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Purpose: Owing to the characteristic anatomy, cochlear implantation (CI) for common cavity deformity (CCD) has resulted in varied outcomes and frequent facial and vestibular nerve stimulation. The current study analyzed the correlation among the distance between each electrode and cavity wall (abbreviation, D), programming parameters, and performances outcomes. Materials and Methods: The current, retrospective study included 25 patients (27 ears) with CCD underwent CI. The multiplanar volume reconstruction (MPVR) techniques were employed to reconstruct and evaluate the postoperative temporal bone CT. The D and maximum comfortable level (MCL) 6 months after CI, facial and vestibular nerve stimulation, and outcomes 1, 2, and 3 years after CI pertaining to the questionnaires were documented and analyzed. Results: The patients were divided into symptomatic (10, 37%) and asymptomatic (17, 63%) groups according to with or without facial and vestibular nerve stimulation. The MCL pertaining to the symptomatic group was significantly lower than asymptomatic group, but Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) scores 1 year after surgery was better (p < 0.05). The subjects were divided into flat (12, 44.4%) and curved (15, 55.6%) groups based on the contour of MCL map. The MCL and D were lower and shorter in the curved group than the flat group, and CAP score 1 year after surgery and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) 3 years after surgery were better (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Although abnormal reactions such as facial and vestibular nerve stimulation were observed to be more frequent, lower MCL and better outcomes were observed in relation to the shorter D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is aimed at investigating the molecular mechanism of C1q/TNF-related protein 9 (CTRP9) and providing a new perspective in arteriovenous shunt-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). PAH was established by an arteriovenous shunt placement performed in rats. Adenovirus(Ad)-CTRP9 and Ad-green fluorescent protein viral particles were injected into the rats through the tail vein. Following 12 weeks, the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) were measured and morphological analysis was conducted to confirm the establishment of the PAH model. The systemic elevation of CTRP9 maintained pulmonary vascular homeostasis and protected the rats from dysfunctional and abnormal remodeling. CTRP9 attenuated the pulmonary vascular remodeling in the shunt group by decreasing the mPAP and RVSP, which was associated with suppressed inflammation, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix injury. In addition, CTRP9 dramatically increased the phosphorylation of AKT and p38-MAPK in the lung tissues of shunt-operated animals. These findings suggest a previously unrecognized effect of CTRP9 in pulmonary vascular homeostasis during PAH pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As mediators of intercellular communication, circulating extracellular vehicles (EVs) can modulate tissue and cellular pathways by altering transcription profiles in recipient cells, and their content may reflect the status of their parent cells. However, whether their cargo is altered in the metabolic syndrome (Mets) remains unclear. We hypothesized that MetS altered mRNAs and miRNAs packed within circulating-EVs. EVs were collected from plasma of patients with MetS or age-matched Lean controls (n=4 each). RNA sequencing was performed to identify dysregulated mRNAs and miRNAs, and analyze genes targeted by miRNAs, top pathways, and diseases associated with MetS-EVs. MetS patients showed elevated body weight, blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and liver injury markers levels. 1,446 mRNAs were downregulated and 32 upregulated in MetS- compared to Lean-EVs, whereas 40 miRNAs were selectively enriched and 10 downregulated in MetS-EVs. MetS upregulated in EVs genes involved in apoptosis, mitochondrial regulation, transport, and lipoproteins, but downregulated vessel and heart development, protein complex biogenesis, and angiogenesis. MetS also upregulated miRNAs targeting genes implicated in cellular processes, including oxidation–reduction, and downregulated miRNAs capable of modulating catalytic activity, as well as heart, blood vessel, and skeletal development, transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, and cell cycle. Our study, thus, indicates that human subjects with MetS show modified cargo of circulating EVs, which in turn may modulate several critical cellular functions and fate. These EVs may reflect the anomalous status of their parent cells, and potentially serve as important regulators, biomarkers, and targets in the progression and treatment of MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teachers' Mental health literacy (MHL) is one of the important factors that influence students' mental health literacy and even their mental health status. A valid, comprehensive measure is needed to adequately identify MHL levels in the Chinese teachers. Thus, this study aimed to validate a Chinese version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) among