Computational mechanisms for context-based behavioral interventions: A large-scale analysis.

Choice context influences decision processes and is one of the primary determinants of what people choose. This insight has been used by academics and practitioners to study decision biases and to design behavioral interventions to influence and improve choices. We analyzed the effects of context-based behavioral interventions on the computational mechanisms underlying decision-making. We collected data from two large laboratory studies involving 19 prominent behavioral interventions, and we modeled the influence of each intervention using a leading computational model of choice in psychology and neuroscience. This allowed us to parametrize the biases induced by each intervention, to interpret these biases in terms of underlying decision mechanisms and their properties, to quantify similarities between interventions, and to predict how different interventions alter key choice outcomes. In doing so, we offer researchers and practitioners a theoretically principled approach to understanding and manipulating choice context in decision-making.

Electron Configuration Modulation Induced Stabilized 1T-MoS2 for Enhanced Sodium Ion Storage.

1T-MoS2 has become an ideal anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the metastable feature of 1T-MoS2 makes it difficult to directly synthesize under normal conditions. In addition, it easily transforms into 2H phase via restacking, resulting in inferior electrochemical performance. Herein, the electron configuration of Mo 4d orbitals is modulated and the stable 1T-MoS2 is constructed by nickel (Ni) introduction (1T-Ni-MoS2). The original electron configuration of Mo 4d orbitals is changed via the electron injection by Ni, which triggers the phase transition from 2H to 1T phase, thus improving the electrical conductivity and accelerating the redox kinetics of the material. Consequently, 1T-Ni-MoS2 exhibits superior rate capability (266.8 mAh g-1 at 10 A g-1) and excellent cycle life (358.7 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 350 cycles). In addition, the assembled Na3V2(PO4)3/C||1T-Ni-MoS2 full cells deliver excellent electrochemical properties and show great prospects in energy storage devices.

A Novel Antimicrobial Mechanism of Azalomycin F Acting on Lipoteichoic Acid Synthase and Cell Envelope.

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) plays an essential role in bacterial growth and resistance to antibiotics, and LTA synthetase (LtaS) was considered as an attractive target for combating Gram-positive infections. Azalomycin F, a natural guanidyl-containing polyhydroxy macrolide, can target the LTA of Staphylococcus aureus. Using various technologies including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, transmission electron microscope, proteomics, and parallel reaction monitoring, here, the experimental results indicated that azalomycin F can accelerate the LTA release and disrupt the cell envelope, which would also lead to the feedback upregulation on the expressions of LtaS and other related enzymes. Simultaneously, the reconstituted enzyme activity evaluations showed that azalomycin F can significantly inhibit the extracellular catalytic domain of LtaS (eLtaS), while this was vague for LtaS embedded in the liposomes. Subsequently, the fluorescence analyses for five incubation systems containing azalomycin F and eLtaS or the LtaS-embedded liposome indicated that azalomcyin F can spontaneously bind to the active center of LtaS. Combining the mass spectroscopy analyses and the molecular dockings, the results further indicated that this interaction involves the binding sites of substrates and the LTA prolongation, especially the residues Lys299, Phe353, Trp354 and His416. All these suggested that azalomycin F has multiple antibacterial mechanisms against S. aureus. It can not only inhibit LTA biosynthesis through the interactions of its guanidyl side chain with the active center of LtaS but also disrupt the cell envelope through the synergistic effect of accelerating the LTA release, damaging the cell membrane, and electrostatically interacting with LTA. Simultaneously, these antibacterial mechanisms exhibit a synergistic inhibition effect on S. aureus cells, which would eventually cause the cellular autolysis.

Lipid profiles in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the lipid profiles in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHODS: The literature and relevant reviews were searched for published clinical studies on the relationship between JIA and blood lipid levels. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was applied to evaluate the risk and methodological value of the included case‒control and cohort studies. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals were derived for all variables with adequate unprocessed data. This meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: In total, 16 studies were incorporated through screening. The analysis findings revealed that the levels of very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [SMD=-0.411, 95% CI (-0.774~-0.048), P = 0.026], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [SMD=-0.528, 95% CI (-0.976~-0.079), P = 0.021], and apolipoprotein A1 [SMD=-1.050, 95% CI (-1.452~-0.647), P = 0.000] in JIA patients were statistically lower than those observed in healthy controls. The level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [SMD = 0.202, 95% CI (0.003 ~ 0.400), P = 0.046] was significantly higher in JIA patients than in healthy controls. In JIA patients, body mass index [SMD=-0.189, 95% CI (-0.690 ~ 0.311), P = 0.459], high-density lipoprotein [SMD =-1.235, 95% CI (-2.845 ~ 0.374), P = 0.133), low-density lipoprotein [SMD = 0.616, 95% CI (-0.813 ~ 2.046), P = 0.398), triglycerides (SMD = 0.278, 95% CI (-0.182 ~ 0.738), P = 0.236], total cholesterol [SMD=-0.073, 95% CI (-0.438 ~ 0.293), P = 0.696] and apolipoprotein B levels [SMD = 0.226, 95% CI (-0.133 ~ 0.585), P = 0.217] were not significantly different from those in healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of this meta-analysis suggest that dyslipidemia is common in JIA patients compared to healthy controls. Patients with JIA have a significantly increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease later in life.

