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Programmed cell death (PCD) is common in plant growth and development, such as xylem development, organ senescence, and abscission. Calyx abscission in Korla fragrant pear contributes to fruit quality, while it was not clear whether PCD occurred during calyx abscission and which signals regulated the process. Therefore, it is imperative to clarify the process of PCD in the process of calyx abscission in Korla fragrant pear under natural conditions to enrich the mechanism of calyx abscission. The results showed that the total time of calyx abscission of Korla fragrant pear began from 6 days after pollination (DAP) to 13 DAP, and the peak of calyx abscission occurred 10 DAP. During the whole process of calyx abscission, PCD started 6 DAP. At 9 DAP, the degree of PCD deepened. At 12 DAP, the cells in the abscission zone showed asymmetry on both sides, the organelles in the distal cells of the abscission zone degraded into apoptotic fragments, and the protective layer of the normal development of cells located at the proximal end of the abscission zone region ended the PCD process. ETH concentrations in the abscission zone of the decalyx fruit were significantly higher than those of the persistent calyx fruits in each period during calyx abscission, and high levels of ethylene and hydrogen peroxide and low contents of the GA3, ZT, and hydroxyl radicals promoted calyx abscission before the formation of the abscission zone. At 3 DAP, the ethylene concentration (43.97 ppm) and H2O2 content (8.49 μmol/g) of decalyx fruit in the abscission zone were significantly higher than those of persistent calyx fruit by 67.69% and 27.86%, respectively; however, the GA3, ZT, and hydroxyl radicals showed the opposite. Overall, PCD in the abscission zone of decalyx fruits did occur during the calyx abscission of Korla fragrant pear, and ethylene and H2O2 might play major roles in initiating the PCD process during Korla fragrant pear calyx abscission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression among Korean American (KA) immigrants in rural Alabama is understudied. This study aims to utilize the social determinants of health (SDOH) framework to explore factors associated with depressive symptoms among KA immigrants living in rural communities of Alabama. Data were collected from two sites in rural Alabama from September 2019 to February 2020. Convenience sampling was conducted to recruit study participants from the KA community. A total number of 261 KA immigrants aged 23–75 were included in the study. All measures originally in English were translated into Korean using back-translation to assure comparability and equivalence in the meaning of measures. Multiple linear regression modeling was used to explore the predictors of depression. Perceived race discrimination was significantly associated with greater depressive symptoms (β =.180, SE =.534, p <.01). Three SDOH were identified to have significant relationship with depressive symptoms. Participants who could not see a doctor because of cost (β =.247, SE = 1.118, p <.001), had lower level of health literacy (β = -.121, SE =.280, p <.05), and had higher social isolation scores (β =.157, SE =.226, p <.05) tended to have higher scores of depressive symptoms. Rural-living KA immigrants' depression can be significantly affected by race discrimination and SDOH factors, emphasizing the need for culturally competent interventions and services. Policymakers, federal and local governments, non-governmental organizations, and social workers can make joint efforts to address racial discrimination and improve the mental health services among immigrant populations, especially those living in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the reasons for the differences in flower bud differentiation in Camellia oleifera under different sink–source relationships, different types of new shoots (T1 and T2) were selected to represent different sink–source relationships (new shoots with one fruit borne alongside at the bottom of the new shoots-T1; new shoots without one fruit borne alongside at the bottom of the new shoots-T2), and the flower bud differentiation rate, endogenous hormones and photosynthetic characteristics were determined. With the increase in the sink, the flower differentiation rate decreased significantly and the IAA and GA3 content in the leaves and ABA content in the buds increased significantly, while the GA3 and ZT content in the buds decreased significantly, which were significantly and positively correlated with the flower differentiation rate, with correlation coefficients of 0.777 and 0.817, respectively. Furthermore, an increase in the number of sinks contributed significantly to the increase in soluble sugar and starch content in leaves, while the soluble sugar and starch content in flower buds decreased significantly with the increase in sinks, with maximum differences of 3.45 mg·g−1 (soluble sugar in leaves), 4.09 mg·g−1 (soluble sugar in flower buds), 7.08 mg·g−1 (starch in leaves) and 4.87 mg·g−1 (starch in flower