Chinese teachers. Methods: A total of 367 Chinese primary and secondary school teachers in Henan province were enrolled to complete the Chinese version of MHLS and several validation measures. Results: A parallel analysis supported a four-factor structure model of the Chinese version, but because of the low communalities and mean factor loadings, the univariate structure of the original scale was selected. Additionally, the criterion construct validity of the Chinese version was supported by significant correlations with self-efficacy in coping with mental health problems, mental health status, the stigma associated with receiving mental health treatment, and socially distancing from patients with mental illness. The Cronbach's α of the Chinese version was acceptable. Females, younger teachers, teachers with higher educational level, and full-time mental health teachers showed higher levels of MHL. Conclusion: The Chinese version of MHLS is a valid and reliable tool to assess the level of Chinese teachers' MHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothermy is a typical convergent phenomenon which has evolved independently at least eight times in vertebrates, and is of significant advantage to organisms in extending their niches. However, how vertebrates other than mammals or birds, especially teleosts, achieve endothermy has not previously been fully understood. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of two billfishes (swordfish and sailfish), members of a representative lineage of endothermic teleosts. Convergent amino acid replacements were observed in proteins related to heat production and the visual system in two endothermic teleost lineages, billfishes and tunas. The billfish-specific genetic innovations were found to be associated with heat exchange, thermoregulation, and the specialized morphology, including elongated bill, enlarged dorsal fin in sailfish and loss of the pelvic fin in swordfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop and test the reliability and validity of a multi-item nurses' presenteeism behaviour questionnaire. Study 1 administered the Nurse Presenteeism Questionnaire (NPQ) to 250 Chinese nurses. Study 2, surveyed 650 nurses with the NPQ, the Sickness Presenteeism Questionnaire, the Stanford Presenteeism Scale, the General Health Questionnaire, and the Emotional Exhaustion Scale using convenience sampling. After item analysis, the subjects were randomly divided into two groups to verify the questionnaire structure. Study 1 revealed the nurses' core symptoms when they go to work with illness, and the NPQ with 11 items was developed. Study 2's item analysis revealed that 11 NPQ items had good discrimination (t = 22.67∼36.11, p < 0.01) and high homogeneity. Besides, the scale had good reliability (Cronbach's = 0.93) and external criterion validity (r = 0.24∼0.84, p < 0.01). Thus, the NPQ can be used to measure presenteeism behaviour in nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-bone gap (ABG) is an important indicator of hearing status after myringoplasty. A number of factors have been associated with ABG, but some patients still have ABG without identifiable cause. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between tympanic membrane (TM) vibration using laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) and ABG after myringoplasty. Between January 2013 and January 2015, 24 patients with ABG of unknown cause after myringoplasty were enrolled at the Beijing Tongren Hospital. Thirty normal controls were recruited from the hospital staff. All patients underwent primary overlay myringoplasty. Pre- and postoperative air conduction (AC) and bone-conduction (BC) thresholds, and ABG were measured. Umbo velocity transfer function (UVTF) for vibration of TM was measured with LDV. Air conduction thresholds were significantly reduced after myringoplasty (all P <.05), while BC thresholds were not significantly changed (all P >.05). ABG was significantly reduced after myringoplasty (all P <.05). Air-bone gap was correlated with UVTF at 1.0 kHz (r = −0.46; P =.024). For patients with UVTF >0.08 mm/s/Pa, ABG was correlated with UVTF (r = −0.56; P =.029). For post-myringoplasty ABG without readily observable causes, there was a significant relationship between ABG and TM vibration. These results provide new insights in the understanding of this relationship and may help explain ABG after myringoplasty when there are no clear contributing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal curing method is effective in reducing the self-desiccation of concrete, and the amount of internal curing water (IC water) is greatly important to the shrinkage and strength of concrete. A method for calculating IC water of concrete with and without mineral admixture has been developed. The method is derived from Powers' model for the phase distribution of a hydrating cement paste. To verify the method, a series of autogenous shrinkage and compressive strength of concrete with and without super absorbent polymer (SAP) were evaluated compared with the method proposed previously. To explain the macro performance of hardened concrete, the nonevaporable water content and calcium hydroxide content measurement were utilized to evaluate the