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Objective: The current research investigated how relationships with grandparents were associated with young adults' trust levels. Background: To complement the grandmother hypothesis that explains the adaptiveness of human longevity from the perspective of instrumental contributions, a "grandparents' social capital hypothesis" was proposed, indicating that grandparents benefit social capital construction for their grandchildren, the effect of which could be symbolic for young adults. Older adults, who tend to have high levels of trust and the connections within extended family, could have positive impacts on young adults' trust. Method: Using convenience sampling, we surveyed 314 Chinese young adults on quality and quantity of their interactions with grandparents, kinship support, and their generalized trust and particularized trust toward relatives through trust games. Path analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Quality of the relationship with grandparents, rather than quantity of contact with them, was related to young adults' higher levels of particularized and generalized trust. Kinship support mediated the associations between high‐quality relationships with grandparents and young adults' particularized trust, as well as generalized trust. Conclusion: Grandparents could play a symbolic role in social capital accumulation for young adults through the mediation effect of kinship support. Implications: These findings provide new evidence supporting older adults' constructive role in human societies and shed light on possible strategies to cultivate social capital in the communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wu 2 section of the Ke017 well block is a low-resistance gas reservoir with ultralow porosity and low permeability. The comprehensive analysis of rock lithology, physical properties, sedimentary characteristics, and gas content demonstrated that the development of micropores in illite/smectite dominated clay minerals together with the resulted additional conductivity capability and complex reservoir pore structures, as well as the enrichment of self-generating conductivity minerals like zeolites and pyrite which were the formation mechanisms of low-resistance gas layers in the Wu 2 section. A low-resistance gas reservoir has poor physical property, and it is difficult to distinguish the oil layer from the dry, gas, or water layers. In this paper, based on well/mud logging data and laboratory data, by taking advantages of the “excavation effect” of neutron gas and the dual-lateral resistivity difference between different depths, we successfully established a set of low-contrast log response methods for the identification and evaluation of oil layer and formation fluids. For a gas layer, the difference between neutron porosity and acoustic (or density) porosity is smaller than 0 and the difference in dual-lateral resistivity is greater than 0. For a water layer, the neutron porosity is similar to the acoustic (or density) porosity and the dual-lateral resistivity difference will be less than 0. While for a dry layer or a layer with both gas and water, the difference in porosity as well as dual-lateral resistivity is very small. The proposed method effectively solves the technical problem of oil layer and formation fluid identification in low-resistance gas reservoirs.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a lethal disease occurring in women worldwide. Due to the lack of obvious clinical symptoms and sensitivity biomarkers, OC patients are often diagnosed in advanced stages and suffer a poor prognosis. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), released from tumor sites into the peripheral blood, have been recognized as promising biomarkers in cancer prognosis, treatment monitoring, and metastasis diagnosis. However, the number of CTCs in peripheral blood is low, and it is a technical challenge to isolate, enrich, and identify CTCs from the blood samples of patients. This work develops a simple, effective, and inexpensive strategy to capture and identify CTCs from OC blood samples using the folic acid (FA) and antifouling-hydrogel-modified fluorescent-magnetic nanoparticles. The hydrogel showed a good antifouling property against peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The FA was coupled to the hydrogel surface as the targeting molecule for the CTC isolation, held a good capture efficiency for SK-OV-3 cells (95.58%), and successfully isolated 2–12 CTCs from 10 OC patients' blood samples. The FA-modified fluorescent-magnetic nanoparticles were successfully used for the capture and direct identification of CTCs from the blood samples of OC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased Nogo-B receptor (NGBR) expression in the liver improves insulin sensitivity by reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and