Decomposing loss aversion from gaze allocation and pupil dilation.

Loss-averse decisions, in which one avoids losses at the expense of gains, are highly prevalent. However, the underlying mechanisms remain controversial. The prevailing account highlights a valuation bias that overweighs losses relative to gains, but an alternative view stresses a response bias to avoid choices involving potential losses. Here we couple a computational process model with eye-tracking and pupillometry to develop a physiologically grounded framework for the decision process leading to accepting or rejecting gambles with equal odds of winning and losing money. Overall, loss-averse decisions were accompanied by preferential gaze toward losses and increased pupil dilation for accepting gambles. Using our model, we found gaze allocation selectively indexed valuation bias, and pupil dilation selectively indexed response bias. Finally, we demonstrate that our computational model and physiological biomarkers can identify distinct types of loss-averse decision makers who would otherwise be indistinguishable using conventional approaches. Our study provides an integrative framework for the cognitive processes that drive loss-averse decisions and highlights the biological heterogeneity of loss aversion across individuals.

Genome-wide association study of grain hardness and novel Puroindoline alleles in common wheat.

Grain hardness (HI) is a key trait for wheat milling and end-use quality. Puroindoline genes (PINs) are the major genes responsible for grain hardness, but other QTLs also contribute to the trait. Therefore, it is essential to identify loci associated with the HI and allelic variations of PINs in wheat. In the present study, 287 accessions from Shanxi province representing 70 years of wheat breeding were grown in one rainfed and two irrigated conditions to study grain hardness. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) was performed using the 15 K array, and the variability of PIN alleles was investigated. Among the accessions, hard wheat was most common. The broad-sense heritability (H2) among the three environments was 99.5%, suggesting HI was mainly affected by heredity. GWAS identified nine significant marker-trait associations (MTAs), including that PINs, which explained 7.03% to 17.70% of phenotypic variation. Four MTAs on chromosome 2A, 2B, 5A, and 7A were novel loci. As for diversity of PINs, a total of 11 PINs haplotypes were detected, composed of 12 allelic variations of the PIN gene. The most frequent haplotypes were Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b (43.9%) and Pina-Dla/Pinb-D1p (18.8%), and both the frequency of Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b and the HI value increased with breeding years were related to local dietary habits probably. A novel double deletion allele of the PINs haplotype was found in Donghei1206. These results will be useful not only in understanding of the genetics of the HI but also in breeding for improved grain texture. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-022-01303-x.

Pharmacokinetics of Azalomycin F, a Natural Macrolide Produced by Streptomycete Strains, in Rats.

As antimicrobial resistance has been increasing, new antimicrobial agents are desperately needed. Azalomycin F, a natural polyhydroxy macrolide, presents remarkable antimicrobial activities. To investigate its pharmacokinetic characteristics in rats, the concentrations of azalomycin F contained in biological samples, in vitro, were determined using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) method, and, in vivo, samples were assayed by an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (UPLC-MS/MS) method. Based on these methods, the pharmacokinetics of azalomycin F were first investigated. Its plasma concentration-time courses and pharmacokinetic parameters in rats were obtained by a non-compartment model for oral (26.4 mg/kg) and intravenous (2.2 mg/kg) administrations. The results indicate that the oral absolute bioavailability of azalomycin F is very low (2.39 ± 1.28%). From combinational analyses of these pharmacokinetic parameters, and of the results of the in-vitro absorption and metabolism experiments, we conclude that azalomycin F is absorbed relatively slowly and with difficulty by the intestinal tract, and subsequently can be rapidly distributed into the tissues and/or intracellular f of rats. Azalomycin F is stable in plasma, whole blood, and the liver, and presents plasma protein binding ratios of more than 90%. Moreover, one of the major elimination routes of azalomycin F is its excretion through bile and feces. Together, the above indicate that azalomycin F is suitable for administration by intravenous injection when used for systemic diseases, while, by oral administration, it can be used in the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Psychological mechanisms of loss aversion: A drift-diffusion decomposition.