degree of hydration of cement pastes. And, mercury intrusion method and image analysis method were used to explore the pore structure in hardened cement pastes and air void characteristics in hardened concrete, respectively. Furthermore, the evolution process was also studied for the relative humidity inside the concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of copper(II) sulfatepentahydrate with 2-nitrobenzoic acid and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) in basic solution produces the complex bis(2-nitrobenzoato-κO)(N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine-κ²N,N')copper(II), [Cu(C7H4NO4)2(C6H16N2)] or [Cu(2-nitrobenzoate)2(tmeda)]. Each carboxyl-ate group of the 2-nitrobenzoate ligand is coordinated by CuII atom in a monodentate fashion and two TMEDA ligand nitrogen atoms are coordinate by the metal center, giving rise to a distorted square-planar coordination environment. In the crystal, metal complexes are linked by centrosymmetric C--H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming ribbons via a R2²(10) ring motif. These ribbons are linked by further C--H⋯O hydrogen bonds, leading to two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded arrays parallel to the bc plane. Weak π-π stacking interactions provide additional stabilization of the crystal structure. Hirshfeld surface analysis, dnorm and two-dimensional fingerprint plots were examined to verify the contributions of the different intermolecular contacts within the supramolecular structure. The major interactions of the complex are O⋯H/H⋯O (44.9%), H⋯H (34%) and C⋯H (14.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been regarded as a public health emergency that caused a considerable degree of public panic (such as anxiety and insomnia) during its early stage. Some irrational behaviors (such as excessive search for information related to the pandemic and excessive hoarding of supplies) were also triggered as a result of such panic. Although there has been plenty of news coverage on public panic due to the outbreak, research on this phenomenon has been limited. Since panic is the main psychological reaction in the early stage of the pandemic, which largely determines the level of psychological adaptation, time of psychological recovery, and the incidence of PTSD, there exists a demand to conduct investigation on it. From a public governance perspective, the government's assessment of public panic may affect the efficiency and effectiveness of pandemic prevention and control. Therefore, it is of obvious practical significance to investigate public panic during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyze its influential factors. The self-compiled COVID-19 Social Mentality Questionnaire was used to collect data from a total of 16,616 participants online, and 13,511 valid responses were received. The results from the chi-square test showed that there were differences in gender, educational level, age, pandemic-related knowledge, self-efficacy, risk level, and objective social support. Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis results showed that self-efficacy, gender, educational level, age, risk level, pandemic-related knowledge, and objective social support were significant predictors of public panic. Among the research variables, self-efficacy, gender, educational level, and age were negative predictors of panic while risk level, pandemic-related knowledge, and objective social support were positive predictors of panic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric catfishes evolved the substantial electric organ that can instantly release powerful high-voltage electricity. To better study the phylogenetic position of the electric fish (Malapterurus electricus) in catfishes, in this study, we presented the complete mitochondrial genome of M. electricus assembled by the next-generation sequencing data. The mitogenome has 16,504 bp and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, an L-strand replication origin (OL), and a control region (D-loop). The overall base composition is A 31.08%, C 27.54%, G 14.81%, and T 26.57%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 13 PCGs of 43 species from Siluriformes showed M.electricus belonging to the Malapteruridae displayed a close relationship with Siluridae. Taken together, the complete mitochondrial genome of M. electricus would be beneficial for the study of the phylogenetic relationship of Siluriformes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presenteeism refers to the behavior of people who turn up for work despite complaints of ill health that should prompt rest and absence from work. The high incidence of presenteeism in the nurse population has been extensively investigated using self-reported methods to explore its effects on individual outcomes. However, few studies have examined nurse presenteeism using an "other's" perspective to verify self-reported information. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the prevalence, consequences, and causes of presenteeism in Chinese nurses from the perspectives of nurses and chief nurses. A sample of 481 nurses and 282 chief nurses from five hospitals in Henan Province, China, took part in this cross-sectional study. Participants completed the Sickness Presenteeism Questionnaire, Social Productivity Loss Questionnaire, and Causes of Nurse Presenteeism Questionnaire. The human capital method was used to estimate the monetary loss because of nurse presenteeism. We found that 94.25 and 82.08% of nurses experienced presenteeism in the past 6 months from the perspective of nurses and chief nurses, respectively. The annual monetary loss was estimated to be ¥4.38 billion and ¥2.88 billion based on the presenteeism reports from nurses and chief nurses, respectively. Workload, leave system, and conscientiousness are the main reasons for nurse presenteeism, and financial need is another important reason that is likely overlooked by chief nurses. This study provides a foundation for future research by presenting new knowledge about the prevalence, consequences, and causes of presenteeism in Chinese nurses. The findings emphasize the need for nursing managers and nursing departments to establish policy systems around paid sick leave, workload, and communication with managers to reduce nurse presenteeism and the subsequent socio-economic financial losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Generalized tonic‐clonic seizure (GTCS) is a condition that is characterized by generalized spike‐wave discharge in bilateral cerebral hemispheres during the seizure. Although previous neuroimaging studies revealed functional abnormalities in the brain activities of children with GTCS, the topological alterations in whole‐brain networks remain poorly understood. Methods: The present study used graph theory to investigate the topological organization of functional networks in 13 GTCS children and 30 age‐matched healthy controls. Results: We found that both groups exhibited a small‐world topology of the functional network. However, children with GTCS showed a significant decrease in nodal local efficiency and clustering coefficient in some key nodes compared with the controls. The connections within the default mode network (DMN) were decreased significantly, and the internetwork connections were increased significantly. The altered topological properties may be an effect of chronic epilepsy. As a result, the optimal topological organization of the functional network was disrupted in the patient group. Notably, clustering coefficient and nodal local efficiency in the bilateral temporal pole of the middle temporal gyrus negatively correlated with the epilepsy duration. Conclusion: These results suggest that the bilateral temporal pole plays an important role in reflecting the effect of chronic epilepsy on the topological properties in GTCS children. The present study demonstrated a disrupted topological organization in children with GTCS. These findings provide new insight into our understanding of this disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 affects not only patients' physical health but also their mental health. For the general public, although their physical health may not be directly affected, their mental health may be affected by stress, anxiety, and social panic caused by COVID-19. Controlling the pandemic should focus on not only physical health but also mental health. For the general public, mental health is even more important, as good mental health at the individual level can form a positive social mentality conducive to pandemic prevention and control. Therefore, it is important to assess mental health during the pandemic, and analyze risk and protective factors. Methods: A self-compiled COVID-19 Social Mentality Questionnaire was used to conduct an online survey. A total of 16,616 participants responded, with 13,511 valid questionnaires. Results: Results showed that 10.7% of participants rated their mental health as "worse than usual" during the pandemic, and there were gender, age, and educational differences. Social support was positively correlated with pandemic-related knowledge and self-efficacy, and could indirectly predict mental health. Pandemic-related knowledge was positively correlated with self-efficacy and mental health, and risk level was negatively correlated with mental health. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that pandemic-related knowledge played a partial mediating role in the relationship between social support and self-efficacy, while self-efficacy played a complete mediating role in the relationship between social support and mental health. Logistic regression analysis showed that risk level moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and mental health. Conclusions: Social support can increase pandemic-related knowledge, thus improving self-efficacy and maintaining/promoting mental health. High risk levels can undermine the role of self-efficacy in promoting mental health. Therefore, in the fight against the COVID-19, people need to support and cooperate with each other, to improve self-efficacy and reduce risk, thus maintaining and promoting mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbes respond to environmental stimuli through complicated signal transduction systems. In microbial biofilms, because of complex multiple species interactions, signals transduction systems are of an even higher complexity. Here, we performed a signal-molecule-treatment