Parent-adolescent discrepancies in educational expectations, relationship quality, and study engagement: a multi-informant study using response surface analysis.

Whether parental educational expectations for adolescents serve as a source of motivation or stress depends on the extent to which adolescents hold expectations for themselves. Previous research on the discrepancies between parental and adolescent educational expectations and their impact on learning engagement has been limited by traditional statistical tests, and lacking an examination of the internal mediating mechanism of parent-child relational quality from both parental and adolescent perspectives. This cross-sectional study, utilizing a multi-informant design, examined the association between discrepancies in parents' and adolescents' reports of expectations, and adolescents' study engagement, as well as the mediating role of parent-child relational qualities perceived by both parties. The sample for this study consisted of 455 adolescents and their parents from 10 classes in a junior high school in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The adolescents had an average age of 12.8 years, and 51.6% of them were boys. Both parents and adolescents reported on their expectations and perceived relational quality, while adolescents also filled out questionnaires assessing their learning engagement. Data were analyzed using polynomial regressions with response surface analysis. The results revealed that when adolescents reported high expectations, regardless of whether their parents reported high or low expectations, adolescents reported satisfied relationships and high learning engagement. In contrast, parents reported satisfied relationships when both parties reported high expectations, or when parents reported higher expectations than adolescents. Lastly, the association between discrepancies in expectations and learning engagement was significantly mediated by adolescent-reported relationships but not parent-reported ones. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple perspectives when studying the association between expectations and adolescent study engagement. This research advances our comprehension of the dynamics between parent-adolescent educational expectation discrepancies and adolescent learning engagement, offering insights for more nuanced and effective parenting strategies tailored to foster optimal educational outcomes.

Functional Optical Fiber Sensors Detecting Imperceptible Physical/Chemical Changes for Smart Batteries.

The battery technology progress has been a contradictory process in which performance improvement and hidden risks coexist. Now the battery is still a "black box", thus requiring a deep understanding of its internal state. The battery should "sense its internal physical/chemical conditions", which puts strict requirements on embedded sensing parts. This paper summarizes the application of advanced optical fiber sensors in lithium-ion batteries and energy storage technologies that may be mass deployed, focuses on the insights of advanced optical fiber sensors into the processes of one-dimensional nano-micro-level battery material structural phase transition, electrolyte degradation, electrode-electrolyte interface dynamics to three-dimensional macro-safety evolution. The paper contributes to understanding how to use optical fiber sensors to achieve "real" and "embedded" monitoring. Through the inherent advantages of the advanced optical fiber sensor, it helps clarify the battery internal state and reaction mechanism, aiding in the establishment of more detailed models. These advancements can promote the development of smart batteries, with significant importance lying in essentially promoting the improvement of system consistency. Furthermore, with the help of smart batteries in the future, the importance of consistency can be weakened or even eliminated. The application of advanced optical fiber sensors helps comprehensively improve the battery quality, reliability, and life.

Why the Synthesis Affects Performance of Layered Transition Metal Oxide Cathode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries.

The limited cyclability of high-specific-energy layered transition metal oxide (LiTMO2) cathode materials poses a significant challenge to the industrialization of batteries incorporating these materials. This limitation can be attributed to various factors, with the intrinsic behavior of the crystal structure during the cycle process being a key contributor. These factors include phase transition induced cracks, reduced Li active sites due to Li/Ni mixing, and slower Li+ migration. In addition, the presence of synthesis-induced heterogeneous phases and lattice defects cannot be disregarded as they also contribute to the degradation in performance. Therefore, gaining a profound understanding of the intricate relationship among material synthesis, structure, and performance is imperative for the development of LiTMO2. This paper highlights the pivotal role of structural play in LiTMO2 materials and provides a comprehensive overview of how various control factors influence the specific pathways of structural evolution during the synthesis process. In addition, it summarizes the scientific challenges associated with diverse modification approaches currently employed to address the cyclic failure of materials. The overarching goal is to provide readers with profound insights into the study of LiTMO2.

Trade-offs of praise and criticism: Parents' responses to children's performance and children's resilience and depression.