activating the AMPK pathway, although it remains elusive the mechanisms by which NGBR is induced. In this study, we found that PPARγ ligands (rosiglitazone or pioglitazone) increased NGBR expression in hepatic cells and HUVECs. Furthermore, promoter analysis defined two PPREs (PPARγ-responsive elements) in the promoter region of NGBR, which was further confirmed by the ChIP assay. In vivo , using liver-specific PPARγ deficient (PPARγLKO) mice, we identified the key role of PPARγ expression in pioglitazone-induced NGBR expression. Meanwhile, the basal level of ER stress and inflammation was slightly increased by NGBR knockdown. However, the inhibitory effect of rosiglitazone on inflammation was abolished while rosiglitazone-inhibited ER stress was weakened by NGBR knockdown. Taken together, these findings show that NGBR is a previously unrecognized target of PPARγ activation and plays an essential role in PPARγ-reduced ER stress and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis is a major pathology for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Clinically, the intermittent fasting (IF) has been observed to reduce the risk of CVDs. However, the effect of IF on the development of atherosclerosis has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we determined the protection of IF against high-fat diet–induced atherosclerosis in pro-atherogenic low-density lipoprotein receptor deficient (LDLR-/-) mice and the potentially involved mechanisms. The LDLR-/- mice were scheduled intermittent fasting cycles of 3-day HFD feeding ad libitum and 1 day fasting, while the mice in the control group were continuously fed HFD. The treatment was lasted for 7 weeks (∼12 cycles) or 14 weeks (∼24 cycles). Associated with the reduced total HFD intake, IF substantially reduced lesions in the en face aorta and aortic root sinus. It also increased plaque stability by increasing the smooth muscle cell (SMC)/collagen content and fibrotic cap thickness while reducing macrophage accumulation and necrotic core areas. Mechanistically, IF reduced serum total and LDL cholesterol levels by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis in the liver. Meanwhile, HFD-induced hepatic lipid accumulation was attenuated by IF. Interestingly, circulating Ly6Chigh monocytes but not T cells and serum c-c motif chemokine ligand 2 levels were significantly reduced by IF. Functionally, adhesion of monocytes to the aortic endothelium was decreased by IF via inhibiting VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression. Taken together, our study indicates that IF reduces atherosclerosis in LDLR-/- mice by reducing monocyte chemoattraction/adhesion and ameliorating hypercholesterolemia and suggests its potential application for atherosclerosis treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives In the last two decades, the number of intervention studies using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has grown enormously. Though some studies have shown positive influences on episodic memory among older adults, disagreement exists in the literature. Therefore, the current meta-analysis aimed to provide a quantitative assessment of the efficacy of tDCS in modulating episodic memory functions in older adults. Method Eligible studies were sham-controlled trials examining the effects of anodal tDCS on episodic memory in older adults. Twenty-four articles comprising 566 participants aged over 60 qualified for inclusion. Results Compared to the sham tDCS group, the active tDCS group showed significant memory improvements at both immediate poststimulation (Hedges' g = 0.625, p =.001) and long-term follow-up (Hedges' g = 0.404, p =.002). There were no differences in effect sizes between cognitively healthy and impaired older adults. Moderator analyses suggested that tDCS having a duration of 20 min or less, bilateral stimulation, or a larger stimulation area would produce greater benefits for episodic memory performance in older adults. Discussion These findings suggest that tDCS holds great promise to ameliorate memory decline in older individuals. In the future, well-designed randomized controlled trials are expected to verify the optimal stimulation protocols and determine the factors impacting the long-term effects of tDCS in enhancing episodic memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of novel white-light-emission phosphors is of great importance for applications in lighting and display fields. Trivalent Dy3+ is widely used as a potential luminescence center for white-light emission. However, Dy3+-doped phosphors often suffer a poor yellow to blue ratio due to the deficiency of its 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 transition, low luminescence efficiency, and unsatisfactory thermal stability. The importance of the present research work is that we have achieved a tunable white light in a single phased stannate