experiment to study the role of different signal molecules, including N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL), N-dodecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C12-HSL), Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS), and cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP), in the development of marine biofilms. Comparative metagenomics suggested a distinctive influence of these molecules on the microbial structure and function of multi-species biofilm communities in its developing stage. The PQS-treated biofilms shared the least similarity with the control and initial biofilms. The role of PQS in biofilm development was further explored experimentally with the strain Erythrobacter sp. HKB8 isolated from marine biofilms. Comparative transcriptomic analysis showed that 314 genes, such as those related to signal transduction and biofilm formation, were differentially expressed in the untreated and PQS-treated Erythrobacter sp. HKB8 biofilms. Our study demonstrated the different roles of signal molecules in marine biofilm development. In particular, the PQS-based signal transduction system, which is frequently detected in marine biofilms, may play an important role in regulating microbe-microbe interactions and the assemblage of biofilm communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the complete mitochondrial genome of Toxotes chatareus yielded by the next-generation sequencing data in this study. The complete mitochondrial genome of T. chatareus has 16,543 bp and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a single control region (D-loop). The overall base composition was A 28.75%, C 29.80%, G 15.77%, T 25.68% and its gene arrangement was similar with other Carangaria mitochondrial genomes. Additionally, the phylogenetic relationships of 13 Carangaria species based on the complete mitochondrial genome was analyzed using the neighbor-joining method. The result showed T. chatareus was clustered with L. lactarius suggesting the close phylogenetic affinity they owned. Together, the complete mitochondrial genome of T. chatareus would be beneficial for the study of phylogenetic relationship, taxonomic classification and phylogeography of the Carangaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Neuroimaging studies on neuropathic pain have discovered abnormalities in brain structure and function. However, the brain pattern changes from herpes zoster (HZ) to postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) remain unclear. The present study aimed to compare the brain activity between HZ and PHN patients and explore the potential neural mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in neuropathic pain patients. Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was carried out among 28 right-handed HZ patients, 24 right-handed PHN patients, and 20 healthy controls (HC), using a 3T MRI system. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was analyzed to detect the brain activity of the patients. Correlations between ALFF and clinical pain scales were assessed in two groups of patients. Differences in brain activity between groups were examined and used in a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm for the subjects' classification. Results: Spontaneous brain activity was reduced in both patient groups. Compared with HC, patients from both groups had decreased ALFF in the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, and middle temporal gyrus. Meanwhile, the neural activities of angular gyrus and middle frontal gyrus were lowered in HZ and PHN patients, respectively. Reduced ALFF in these regions was associated with clinical pain scales in PHN patients only. Using SVM algorithm, the decreased brain activity in these regions allowed for the classification of neuropathic pain patients (HZ and PHN) and HC. Moreover, HZ and PHN patients are also roughly classified by the same model. Conclusion: Our study indicated that mean ALFF values in these pain-related regions can be used as a functional MRI-based biomarker for the classification of subjects with different pain conditions. Altered brain activity might contribute to PHN-induced pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presenteeism refers to attending work when one is ill, which not only leads to a decline in the physical and mental health of employees but also negatively impacts organizational productivity and increases an organization's extra costs. Therefore, to explore the antecedents and outcomes of nurses' presenteeism behavior and the acting mechanism among the variables, a sample of 330 nurses from China were investigated with the Sickness Presenteeism Questionnaire, Job Insecurity Scale, Perceived Supervisor Support Scale, and Emotional Exhaustion Scale. The results indicated that (1) job insecurity had a significantly predictive effect on nurses' presenteeism behavior; (2) nurses' presenteeism partially mediated the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion; and (3) supervisor support moderated the relationship between nurses' presenteeism behavior and emotional exhaustion; i.e., the higher the level of supervisor support, the weaker the positive relationship between nurses' presenteeism behavior and emotional exhaustion. The