In contrast to cognitive outcomes, parental success-oriented responses to children's performance enhanced the emotional well-being of children. Conversely, parental failure-oriented responses had the opposite impact. Thus, it remains unclear which response or combination of responses parents should employ to maximize their children's development. This research aimed to examine the combined effect of children's perceptions of parental success- and failure-oriented responses on children's depression, with a focus on the mediating role of resilience. A total of 651 pupils (44.7% female, Mage = 10.31, range = 8-12) were investigated in China using polynomial regression and response surface analyses. Our findings suggest that when success- and failure-oriented responses are congruent, failure-oriented responses counteract the protective effect of success-oriented responses against children's depression. The two equally matched responses demonstrated a curvilinear main effect on resilience, indicating that higher resilience was associated with the upper-middle range of the two responses. Moreover, children who reported more success-oriented responses than failure-oriented responses showed greater resilience and decreased depression. Resilience acted as a mediator for the combined effects of parental success and failure-oriented responses on children's depression. The study addressed the parenting dilemma, specifically the trade-off between success- and failure-oriented responses in promoting children's optimal development.

Physical activity and its fluctuations in relation to depressive symptoms: A national longitudinal study among Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) may prevent depressive symptoms, however, PA fluctuations may have different effects. Using three waves of nationally representative data, this study aimed to examine the effects of PA fluctuations on depressive symptoms. METHODS: Participants comprised 7633 adults free of depressive symptoms at the first two waves (Mage = 45.26, 54.70 % males). They completed the China Family Panel Study in 2016 (T1), 2018 (T2), and 2020 (T3), respectively. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale using a cutoff of 16. Participants' PA levels were split into regular PA or infrequent PA groups. Changes in PA levels between T1 and T2 were classified into four groups: maintained infrequent PA, initiated regular PA, ceased regular PA, and persisted regular PA. RESULTS: The incidence of depressive symptoms was 20.22 % (19.05 % possible and 1.17 % severe depression). After multivariate adjustment, Poisson regression showed that persistent regular PA had 17.8 % (95 % CI: 0.724, 0.934) lower risks of incident depressive symptoms compared to maintained infrequent PA. And adults who ceased regular PA were more likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who persisted in regular PA (RR = 1.188, 95 % CI: 1.010, 1.398). LIMITATIONS: All items were self-reported. CES-D only examined self-diagnosed depressive symptoms, not medical diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Adults who persisted in regular PA may have a lower possibility of developing depressive symptoms. The finding might serve as an empirical reference to depression prevention.

Can We See SEI Directly by Naked Eyes?

Stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) is the key to improve the electrochemical performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). However, there are still many puzzles about SEI film that have not been well explained, due to the complexity of electrochemical reactions involving in SEI formation and the absence of direct observation methods for SEI. Here, this work realizes the direct observation of SEI by skillfully designed fluorescent tracers acting as an SEI film-forming additive for electrolytes. These fluorescent tracers have three important moieties: an olefin group for polymerization on anode surface so as to participate in SEI film formation during charge/discharge cycles, a polar group for Li-ion conduction, and an AIEgen for fluorescent tracing. Therefore, the tracers participate in SEI film-forming and result in a shining SEI film. This shining SEI film with intrinsic fluorescence signal allows direct observation and quantification on the distribution, relative abundance, and macro morphology of SEI. These fluorescent tracers can also reveal the SEI formation growth destruction regularity during charge/discharge cycles. Several summarized typical macro morphologies and evolution stages of SEI will enrich knowledge and understanding of SEI and help to gain insight into the interaction between electrolyte and anode, electrochemical performance, and cycle life of batteries.

Understanding the Insight Mechanism of Chemical-Mechanical Degradation of Layered Co-Free Ni-Rich Cathode Materials: A Review.

Layered Cobalt (Co)-free Nickel (Ni)-rich cathode materials have attracted much attention due to their high energy density and low cost. Still, their further development is hampered by material instability caused by the chemical/mechanical degradation of the material. Although there are numerous doping and modification approaches to improve the stability of layered cathode materials, these approaches are still in the laboratory stage and require further research before commercial application. To fully exploit the potential of layered cathode materials, a more comprehensive theoretical understanding of the underlying issues is necessary, along with active exploration of previously unrevealed mechanisms. This paper presents the phase transition mechanism of Co-free Ni-rich cathode materials, the existing problems, and the state-of-the-art characterization tools employed to study the phase transition. The causes of crystal structure degradation, interfacial instability, and mechanical degradation are elaborated, from the material's crystal structure to its phase transition and atomic orbital splitting. By organizing and summarizing these mechanisms, this paper aims to establish connections among common research problems and to identify future research priorities, thereby facilitating the rapid development of Co-free Ni-rich materials.

