AI can help people feel heard, but an AI label diminishes this impact.

People want to "feel heard" to perceive that they are understood, validated, and valued. Can AI serve the deeply human function of making others feel heard? Our research addresses two fundamental issues: Can AI generate responses that make human recipients feel heard, and how do human recipients react when they believe the response comes from AI? We conducted an experiment and a follow-up study to disentangle the effects of actual source of a message and the presumed source. We found that AI-generated messages made recipients feel more heard than human-generated messages and that AI was better at detecting emotions. However, recipients felt less heard when they realized that a message came from AI (vs. human). Finally, in a follow-up study where the responses were rated by third-party raters, we found that compared with humans, AI demonstrated superior discipline in offering emotional support, a crucial element in making individuals feel heard, while avoiding excessive practical suggestions, which may be less effective in achieving this goal. Our research underscores the potential and limitations of AI in meeting human psychological needs. These findings suggest that while AI demonstrates enhanced capabilities to provide emotional support, the devaluation of AI responses poses a key challenge for effectively leveraging AI's capabilities.

Exploration of pyroptosis-associated prognostic gene signature and lncRNA regulatory network in ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC), is a tumor that poses a serious threat to women's health due to its high mortality rate and bleak prognosis. Pyroptosis, a type of programmed cell death, is important for determining the prognosis of a patient's prognosis for cancer and may represent a novel target for treatment. However, research into how prognosis is impacted by pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) is poorly understood. In this study, a prognostic model was created using bioinformatic analysis of PRGs in OC. In OC, we discovered 18 pyroptosis regulators that were either up- or down-regulated. By analyzing prognoses, we developed a 9-genes based prognostic model. Each OC patient received a risk score that could be used to categorize them into two subgroups: those with high risk and/or low chance of survival and those with low risk and/or high chance of survival. Functional enrichment and immunoinfiltration analysis indicated that low expression of immune pathways in high-risk group may account for the decrease of survival possibility. In Multivariable cox regression studies, age, clinical stage and the prognostic model were discovered to be independent factors impacting the prognosis for OC. To forecast OC patient survival, a predictive nomogram was developed. Furthermore, we found a correlation between predictive PRGs and clinical stage, indicating that AIM2, CASP3, ZBP1 and CASP8 may play a role in the growth of tumor in OC. After detailed and complete bioinformatics analysis, the lncRNA RP11-186B7.4/hsa-miR-449a/CASP8/AIM2/ZBP1 regulatory axis was identified in OC. Our study may provide a novel approach for prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of OC.

"I" am more concrete than "we": Linguistic abstraction and first-person pronoun usage.

There has been much discussion around when people use "I" versus "we" pronouns, and abstract versus concrete communications, as well as how each of these can shape communication effectiveness. In the current research we bring together these separate research streams. Drawing on research arguing that abstract and concrete language are linked with communicative scope, we argue for an association between linguistic abstractness and personal pronoun usage. Across three archival data sets and two experiments, we find support for this association: Speakers who use more concrete language also use more first person singular (vs. plural) pronouns. In two follow-up studies we further find that this association can impact message effectiveness, such that using more first person singular than plural pronouns is increasingly ineffective when using abstract rather than concrete language, and using more concrete language is increasingly effective when using first-person singular rather than plural pronouns. By illustrating the link between linguistic abstraction and pronoun use, we offer insights into previously documented phenomena and suggest a key way of enhancing communication effectiveness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Electrospun PHB/Chitosan Composite Fibrous Membrane and Its Degradation Behaviours in Different pH Conditions.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a neurological disorder that causes more than 9 million patients to suffer from dysfunction of moving and sensing. Using biodegradable polymers to fabricate an artificial nerve conduit that replicates the environment of the extracellular matrix and guides neuron regeneration through the damaged sites has been researched for decades and has led to promising but primarily pre-clinical outcomes. However, few peripheral nerve conduits (PNCs) have been constructed from controllable biodegradable polymeric materials that can maintain their structural integrity or completely degrade during and after nerve regeneration respectively. In this work, a novel PNC candidate material was developed via the electrospinning of polyhydroxy butyrate/chitosan (PHB/CS) composite polymers. An SEM characterisation revealed the resultant PHB/CS nanofibres with 0, 1 and 2 wt/v% CS had less and smaller beads than the nanofibres at 3 wt/v% CS. The water contact angle (WCA) measurement demonstrated that the wettability of PHB/CS electrospun fibres was significantly improved by additional CS. Furthermore, both the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differentiation scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that PHB/CS polymers can be blended in a single phase with a trifluoracetic solvent in all compositions. Besides, the reduction in the degradation temperature (from 286.9 to 229.9 °C) and crystallinity (from 81.0% to 52.1%) with increasing contents of CS were further proven. Moreover, we found that the degradability of the PHB/CS nanofibres subjected to different pH values rated in the order of acidic > alkaline > phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that PHB/CS electrospun fibres with variable blending ratios may be used for designing PNCs with controlled biodegradability.

