addictive symptoms and the other for psychological consequences.

Determinants of the Intention to Use Smart Healthcare Devices: A Framework and Public Policy Implications.

Healthcare industry is strongly influenced by new digital technologies. In this context, this study creates a framework and explores determinants of the intention to use smart healthcare devices. Several factors were identified, including usefulness, convenience, novelty, price, technological complexity, and perceived privacy risks of smart devices. Based on the samples from China, we find that usefulness, convenience, and novelty have positive influences on the intention to use smart healthcare devices. However, technological complexity is negatively related to the intention to use smart devices. The results further extend previous researches in the area of the healthcare industry.

The Post-Movement Beta Rebound and Motor-Related Mu Suppression in Children.

Age-related EEG activity change is a prominent feature that reflects the functional development of the brain. The current study investigated the beta and mu rhythms of 16 children (7.7 ± 1.5 years, 5 to 9.6 years) and 13 adults when a self-determining arm motion was performed. The results indicated that mu power was decreased during movement and returned to baseline level after the movement for both children and adults. However, although a decrease in beta power was observed for both children and adults during movement, the post-movement beta power rebound (PMBR) was observed in adults but not in children. These results suggest that motor-related mu suppression develops early in children; PMBR develops later and may be associated with a more prolonged motor development process.

Restoration of marine coastal ecosystem health as a new goal for integrated catchment management in Tolo Harbor, Hong Kong, China.

This article demonstrates why it is necessary to have the restoration of marine coastal ecosystem health as a new goal for integrated catchment management in the coastal area of Tolo Harbor. The present goal of integrated catchment management (ICM) in the Tolo Harbor is based on water quality objectives. The performance of the ICM plan, the Tolo Harbor Action Plan (THAP), was evaluated using marine coastal ecosystem health indicators including both stress and response indicators. Since the implementation of THAP in 1988, some significant reductions in pollution loading have been observed: reduction of 83% of biological oxygen demand load and 82% of total nitrogen between 1988 and 1999. There has also been an improvement in the health of Tolo Harbor's marine coastal ecosystem as evidenced by trends in physical, chemical, and biological indicators, although reverse fluctuations in some periods exist. However, such improvement can only be considered as the first sign of complete ecosystem health restoration, because ecosystem health covers not only physical, chemical, and biological aspects of an ecosystem, but also ecosystem service functions. The findings support the need to take the restoration and protection of marine coastal ecosystem health as a new goal rather than using water quality objectives. Steps necessary to further improve Tolo Harbor's marine coastal ecosystem health are also discussed.