Polyimides as Promising Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Review.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have helped revolutionize the modern world and are now advancing the alternative energy field. Several technical challenges are associated with LIBs, such as increasing their energy density, improving their safety, and prolonging their lifespan. Pressed by these issues, researchers are striving to find effective solutions and new materials for next-generation LIBs. Polymers play a more and more important role in satisfying the ever-increasing requirements for LIBs. Polyimides (PIs), a special functional polymer, possess unparalleled advantages, such as excellent mechanical strength, extremely high thermal stability, and excellent chemical inertness; they are a promising material for LIBs. Herein, we discuss the current applications of PIs in LIBs, including coatings, separators, binders, solid-state polymer electrolytes, and active storage materials, to improve high-voltage performance, safety, cyclability, flexibility, and sustainability. Existing technical challenges are described, and strategies for solving current issues are proposed. Finally, potential directions for implementing PIs in LIBs are outlined.

Facile synthesis of Si/Ge/graphite@C composite with improved tap density and electrochemical performance.

Nanoengineering is one of the most effective methods to promote the lithium storage performance of silicon material, which suffers from huge volume changes and poor reaction kinetics during cycling. However, the commercial application of nanostructured silicon is hindered by its high manufacturing cost and low tap density. Herein, a Si/Ge/graphite@C composite was successfully synthesized by ball-milling with subsequent calcination. By introducing Ge, graphite and an amorphous carbon coating, both tap density and electrochemical performance are improved significantly. Benefiting from the synergetic effects of the above components, the Si/Ge/graphite@C composite delivers a reversibility capacity of 474 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 and stable capacity retention.

Simultaneously Blocking Chemical Crosstalk and Internal Short Circuit via Gel-Stretching Derived Nanoporous Non-Shrinkage Separator for Safe Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The separator, an ionic permeable and electronic insulating membrane between cathode and anode, plays a crucial role in the electrochemical and safety performance of batteries. However, commercial polyolefin separators not only suffer from inevitable thermal shrinkage at elevated temperature, but also fail to inhibit the hidden chemical crosstalk of reactive gases such as O2 , leading to often reported thermal runaway (TR) and hence preventing large-scale implementation of high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. Herein, a nanoporous non-shrinkage separator (GS-PI) is fabricated via a novel gel-stretching orientation approach to eliminate TR. In situ synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering during heating clearly shows that the as-prepared thin GS-PI separator exhibits superior mechanical tolerance at high temperature, thus effectively preventing internal short circuit. Meanwhile, the unique nanoporous structure design further blocks chemical crosstalk and the associated exothermic reactions. Accelerating rate calorimetry tests reveal that the practical 1 Ah LiNi0.6 Co0.2 Mn0.2 O2 (NCM622)/graphite pouch cell using GS-PI nanoporous separator show a maximum temperature rise (dT/dtmax ) of only 3.7 °C s-1 compared to 131.6 °C s-1 in the case of Al2 O3 @PE macroporous separator. Moreover, despite the reduced pore size, the GS-PI separator demonstrates better cycling stability than conventional Al2 O3 @PE separator at high temperature without sacrificing specific capacity and rate capability.

Is it Beneficial to Reuse the Balloon in Percutaneous Kyphoplasty for the Treatment of Non-Neoplastic Vertebral Compression Fractures?

BACKGROUND Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) has been widely used to treat vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). Bilateral percutaneous punctures are always performed to access the fractured vertebrae. However, the procedure has expensive clinical costs, especially the cost for the device, which creates a heavy financial burden for patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data from 49 patients who have single-level non-neoplastic vertebral compression fracture (VCF) were collected for 12 months after treated by PKP, including 21 cases that used bilateral puncture with single balloon (S group) and 28 cases that used bilateral puncture with double balloon (D group). We assessed the clinical (visual analogue scale, VAS) and radiological (vertebral height and kyphotic angle, KA) outcomes. Cost data (gross medical cost, cost for the device and cost for drugs) were obtained from the medical bill of each patient. RESULTS Baseline patient variables were similar between the two groups except the compensation (S group