findings provide theoretical guidance and an empirical basis for prevention and intervention strategies concerning nurses' presenteeism behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background With more than 30,000 species, fish—including bony, jawless, and cartilaginous fish—are the largest vertebrate group, and include some of the earliest vertebrates. Despite their critical roles in many ecosystems and human society, fish genomics lags behind work on birds and mammals. This severely limits our understanding of evolution and hinders progress on the conservation and sustainable utilization of fish. Results Here, we announce the Fish10K project, a portion of the Earth BioGenome Project aiming to sequence 10,000 representative fish genomes in a systematic fashion within 10 years, and we officially welcome collaborators to join this effort. As a step towards this goal, we herein describe a feasible workflow for the procurement and storage of biospecimens, as well as sequencing and assembly strategies. Conclusions To illustrate, we present the genomes of 10 fish species from a cohort of 93 species chosen for technology development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold seeps, characterized by the methane, hydrogen sulfide, and other hydrocarbon chemicals, foster one of the most widespread chemosynthetic ecosystems in deep sea that are densely populated by specialized benthos. However, scarce genomic resources severely limit our knowledge about the origin and adaptation of life in this unique ecosystem. Here, we present a genome of a deep-sea limpet Bathyacmaea lactea , a common species associated with the dominant mussel beds in cold seeps. We yielded 54.6 gigabases (Gb) of Nanopore reads and 77.9-Gb BGI-seq raw reads, respectively. Assembly harvested a 754.3-Mb genome for B. lactea , with 3,720 contigs and a contig N50 of 1.57 Mb, covering 94.3% of metazoan Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs. In total, 23,574 protein-coding genes and 463.4 Mb of repetitive elements were identified. We analyzed the phylogenetic position, substitution rate, demographic history, and TE activity of B. lactea. We also identified 80 expanded gene families and 87 rapidly evolving Gene Ontology categories in the B. lactea genome. Many of these genes were associated with heterocyclic compound metabolism, membrane-bounded organelle, metal ion binding, and nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism. The high-quality assembly and in-depth characterization suggest the B. lactea genome will serve as an essential resource for understanding the origin and adaptation of life in the cold seeps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For normal-hearing (NH) listeners, monaural factors, such as voice pitch cues, may play an important role in the segregation of speech signals in multitalker environments. However, cochlear implant (CI) users experience difficulties in segregating speech signals in multitalker environments in part due to the coarse spectral resolution. The present study examined how the vocal characteristics of the target and masking talkers influence listeners' ability to extract information from a target phrase in a multitalker environment. Speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) were measured with one, two, or four masker talkers for different combinations of target-masker vocal characteristics in 10 adult Mandarin-speaking NH listeners and 12 adult Mandarin-speaking CI users. The results showed that CI users performed significantly poorer than NH listeners in the presence of competing talkers. As the number of masker talkers increased, the mean SRTs significantly worsened from –22.0 dB to –5.2 dB for NH listeners but significantly improved from 5.9 dB to 2.8 dB for CI users. The results suggest that the flattened peaks and valleys with increased numbers of competing talkers may reduce NH listeners' ability to use dips in the spectral and temporal envelopes that allow for "glimpses" of the target speech. However, the flattened temporal envelope of the resultant masker signals may be less disruptive to the amplitude contour of the target speech, which is important for Mandarin-speaking CI users' lexical tone recognition. The amount of masking release was further estimated by comparing SRTs between the same-sex maskers and the different-sex maskers. There was a large amount of masking release in NH adults (12 dB) and a small but significant amount of masking release in CI adults (2 dB). These results suggest that adult CI users may significantly benefit from voice pitch differences between target and masker speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern network science has provided exciting new opportunities for understanding the human brain as a complex network of interacting regions. The improved knowledge of human brain network architecture has made it possible for clinicians to detect the network changes in neurological diseases. Generalized tonic–clonic seizure (GTCS) is a subtype of epilepsy characterized by generalized spike-wave discharge involving the bilateral hemispheres during seizure. Network researches in adults with GTCS exhibited that GTCS can be conceptualized as a network disorder. However, the overall