Decision makers often reject mixed gambles offering equal probabilities of a larger gain and a smaller loss. This important phenomenon, referred to as loss aversion, is typically explained by prospect theory, which proposes that decision makers give losses higher utility weights than gains. In this paper we consider alternative psychological mechanisms capable of explaining loss aversion, such as a fixed utility bias favoring rejection, as well as a bias favoring rejection prior to gamble valuation. We use a drift diffusion model of decision making to conceptually distinguish, formally define, and empirically measure these mechanisms. In two preregistered experiments, we show that the pre-valuation bias provides a very large contribution to model fits, predicts key response time patterns, reflects prior expectations regarding gamble desirability, and can be manipulated independently of the valuation process. Our results indicate that loss aversion is the result of multiple different psychological mechanisms, and that the pre-valuation bias is a fundamental determinant of this well-known behavioral tendency. These results have important implications for how we model behavior in risky choice tasks, and how we interpret its relationship with various psychological, clinical, and neurobiological variables.

Establishment and Application of a Radiation Dose Rate Model for Nuclear Medicine Examinees.

Introduction: Traditional methods for determining radiation dose in nuclear medicine include the Monte Carlo method, the discrete ordinate method, and the point kernel integration method. This study presents a new mathematical model for predicting the radiation dose rate in the vicinity of nuclear medicine patients. Methods: A new algorithm was created by combining the physical model of "cylinder superposition" of the human body with integral analysis to assess the radiation dose rate in the vicinity of nuclear medicine patients. Results: The model accurately predicted radiation dose rates within distances of 0.1-3.0 m, with a deviation of less than 11% compared to observed rates. The model demonstrated greater accuracy at shorter distances from the radiation source, with a deviation of only 1.55% from observed values at 0.1 m. Discussion: The model proposed in this study effectively represents the spatial and temporal distribution of the radiation field around nuclear medicine patients and demonstrates good agreement with actual measurements. This model has the potential to serve as a radiation dose rate alert system in hospital environments.

A study on the treatment effects of Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharide on non-alcoholic fatty liver in mice by modulating gut microbiota.

The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharide (CPP) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. The findings demonstrated that CPP improved free fatty acid (FFA)-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells and effectively reduced liver steatosis and epididymal fat weight in NAFLD mice, as well as decreased serum levels of TG, TC, AST, ALT, and LDL-C. Furthermore, CPP exhibited inhibitory effects on the expression of fatty acid synthesis genes FASN and ACC while activating the expression of fatty acid oxidation genes CPT1A and PPARα. Additionally, CPP reversed disturbances in intestinal microbiota composition caused by HFD consumption. CPP decreased the firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, increased Akkermansia abundance, and elevated levels of total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content specifically butyric acid and acetic acid. Our results concluded that CPP may intervene in the development of NAFLD by regulating of intes-tinal microbiota imbalance and SCFAs production. Our study highlights that CPP has a potential to modulate lipid-related pathways via alterations to gut microbiome composition thereby ex-erting inhibitory effects on obesity and NAFLD development.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of environmental factors associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common pediatric rheumatic disease, thought to be influenced by both genetics and the environment. Identifying environmental factors associated with disease risk will improve knowledge of disease mechanisms and ultimately benefit patients. This review aimed to collate and synthesize the current evidence of environmental factors associated with JIA. METHODS: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Related Health Literature (EBSCOhost), science network (WOS, Clarivate Analytics), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Biological Medical Database were systematically searched. Study quality was rated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Pooled estimates for each environmental factor were generated using a random-effects, inverse-variance method, where possible. The remaining environmental factors were synthesized in narrative form. RESULTS: This review includes environmental factors from 23 studies (6 cohorts and 17 case-control studies). Cesarean section delivery was associated with increased JIA risk (pooled relative risk [RR] 1.103, 95% CI 1.033-1.177). Conversely, maternal smoking of more than 20 cigarettes/day (pooled RR 0.650, 95% CI 0.431-0.981) and gestational smoking (pooled RR0.634, 95% CI 0.452-0.890) were associated with decreased JIA risk. CONCLUSION: This review identifies several environmental factors associated with JIA and demonstrates the huge breadth of environmental research. We also highlight the challenges of combining data collected over this period due to limited study comparability, evolution in healthcare and social practices, and changing environment, which warrant consideration when planning future studies.

Identification of a Seed Vigor-Related QTL Cluster Associated with Weed Competitive Ability in Direct-Seeded Rice (Oryza Sativa L.).