Characteristics of inhalable bioaerosols on foggy and hazy days and their deposition in the human respiratory tract.

Atmospheric bioaerosols contain live and dead biological components that can enter the human respiratory tract (HRT) and affect human health. Here, the total microorganisms in a coastal megacity, Qingdao, were characterized on the basis of long-term observations from October 2013 to January 2021. Particular attention was given to the size dependence of inhalable bioaerosols in concentration and respiratory deposition in different populations on foggy and hazy days. Bioaerosol samples stained with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) were selected to measure the total airborne microbe (TAM) concentrations with an epifluorescence microscope, while a multiple-path particle dosimetry model was employed to calculate respiratory deposition. The mean TAM concentrations in the particle size range of 0.65-1.1 µm (TAM0.65-1.1) were 1.23, 2.02, 1.60 and 2.33 times those on sunny reference days relative to the corresponding values on days with slight, mild, moderate and severe levels of haze, respectively. The mean concentration of TAMs in the particle size range of 0.65-2.1 µm (TAM0.65-2.1) on severely hazy days was (2.02 ± 3.28) × 105 cells/m3, with a reduction of 4.16% relative to that on the reference days. The mean TAM0.65-2.1 concentration changed from (1.50 ± 1.37) × 105 cells/m3 to (1.76 ± 1.36) × 105 cells/m3, with TAM0.65-1.1 increasing from (7.91 ± 7.97) × 104 cells/m3 to (1.76 ± 1.33) × 105 cells/m3 on days with light fog days and medium fog, respectively. The modeling results showed that the majority of TAM0.65-2.1 deposition occurred in the extrathoracic (ET) region, followed by the alveolar (AL) region. When different populations were examined separately, the deposition doses (DDs) in adult females and in children ranked at the minimum value (6.19 × 103 cells/h) and maximum value (1.08 × 104 cells/h), respectively. However, the inhalation risks on polluted days, such as hazy, foggy and mixed hazy-foggy (HF) days, were still below the threshold for adverse impacts on human health.

Bacterial cellulose/soybean protein isolate composites with promoted inflammation inhibition, angiogenesis and hair follicle regeneration for wound healing.

Soybean protein, as a safe and low-cost alternative to animal protein, attracts increasing attention in wound healing. In the present study, beta-conglycinin (7S) and glycinin (11S) with high solubility were obtained through separation of soybean protein. Afterward, 7S or 11S modified bacterial cellulose (BC) composites were produced by self-assembly method. Results confirmed the successful self-assembly of soybean protein isolates on the nanofibers of BC. The surface roughness and hydrophilicity of BC/7S and BC/11S decreased compared with native BC. Soybean protein could be steadily released from BC/7S and BC/11S and BC/11S released more soybean proteins than BC/7S. In vitro, BC/7S and BC/11S supported fibroblasts attachment and promoted fibroblasts proliferation and type I collagen expression. In vivo, BC/7S and BC/11S facilitated wound healing and collagen deposition, enhanced angiogenesis and hair follicle regeneration, as well as reduced scar formation and inflammation in full-thickness skin wounds of rats. Moreover, wounds treated with BC/11S showed a faster wound healing rate and more collagen depositions than those of BC/7S, which may be attributed to the larger considerable amount of soybean protein released by BC/11S. These results indicate that BC/7S and BC/11S are potential candidates for wound dressings.

Distribution of bacterial concentration and viability in atmospheric aerosols under various weather conditions in the coastal region of China.