buds), and the high soluble sugar and starch content in flower buds at preflower bud differentiation with correlation coefficients of 0.854 and 0.837, respectively. The chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate increased with increasing sinks. In the presence of fruit at the base of the new shoot, more 13C assimilates were allocated to fruit and less to flower buds, resulting in a decrease in the rate of flower bud differentiation. The 13C assimilate allocated to the flower buds of T1 (6.71 mg·g−1) was significantly lower than the 13C assimilate allocated to the flower buds of T2 (10.26 mg·g−1) during late bud differentiation, and the difference between T1 and T2 was greatest during this period. Our work demonstrated that the sink–source relationship regulated Camellia oleifera flower bud differentiation by influencing endogenous hormones and photosynthetic characteristics. To achieve stable production of Camellia oleifera in successive years in the future, the ratio of the number of new shoots of the two types in relation to the different sink–source relationships should be reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-free catalytic conversion of CO2 is expected to achieve carbon neutrality. However, non-metallic catalytic sites for highly selective and efficient conversion of CO2 to ethanol are challenging. Here, a metal-free catalyst (B4@g-C3N4) has been reported for the first time for the efficient reduction of CO to ethanol. Utilizing electron "accept-donation" analysis, we show that the binding of tri-coordinated B atoms to CO is very mild compared to metal sites and bi-coordinated B atoms. The B4@g-C3N4 catalyst effectively reduced the free energy barrier for direct dimerization of CO to 0.18 eV. The limiting voltage in the entire reduction of CO to CH3HC2OH is −0.19 V, which is better than that of other catalysts, including four-atom metal clusters Cu4–C5N2H2 (−0.50 V) and Cu2Zn2–C5N2H2 (−0.46 V) just proposed (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 7030–7039). The metal-free electrocatalyst has an absolute selectivity advantage since the molar ratio of the C2 product CH3CH2OH to the C1 product CH4 is 2.55 × 105 : 1. Moreover, due to its extremely high stability, the catalyst designed in this paper holds great promise for synthesis. The above analysis shows that the B4@g-C3N4 catalyst constructed under the new concept proposed by us can achieve the goal of electrocatalytic CO reduction to ethanol. Our work reports the first metal-free electrocatalyst to date for the reduction of CO to ethanol, providing a theoretical basis for promoting the achievement of sustainable carbon neutrality goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A promising pathway for carbon usage and energy storage is electrocatalytic reduction of CO to form high-value multi-carbon products. Herein, the d–p coupled triatomic catalyst CuB2@g-C3N4 with significant activity and selectivity for ethanol is presented for the first time. Density functional theory calculations elucidate that these spatially confined triatomic centers are capable of immobilizing multiple CO molecules, providing an exclusive reaction channel for direct C–C coupling. The CuB2@g-C3N4 catalyst can effectively reduce the energy barrier of CO dimerization to 0.46 eV. The limiting potential is only −0.19 V, which is much smaller than that of other Cu-based catalysts. Additionally, the CuB2@g-C3N4 catalyst can effectively inhibit the generation of competing C1 products and hydrogen evolution reactions. Excitingly, CuB2 loading makes g-C3N4 more optically active in visible and even infrared light. This work provides important ideas for the atomically precise design of novel d–p coupled catalysts for the direct conversion of CO2/CO into energetic fuels and high-value chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little attention has been paid to online health information seeking (OHIS) among immigrants residing in rural areas. This study examines the intensity of OHIS among Korean American (KA) immigrants living in rural Alabama. A total number of 261 KA immigrants aged 23 to 75 participated in the study. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. Age (B = − 0.044, p < 0.05), marital status (B = 1.132, p < 0.05), race/ethnic discrimination (B = 0.821, p < 0.05), having computer or tablet (B = 1.286, p < 0.05), and access to internet (B = 1.778, p < 0.01) were associated with the intensity of OHIS. Substantial efforts should be devoted to narrowing the access gap by providing offline health information services for those without internet access and with limited health literacy. Moreover, culturally competent healthcare services and information should be provided to serve racial/ethnic minority populations better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical to fabricate a photoanode with the virtues of high carrier separation efficiency and light harvesting to reduce the recombination of carriers and enhance the utilization of solar energy in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this work, WO3 