Direct seeding of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a low-labor and sustainable cultivation method that is used worldwide. Seed vigor and early vigor are important traits associated with seedling stand density (SSD) and weed competitive ability (WCA), which are key factors in direct-seeded rice (DSR) cultivation systems. Here, we developed a set of chromosome segment substitution lines with Xiushui134 as receptor parent and Yangdao6 as donor parent and used these lines as a mapping population to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for seed vigor, which we evaluated based on germinability-related indicators (germination percentage (GP), germination energy (GE), and germination index (GI)) and seedling vigor-related indicators (root number (RN), root length (RL), and shoot length (SL) at 14 days after imbibition) under controlled conditions in an incubator. Ten QTLs were detected across four chromosomes, of which a cluster of QTLs (qGP11, qGE11, qGI11, and qRL11) co-localized on Chr. 11 with high LOD values (12.03, 8.13, 7.14, and 8.75, respectively). Fine mapping narrowed down the QTL cluster to a 0.7-Mb interval between RM26797 and RM6680. Further analysis showed that the QTL cluster has a significant effect (p < 0.01) on early vigor under hydroponic culture (root length, total dry weight) and direct seeding conditions (tiller number, aboveground dry weight). Thus, our combined analysis revealed that the QTL cluster influenced both seed vigor and early vigor. Identifying favorable alleles at this QTL cluster could facilitate the improvement of SSD and WCA, thereby addressing both major factors in DSR cultivation systems.

Bamboo Plant Part Preference Affects the Nutrients Digestibility and Intestinal Microbiota of Geriatric Giant Pandas.

Bamboo part preference plays a critical role in influencing the nutrient utilization and gastrointestinal microbiota composition of captive giant pandas. However, the effects of bamboo part consumption on the nutrient digestibility and gut microbiome of geriatric giant pandas remain unknown. A total of 11 adult and 11 aged captive giant pandas were provided with bamboo shoots or bamboo leaves in the respective single-bamboo-part consumption period, and the nutrient digestibility and fecal microbiota of both adult and aged giant pandas in each period were evaluated. Bamboo shoot ingestion increased the crude protein digestibility and decreased the crude fiber digestibility of both age groups. The fecal microbiome of the bamboo shoot-fed giant pandas exhibited greater alpha diversity indices and significantly different beta diversity index than the bamboo leaf-fed counterparts regardless of age. Bamboo shoot feeding significantly changed the relative abundance of predominant taxa at both phylum and genus levels in adult and geriatric giant pandas. Bamboo shoot-enriched genera were positively correlated with crude protein digestibility and negatively correlated with crude fiber digestibility. Taken together, these results suggest that bamboo part consumption dominates over age in affecting the nutrient digestibility and gut microbiota composition of giant pandas.

Epidemiological Characteristics of Varicella Outbreaks - China, 2006-2022.

Introduction: Varicella outbreaks significantly disrupt schools and other child-centered institutions. This study aimed to identify patterns and epidemiological features of varicella outbreaks in China from 2006 to 2022. Methods: Data were extracted from outbreak reports submitted to the Public Health Emergency Reporting Management Information System within the specified timeframe. Analytical methods included Spearman correlation tests and the Mann-Kendall trend tests, conducted using R software to analyze and summarize reported data. Additionally, statistical analyses of trends and epidemiological characteristics were performed using SPSS software. Results: Between 2006 and 2022, a total of 11,990 varicella outbreaks were reported in China, resulting in 354,082 cases. The attack rates showed a decreasing trend over the years (Z=-4.49, P<0.05). These outbreaks occurred in two peaks annually. The eastern region accounted for the highest number of outbreaks (31.53%), followed by the southwestern (24.22%) and southern (17.93%) regions. Varicella outbreaks were most common in elementary schools. Most of the outbreaks (60.43%) were classified as Grade IV (general) severity, with 86.41% of the outbreaks having 10-49 cases. The median and inter-quartile ranges (IQR) of the duration of outbreaks, response time, and case counts were 21 (10, 39) days, 4 (0, 12) days, and 23 (16, 35) cases, respectively. These variables showed a positive correlation (P<0.001). Conclusions: Varicella outbreaks exhibited fluctuating trends, initially decreasing until 2012, followed by an increase, reaching the highest peak in 2018-2019. Continual monitoring of varicella epidemiology is necessary to assess the burden of the disease and formulate evidence-based strategies and policies for its prevention and control.