Airborne bacteria have an important role in atmospheric processes and human health. However, there is still little information on the transmission and distribution of bacteria via the airborne route. To characterize the impact of foggy, haze, haze-fog (HF) and dust days on the concentration and viability of bacteria in atmospheric aerosols, size-segregated bioaerosol samples were collected in the Qingdao coastal region from March 2018 to February 2019. The total airborne microbes and viable/non-viable bacteria in the bioaerosol samples were measured using an epifluorescence microscope after staining with DAPI (4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and a LIVE/DEAD® BacLight Bacterial Viability Kit. The average concentrations of total airborne microbes on haze and dust days were 6.75 × 105 and 1.03 × 106 cells/m3, respectively, which increased by a factor of 1.3 and 2.5 (on average), respectively, relative to those on sunny days. The concentrations of non-viable bacteria on haze and dust days increased by a factor of 1.2 and 3.6 (on average), respectively, relative to those on sunny days. In contrast, the concentrations of viable bacteria on foggy and HF days were 7.13 × 103 and 5.74 × 103 cells/m3, decreases of 38% and 50%, respectively, compared with those on sunny days. Foggy, haze, dust and HF days had a significant effect on the trend of the seasonal variation in the total airborne microbes and non-viable bacteria. Bacterial viability was 20.8% on sunny days and significantly higher than the 14.1% on foggy days, 11.2% on haze days, 8.6% during the HF phenomenon and 6.1% on dust days, indicating that special weather is harmful to some bacterial species. Correlation analysis showed that the factors that influenced the bacterial concentration and viability depended on different weather conditions. The main influential factors were temperature, NO2 and SO2 concentrations on haze days, and temperature, particulate matter (PM2.5) and NO2 concentrations on foggy days. The median size of particles containing viable bacteria was 1.94 µm on sunny days and decreased to 1.88 µm and 1.74 µm on foggy and haze days, respectively, but increased to 2.18 µm and 2.37 µm on dust and HF days, respectively.

Power and cognitive functioning.

Because powerful people's thinking is impactful, it is critical to understand how power affects cognition. We detail how recent empirical findings reveal that power often improves cognitive functioning. First, power increases controlled processing, in particular intentionality. Second, power improves executive functioning, leading individuals to exhibit better inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Third, power increases abstract thinking. Synthesizing these last two points, we propose that high-power individuals' executive functions are enhanced due to their more abstract way of thinking. Both the greater social distance and reduced cognitive vigilance accompanying increased power could explain these effects. Finally, we note remaining questions, such as how much power's cognitive effects are driven by a subjective sense of power versus objective control.

Exploiting asymmetric signals from choices through default selection.

Setting defaults is an effective nudge, but few studies have examined situations where individuals can select their own default settings. Past research suggests that even when the final outcome is identical, observers perceive stronger signals from choices that switch from, rather than stay with, the default. In five experiments using hypothetical scenarios and an incentivized economic game, we test whether decision-makers driven by image concerns could strategically exploit that asymmetric signal. We found that in the presence of observers, participants were more likely to self-select into defaults that require them to switch to enhance a positive signal and into defaults that require them to stay to attenuate a negative signal. Our results support the framework of choice architecture as an implicit social interaction, and have potential implications for behavioral interventions in real-world settings.

Concentration, viability and size distribution of bacteria in atmospheric bioaerosols under different types of pollution.

Bacteria are important components of bioaerosols with the potential to influence human health and atmospheric dynamics. However, information on the concentrations and influencing factors of viable bacteria is poorly understood. In this study, size-segregated bioaerosol samples were collected from Aug. 2017 to Feb. 2018 in the coastal region of Qingdao, China. The total microbes and viable/non-viable bacteria in the samples were measured using an epifluorescence microscope after staining with the DAPI (4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit, respectively. The concentrations of non-viable bacteria increased when the air quality index (AQI) increased from <50 to 300, with the proportion of non-viable bacteria to total microbes increasing from (11.1 ±â€¯12.0)% at an AQI of <50 to (18.4 ±â€¯14.7)% at an AQI of >201. However, the concentrations of viable bacteria decreased from (2.12 ±â€¯2.04) × 104 cells·m-3 to (9.00 ±â€¯1.72) × 103 cells·m-3 when the AQI increased from <50 to 150. The ratio of viable bacteria to total bacteria (viability) decreased from (31.0 ±â€¯14.7)% at 0 < AQI<50 to (8.6 ±â€¯1.0)% at 101 < AQI<150 and then increased to (9.6 ±â€¯5.3)% at an AQI of 201-300. The results indicated that the bacterial viability decreased when air pollution occurred and increased again when pollution became severe. The mean size distribution of non-viable bacteria exhibited a bimodal distribution pattern at an AQI<50 with two peaks at 2.1-3.3 µm and >7.0 µm, while the viable bacteria had two peaks at 1.1-2.1 µm and >7 µm. When the AQI increased from 101 to 300, the size distribution of viable/non-viable bacteria varied with an increased proportion of fine particles. The multiple linear regression analysis results verified that the AQI and PM10 had important effects on the concentrations of non-viable bacteria. These results highlight impacts of air pollution on viable/non-viable bacteria and the interactions between complex environmental factors and bacteria interactions, improving our understanding of bioaerosols under air pollution conditions.