nanoflake photoanodes with surface and bulk O vacancies (D-WO3−x) were fabricated via a hydrothermal method and H2WO4 etching to reveal the respective roles and collaborative effect of O vacancies in the surface and bulk. The surface O vacancies leave abundant active sites to reduce the redox barrier. Furthermore, the bulk O vacancies act as electron trap centers for heightening carrier separation efficiency. More importantly, the surface and bulk O vacancies in D-WO3−x reduce the band gap so that the resistance to electron jumping is reduced and light harvesting is increased. As expected, the photocurrent density of D-WO3−x is 0.98 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which is 5 times that of pristine WO3. Moreover, the carrier separation efficiencies in the surface and bulk are 2.38 and 2.26 times that of WO3. This work provides a promising method for the development of high-performance photoanodes via introducing surface and bulk O vacancies in semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to identify facilitators and barriers of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine acceptance, initiation, and completion among LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer) individuals. Method: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies on HPV vaccine acceptance, initiation, and completion from 2006 to June 15, 2020 was performed in each database. Results: Twenty-six studies focusing on HPV vaccination among LGBTQ individuals were reviewed. Conclusions: Knowledge of HPV vaccine and healthcare providers' recommendations were identified as facilitators to receive HPV vaccinate, while high co-pay cost and concerns of the effectiveness and safety were identified as barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, are a leading cause of death and disability in China. Although studies have demonstrated that depression is associated with NDs, little is known about the factors impacting this relationship. This study aimed to explore and identify the risk and protective factors of depression among Chinese older adults with NDs. Data selection was based on the behavioral model of late-life depression. Data from the latest wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS, 1998-2014) in 2014 were analyzed. Among the sample, 334 older adults aged 65 and older with NDs were included in the analysis. A logistic regression analysis was conducted by SPSS 24.0. Participants who lived in urban areas (O.R.= 2.494, p<.05) or needed more support for Activity of Daily Living (O.R.= 1.136, p<.05) were more likely to have depression. Participants who lived with household members (O.R.=.380, p<.05), self-reported their health status as fair (O.R.=.250, p<.01), or believed their health status remained the same (O.R.=.331, p<.01) were less likely to have depression. Our findings suggest that policymakers and healthcare professionals should pay specific attention to the regional disparities of healthcare services and the cultural background to understand the relationship between NDs and depression and improve the well-being of ND patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data analyses using artificial intelligence (AI) have not gained popularity in social work as much as other disciplines. To demonstrate its use, this study focused on Chinese older adults with neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) to (i) develop a prediction model using decision tree model to identify factors associated with depression and (ii) compare the prediction performance of decision tree model with that of logistic regression analysis. Decision tree model processing involved four stages: data collection, data preparation, model development, and result evaluation. An algorithm named Classification and Regression Trees (CARTs) was utilised to grow the decision tree by Python 3.7.1. The performance evaluation was based on accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and Goodness index (G). Seven factors grew the decision tree, including Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Health status, Activity of Daily Living (ADL), Gender, Self-rated health change and Age. When compared to logistic regression, the decision tree model had a much better performance in depression prediction. Researchers, practitioners and policymakers need to focus on ways to decrease the vulnerability of depression in Chinese older adults with NDs. Also, the decision tree model can be applied as a referral to other physical or mental diseases prediction and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elevation interpolation of coal seam floors is an indispensable geological work to the production of coal mines. In this study, an improved radial basis function (RBF) interpolation method was proposed to support the interpolation of a feature with the local anisotropy characteristic. First, the local anisotropy of the floor elevation of coal seams was characterized by using the method of geographically weighted regression. The interpolation was realized by fitting residuals between