Research progress in drug therapy of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic disease in children. With the gradual expansion of the incidence of JIA in the population, the pathogenesis and treatment of JIA were further explored and analyzed, and JIA has achieved some success in drug therapy. DATA SOURCES: A systemic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, the US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register, and the EU Clinical Trials Register. Through the searching of clinical trials of JIA in recent years, we summarized the progress of the clinical treatment of JIA. RESULTS: The main treatment drugs for JIA include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological agents. So far, a variety of biological agents targeting the cytokines and receptors involved in its pathogenesis have been gradually approved for JIA in many countries. The application of biological agents in JIA showed good efficacy and safety, bringing unprecedented experience to children and adolescents with JIA. CONCLUSIONS: The potential and advantages of biologic agents in the treatment of JIA are significant, and the application of biologic agents in the treatment of JIA will be more and more common.

An ontology of decision models.

Decision models are essential theoretical tools in the study of choice behavior, but there is little consensus about the best model for describing choice, with different fields and different research programs favoring their own idiosyncratic sets of models. Even within a given field, decision models are seldom studied alongside each other, and insights obtained using 1 model are not typically generalized to others. We present the results of a large-scale computational analysis that uses landscaping techniques to generate a representational structure for describing decision models. Our analysis includes 89 prominent models of risky and intertemporal choice, and results in an ontology of decision models, interpretable in terms of model spaces, clusters, hierarchies, and graphs. We use this ontology to measure the properties of individual models and quantify the relationships between different models. Our results show how decades of quantitative research on human choice behavior can be synthesized within a single representational framework. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Process and content in decisions from memory.

Information stored in memory influences the formation of preferences and beliefs in most everyday decision tasks. The richness of this information, and the complexity inherent in interacting memory and decision processes, makes the quantitative model-driven analysis of such decisions very difficult. In this article we present a general framework that can address the theoretical and methodological barriers to building formal models of naturalistic memory-based decision making. Our framework implements established theories of memory search and decision making within a single integrated cognitive system, and uses computational language models to quantify the thoughts over which memory and decision processes operate. It can thus describe both the content of the information that is sampled from memory, as well as the processes involved in retrieving and evaluating this information in order to make a decision. Furthermore, our framework is tractable, and the parameters that characterize memory-based decisions can be recovered using thought listing and choice data from existing experimental tasks, and in turn be used to make quantitative predictions regarding choice probability, length of deliberation, retrieved thoughts, and the effects of decision context. We showcase the power and generality of our framework by applying it to naturalistic binary choices from domains such as risk perception, consumer behavior, financial decision making, ethical decision making, legal decision making, food choice, and social judgment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of bromides upon electrochemical mineralization of bisphenol A with boron-doped diamond anode.

Anodic oxidation with boron-doped diamond (BDD) has been regarded as outstanding option for wastewater treatment. However, in the presence of halide, the extreme promise of the technology may be hampered by the formation of toxic halogenated by-products. While the behaviors of chloride are relatively understood, little is currently known about the role of bromide and its effect on the generation of brominated transformation by-products (BTPs). Herein, we reported for the first time the bromide-mediated electrochemical mineralization of bisphenol A with BDD anodes. Firstly, we employed statistical methodology to determine the impacts of the main operating variables on the mineralization performance, and the novel and peculiar roles of bromides during the electrolytic oxidations were identified. Next, LC/MS analysis was used to identify the reaction intermediates, and plenty of BTPs (including oligomers of complex structures) were thus detected. Detailed transformation mechanisms responsible for the BTPs were also proposed. Lastly, we used ECOSAR program to determine the ecological toxicity of all detected by-products, and the structure-toxicity relation involved was discussed. Overall, the above results are of particular interest to understand BTPs formation mechanism in electrochemical oxidation processes, which as well provide guidelines to minimize potential risks of BDD technology for phenolic wastewater treatment.

Cognitive models of optimal sequential search with recall.

Many everyday decisions require sequential search, according to which available choice options are observed one at a time, with each observation involving some cost to the decision maker. In these tasks, decision makers need to trade-off the chances of finding better options with the cost of search. Optimal strategies in such tasks involve threshold decision rules, which terminate the search as soon as an option exceeding a reward value is found. Threshold rules can be seen as special cases of well-known algorithmic decision processes, such as the satisficing heuristic. Prior work has found that decision makers do use threshold rules, however the stopping thresholds observed in data are typically smaller than the (expected value maximizing) optimal threshold. We put forward an array of cognitive models and use parametric model fits on participant-level search data to examine why decision makers adopt seemingly suboptimal thresholds. We find that people's behavior is consistent with optimal search if we allow participants to display risk aversion, psychological effort cost, and decision error. Thus, decision makers appear to be able to search in a resource-rational manner that maximizes stochastic risk averse utility. Our findings shed light on the psychological factors that guide sequential decision making, and show how threshold models can be used to describe both computational and algorithmic aspects of search behavior.