organization of the brain structural covariance network in children with GTCS remains largely unclear. Here, we used a graph theory method to assess the gray matter structural covariance network organization of 14 pediatric patients diagnosed with GTCS and 29 healthy control children. The group differences in regional and global topological properties were investigated. Results revealed significant changes in nodal betweenness locating in brain regions known to be abnormal in GTCS (the right thalamus, bilateral temporal pole, and some regions of default mode network). The network hub analysis results were in accordance with the regional betweenness, which presented a disrupted regional topology of structural covariance network in children with GTCS. To our knowledge, the present study is the first work reporting the changes of structural topological properties in children with GTCS. The findings contribute new insights into the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying GTCS and highlight critical regions for future neuroimaging research in children with GTCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work stress is a significant problem all over the world. In the present study, from the perspective of the combination of vertical and horizontal management, we investigated the relationships of managerial ethical leadership, mutual monitoring, and mutual support among employees' work stress levels. A total of 307 white collar employees in Japan were asked to complete an online questionnaire on three separate occasions. The results showed that both ethical leadership and mutual support were negatively related to stress. In addition, mutual support mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and work stress. Further, mutual monitoring moderated the relationship between ethical leadership and work stress: when mutual monitoring was high, stress did not decline with more ethical leadership. These results may suggest that ethical leadership can reduce work stress both directly and through mutual support, indirectly. Additionally, the direct effect may be constrained under high monitoring situations. Practical implications and needed future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parenting is a meaningful endeavor but it also induces stress, which can cause parental burnout. In China, the assessment and study of parental burnout are still in their formative stages. To contribute to advancing this field, the present study aimed to develop and validate a Chinese version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). Questionnaires were distributed to 614 families (comprising students in the eighth grade and both of their parents; one questionnaire for each person) on two separate occasions (Time 1 and Time 2). The students were asked to self-report their loneliness and life satisfaction at Time 1 and their anti-social behavior at Time 2. Meanwhile, parents were asked to self-report their parental burnout and job burnout at both Time 1 and Time 2, their marriage satisfaction at Time 1, and their levels of agreeableness and neuroticism at Time 2. Using the data obtained, we performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which indicated that this version of the PBA had a single-factor structure. The α of the PBA was 0.938 at Time 1 and 0.952 at Time 2. At Time 1, parental burnout was positively related to their job burnout in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and negatively related to their marriage satisfaction. In addition, parental burnout was positively related to students' life satisfaction, and mothers' parental burnout was positively related to students' loneliness. At Time 2, parental burnout showed positive relations with neuroticism and job burnout in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and was negatively related to agreeableness. In addition, mothers' parental burnout was positively related to students' anti-social behavior. Furthermore, parental burnout at Time 1 also showed positive relations with job burnout through emotional exhaustion and depersonalization measured at Time 2, and parental burnout at Time 1 was positively related to students' anti-social behavior at Time 2. Overall, the present study confirmed the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the PBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of food spoilage due to Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) needs to be resolved. In this study, we found that the minimum inhibitory concentration of cinnamaldehyde (CA) that inhibited A. flavus was 0.065 mg/ml and that corn can be prevented from spoiling at a concentration of 0.13 mg/cm3. In addition to inhibiting spore germination, mycelial growth, and biomass production, CA can also reduce ergosterol synthesis and can cause cytomembrane damage. Our intention was to elucidate the antifungal mechanism of CA. Flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and western blot were used to reveal that different concentrations of CA can cause a series of apoptotic events in A. flavus , including elevated Ca2+ and reactive oxygen species, decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ m ), the release of cytochrome c, the activation of