actual values and geographically weighted regression values with RBF. Second, an adaptive selection of interpolation reference points was realized. The Delaunay triangulation network was used to define the relationship of natural proximity between the point to be interpolated and reference points and it ensured the relatively uniform distribution of reference points around the point to be interpolated. Based on this, the appropriate selection radius of reference points for the study area was obtained by cross validation. Third, the influence of faults was considered in the interpolation, and the value of reference points were augmented or deducted according to the attributes of faults concerned. Finally, the method was applied in the mining region 302 of Yanzishan Coal Mine in North China. The proposed method was illustrated to be effective with better robustness and interpolation accuracy compared with some typically used methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In a mine water inrush accident, a fast and accurate emergency evacuation response is essential for ensuring the miner's safety. Conventional emergency evacuation response in the mining industry lacks integration of data from monitoring systems and adjustment of the evacuation plan. In this study, a cloud‐based service, named the Cloud EE‐MWI, is proposed for the emergency evacuation for water inrush accidents to support managers in making the best decisions. The Cloud EE‐MWI's architecture consists of three layers, including the information, computation, and visualization layers. Information layer acquires data from monitoring systems and processes the collected data with pre‐saved basic information of the mine to generate a time‐varying network of the accident evolution. The computation layer constructs an workflow to find a reliable water‐avoiding route. The latest departure route algorithm is proposed and the time‐varying earliest arrival algorithm is implemented in parallel on cloud servers to boost the evacuation path planning. Finally, the visualization layer focuses on displaying data from sensors and obtained results from the computation layer on the web‐side. A real case study is investigated to demonstrate that the service can integrate the information of the monitoring systems and support the useful solution of the emergency evacuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhanced separation and injection efficiencies of photogenerated carriers is essential to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of WO3 photoanode. In this work, we firstly synthesized WO3/NiCo2O4 heterojunction through simple hydrothermal‐annealing method as well as investigate the effect and mechanism of NiCo2O4 on WO3 for PEC performances. The measurements demonstrate that the nano‐needle NiCo2O4 grown on the surface of WO3 induces the bimetallic Ni/Co redox reaction sites extensively exposed to the electrolyte, which is beneficial to enhance the PEC performances of WO3 photoanode, such as photocurrent density improved by four times (0.84 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE) as well as more negative initial potential (∼280 mV) in contrast to bare WO3. Further investigation shows the remarkable enhancement of PEC performances is attributed to improved surface reaction kinetics, the enhanced injection efficiency and separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers due to the co‐catalyst effect of NiCo2O4 and the formation of WO3/NiCo2O4 heterojunction. This work provides reference for application of heterojunction with co‐catalyst function, which is beneficial to the development and application of similar structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of concealed faults not only decreases the production efficiency of a coal mine but also wastes resources and increases the risk of mine disasters. In this study, a method was developed to predict concealed faults in front of a coalface. The spatial distribution law of faults developed in the study area was characterized using the locations and attributes of fault zones, which can be determined by learning the strikes and locations of the faults with the K-means algorithm. Then, the concealed faults in front of coalfaces can be predicted by extending the fault zones along their strikes to unmined areas within the study area. Three attributes of fault zones, including extending index, buffer radius, and average throw, were defined and calculated to provide a quantitative evaluation of prediction results. The extending index represented the existence probability of the predicted fault. The buffer radius denoted the possible offset of the actual exposure point relative to the predicted location. The average throw gave the throw of the predicted fault. The method could also provide dynamic prediction as mining works were going on. Finally, the method was applied in mining region 302 of the Yanzishan Coal Mine in north China, and it was illustrated to be effective. In the test, the faults successfully predicted accounted for 82%, 89% of which was located within the