metacaspase, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, and DNA damage. Moreover, CA significantly increased the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (Mst3 , Stm1 , AMID , Yca1 , DAP3 , and HtrA2). In summary, our results indicate that CA is a promising antifungal agent for use in food preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean contains abundant wave energy, which can be used as a new regenerative energy for power generation and provide energy for self-powered low-power appliances, realizing in situ energy utilization. Then, it can effectively promote the sustainable development strategy of the ocean and bring huge energy and social and environmental benefits. This paper proposes a magnetically coupled piezoelectric ocean wave energy harvester (MPWEH) system for wave energy harvesting. The MPWEH system includes four modules: energy harvesting, force magnification, piezoelectric power generation, and energy storage module. The energy harvesting module moves up and down in the tube body with the wave, effectively capturing and absorbing the wave energy and transforming the harvesting module’s motion into the interaction repulsive force between magnets. Then, the force magnification module amplified the magnetic force and applied it to the polarization direction of the piezoelectric ceramic to self-power the low-power appliances. This research carried out the feasibility verification experiment with the MPWEH prototype, and the results show that when the period is 3s, and the amplitude is 2m, the maximum voltage can reach 15V, and the maximum power can reach 12.85mW. Take Jiaozhou Bay Bridge as an example. The MPWEH system’s energy harvesting potential is studied, and the annual power generation of all the acquisition devices can reach 55.72kWh, which can be enough energy to supply the sensors on the cross-sea bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seventy-four percent of Chinese employees have experienced working with illness, but limited number of researchers have paid attention on this phenomenon. Most of the previous research on presenteeism has almost exclusively focused on North America and Europe and have gone to the financial emphasis. The current researches have two shortages, which are laying in the consensus on the definition and measurement of presenteeism, as well as the mechanism of presenteeism and its outcomes have set barriers for scholars to generate deeper understanding of the behavior. The aim of the present study was to explore the current situation of presenteeism among Chinese nurses and the mediating effect of health and the moderating effect of general self-efficacy between presenteeism and productivity loss. Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 340 female nurses from a 3A-graded general hospital in Henan Province, China by using the Sickness Presenteeism Questionnaire (SPQ), the Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6), the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Results: The results indicated that the mean of SPQ was 3.2 ± 0.7 in this sample, and there were significant differences in age and marital status in SPQ scores. Presenteeism was significantly associated with health and productivity loss, and health was significantly associated with productivity loss, and general self-efficacy was negatively associated with productivity loss. A bootstrap test showed that health fully mediated the relationship between presenteeism and productivity loss in nurses. Hierarchical regression analysis confirmed the moderating role of general self-efficacy between presenteeism and productivity loss. Conclusions: Presenteeism can significantly predict productivity loss in nurses, and hospital management can improve the physical and mental health of nurses and enhance their self-efficacy level to reduce the negative impact of presenteeism on productivity loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel carboxyl Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle-based solid-phase extraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography was developed for the analysis of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, demeclocycline, metacycline, chlortetracycline, and doxycycline in water samples. Driven by the electrostatic interaction and the strong chelation between tetracyclines and iron ions, tetracyclines in samples were adsorbed onto the adsorbents. The adsorbed analytes were subsequently eluted with oxalic acid and separated with a C18 column under gradient condition with a mobile phase consisting of methanol, acetonitrile, and oxalic acid at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The detection was performed at variable ultraviolet wavelengths. Under optimized conditions, the developed method gave an enrichment factor of 33.3, linearity ranges of 5.00-1000 μg/L, detection limits of (2.86-5.19) × 10-2 μg/L, quantification limits of (9.54-17.3) × 10-2 μg/L, recoveries of 76.2-98.0%, and intra- and inter-day RSDs of 0.132-15.5% and 2.28-14.5% for these tetracyclines. The established method was successfully applied for the determination of these six tetracyclines in tap water, river water, pond water, and lake water samples.ᅟ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]