range of buffer radius and also 89% had throw errors less than 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, person-centered practices in care for adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/RD) has received significant attention from the health care and social service literature, though less attention has been paid to family-centered care (FCC). Initially conceptualized for application in pediatric care, FCC is an approach where clinicians develop partnerships with care recipients' family members and views family members as having expertise to contribute to the clinical team. More recently, FCC has been extended to the literature on AD/RD care, though little is known about the extent to which family-centered interventions have been developed for use in AD/RD clinical practice, or the effectiveness of family-centered care for this population. To contribute to gaps in scholarship, this systematic review identified and evaluated intervention studies examining FCC in AD/RD clinical care. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employees' positive organizational behavior (POB) is not only to promote organizational function but also improve individual and organizational performance. As an important concept in organizational research, organizational justice is thought to be a universal predictor of employee and organizational outcomes. The current set of two studies examined the effects of organizational justice (OJ) on POB of employees with two different studies, a large-sample survey and a situational experiment. In study 1, a total of 2,566 employees from 45 manufacturing enterprises completed paper-and-pencil questionnaires assessing organizational justice (OJ) and positive organizational behavior (POB) of employees. In study 2, 747 employees were randomly sampled to participate in the situational experiment with 2 × 2 between-subjects design. They were asked to read one of the four situational stories and to image that this situation happen to the person in the story or them, and then they were asked to imagine how the person in the story or they would have felt and what the person or they subsequently would have done. The results of study 1 suggested that OJ was correlated with POB of employees and OJ is a positive predictor of POB. The results of study 2 suggested that OJ had significant effects on POB and negative organizational behavior (NOB). Procedural justice accounted for significantly more variance than distributive justice in POB of employees. Distributive justice and procedural justice have different influences on POB and NOB in terms of effectiveness and direction. The effect of OJ on POB was greater than that of NOB. In addition, path analysis indicated that the direct effect of OJ on POB was smaller than its indirect effect. Thus, many intermediary effects could possibly be between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IL-6 has a dual role in bone remodelling. The ERK1/2 pathway partially upregulated IL-6 secretion in osteocyte-like MLO-Y4 cells exposed to CCF. We have now investigated the possible role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signalling pathway in the CCF-induced IL-6 expression. MLO-Y4 cells were treated with CCF 2,000 µstrain, 2 Hz, or 10, 30 min, 1, 3 and 6 h. IL-6 expression, Akt and ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt phosphorylation were determined by RT-PCR, ELISA and Western blotting. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt with LY294002 or ERK1/2 with PD98059 significantly attenuated IL-6 upregulation, and IL-6 expression was abolished by inhibiting both pathways. Inhibition of one pathway downregulated the other's phosphorylation level. In conclusion, concomitant activation of PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways mediated IL-6 expression in MLO-Y4 cells under CCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of cryogenic treatment and age- hardening heat treatment on the micro-Vicker' s hardness of palladium -silver dental alloys. Methods A low-gold content dental casting ahoy composed of Ag-Pd-Cu-Au was prepared for this study. Experimental specimens according to standard requirements were prepared following a standard dental laboratory casting procedure, cast specimens were heated to 900 °C and quenched in ice water. The specimens were then divided into 4 groups. They were subsequently subjected to different treatments, including age-hardening heat treatment, cryogenic treatment, heat treatment combined with cryogenic treatment. The non-treated group was used as control. The micro-Vicker's hardness value was examined. The significance of correlation was analyzed. Results The micro-Vicker' s hardness of specimens after age-hardening heat treatment, cryogenic treatment, heat treatment combined with cryogenic treatment increased by 129%, 13% and 141%, respectively, compared with that of the non-treated control group. Conclusion Age-hardening heat treatment and cryogenic treatment were effective in elevating the hardness of Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]