phosphor Sr3Al10SnO20:Dy3+ with robust thermal stability. The crystal structure, phase purity, and chemical composition were investigated via X-ray diffraction Rietveld structure refinement, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry. The luminescence spectra indicated that Sr3Al10SnO20:Dy3+ not only exhibited characteristic 4F9/2 → 6HJ/2 (J=11, 13, and 15) inherent transition emissions of Dy3+, but also showed an abnormal blue band emission, which was identified through X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy as the T1 → S0 transitions of Sn2+, resulting from the valence variation of Sn4+. The efficient energy transfer from Sn2+ to Dy3+ was also confirmed and the transfer efficiency was calculated. Owing to the valence-variation-induced emission of Sn2+, a tunable white light could be realized from a cool to warm white light region, with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates and a correlative color temperature varying from (0.277, 0.333) and 8634 K to (0.353, 0.404) and 4913 K, respectively. The luminescent and defects formation mechanism as well as the luminescence kinetics were further investigated. Moreover, Sr3Al10SnO20:Dy3+ had a high quantum efficiency (∼34.6%) and a super-stable thermal stability behavior (82.5% at 240 °C of the initial integral emission intensity at 30 °C) with a large activation energy (ΔE ∼ 0.1654 eV). Finally, a charge-compensation test was performed to further verify the effect of defects on the luminescence property and the related mechanism was discussed. The current work provides a novel method to achieve tunable white-light emission in Dy3+ single-doped phosphors and the related mechanism is effectual for other rare earths for potential applications in lighting and display fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Episodic Memory in Older Adults: A Meta-analysis" in a 2020 issue is presented.

• Sec22b is expressed in neurons and the expression level of Sec22b is decreased after TBI. • Sec22b promoted the activation of autophagy after TBI. • Up-regulating the expression level of Sec22b alleviated TBI-induced neuronal apoptosis. • Sec22b Ameliorated Neurological Deficits and BBB Integrity following TBI. Cortical neuronal cell death following traumatic brain injury (TBI) evoked by the cortical impact is a significant factor that contributes to neurological deficits. In the current study, we harvested the injured area and perilesional area of the injured brain induced by TBI. We explored the functions of Sec22b, an apoptosis-promoting kinase, and a pivotal bridge builder of apoptotic signaling in the etiopathogenesis of an experimental rat model of TBI. We found that Sec22b was expressed in neurons in the injured cortical area, and the expression level significantly decreased after TBI, especially at 24 h. Administration of Sec22b overexpressed plasmid significantly ameliorated TBI-induced apoptosis, neurological deficits, and blood-brain barrier permeability, accompanied by the activation of autophagy. However, the administration of Sec22b knockdown resulted in the opposite eff ;ects. Altogether, these findings indicated that Sec22b plays a neuroprotective role after TBI, suggesting that Sec22b may be a potential therapeutic target for TBI. We speculated that this neuroprotective effect might be achieved by upregulating autophagy levels and required further studies to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calorie restriction (CR) ameliorates various diseases including cardiovascular disease. However, its protection and underlying mechanisms against atherosclerosis remain un-fully elucidated. In this study, we fed apoE deficient (apoE−/-) mice in Control group a high-fat diet (HFD, 21% fat plus 0.5% cholesterol) or in CR group a CR diet (CRD, 2% fat plus 0.5% cholesterol, ∼40% calorie restriction and same levels of cholesterol, vitamins, minerals and amino acids as in HFD). After 16 weeks feeding, compared with HFD, CRD substantially reduced atherosclerosis in mice. CRD increased SMC and collagen content but reduced macrophage content, necrotic core and vascular calcification in lesion areas. Mechanistically, CRD attenuated bodyweight gain, improved lipid profiles but had little effect on macrophage lipid metabolism. CRD also inhibited expression of inflammatory molecules in lesions. Taken together, our study demonstrates CRD effectively reduces atherosclerosis in apoE−/- mice, suggesting it as a potent and reproducible therapy for atherosclerosis management. Image 1 • Calorie restriction diet (CRD) inhibits the development of atherosclerosis in apoE-deficiency mice. • CRD increases atherosclerotic plaque stability. • CRD improves systemic lipid metabolism by decreasing serum TC and LDL-C but increasing HDL-C levels. • CRD inhibits inflammation in lesion area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale gas reservoirs demonstrate low matrix porosity and permeability, and show obvious heterogeneity due to the existence of natural fractures. During the production process, fracturing fluid can easily invade the reservoir and result in a low fracturing flowback rate. The existing numerical methods are troublesome and have poor convergence. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new approach to study the gas-water two-phase flow in shale gas reservoirs. In this paper, fractal theory is used to quantitatively characterize the heterogeneous fractures. A Mathematical model considering fractal induced-fracture distribution and gas-water two-phase flow in shale reservoirs is established. The meshless weighted least squares (MWLS) method is applied, for the first time, to the numerical simulation of gas-water two-phase flow in multi-fractured horizontal wells of shale gas reservoirs. Based on the moving least squares approximation, the variation principle is derived in detail. A numerical model of gas-water two-phase flow in the shale gas reservoir fracturing horizontal well based on the meshless method is obtained. The gas and water production of fractured horizontal shale gas wells are predicted by the model. The model simulation results are found to be in good consistent with the mathematical calculation results obtained through finite difference method. but the proposed new approach shows significant higher calculation efficiency. In addition, by applying this new approach, The influences of fracture distribution, initial water saturation, and reservoir reconstruction degree on the utilization range and production were also systematically compared and analyzed. The results showed that the smaller the fracture fractal index a in the reservoir reform area, the lower the pressure, the higher the daily gas production and the daily water production, indicating that the fracture network is densely distributed and the production effect is better. The larger the initial water saturation resulted in the greater flow resistance of the gas phase and the decrease of daily gas production. When the fracture spacing decreases in reservoir reconstruction, the daily gas production increases, but the increase range is gradually reduced and it has little effect on the daily water production. • Fractal theory is used to establish a complex heterogeneous dual medium for shale gas reservoir horizontal well fracturing. • The meshless weighted least square method is applied to the simulation of gas-water flow in fractured horizontal wells. • The effects of fracture distribution, initial water saturation and reservoir transformation degree are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of novel white-light-emission phosphors is of great importance for applications in lighting and display fields. Trivalent Dy3+ is widely used as a potential luminescence center for white-light emission. However, Dy3+-doped phosphors often suffer a poor yellow to blue ratio due to the deficiency of its 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 transition, low luminescence efficiency, and unsatisfactory thermal stability. The importance of the present research work is that we have achieved a tunable white light in a single phased stannate phosphor Sr3Al10SnO20:Dy3+ with robust thermal stability. The crystal structure, phase purity, and chemical composition were investigated via X-ray diffraction Rietveld structure refinement, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry. The luminescence spectra indicated that Sr3Al10SnO20:Dy3+ not only exhibited characteristic 4F9/2 → 6HJ/2 (J=11, 13, and 15) inherent transition emissions of Dy3+, but also showed an abnormal blue band emission, which was identified through X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy as the T1 → S0 transitions of Sn2+, resulting from the valence variation of Sn4+. The efficient energy transfer from Sn2+ to Dy3+ was also confirmed and the transfer efficiency was calculated. Owing to the valence-variation-induced emission of Sn2+, a tunable white light could be realized from a cool to warm white light region, with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates and a correlative color temperature varying from (0.277, 0.333) and 8634 K to (0.353, 0.404) and 4913 K, respectively. The luminescent and defects formation mechanism as well as the luminescence kinetics were further investigated. Moreover, Sr3Al10SnO20:Dy3+ had a high quantum efficiency (∼34.6%) and a super-stable thermal stability behavior (82.5% at 240 °C of the initial integral emission intensity at 30 °C) with a large activation energy (ΔE ∼ 0.1654 eV). Finally, a charge-compensation test was performed to further verify the effect of defects on the luminescence property and the related mechanism was discussed. The current work provides a novel method to achieve tunable white-light emission in Dy3+ single-doped phosphors and the related mechanism is effectual for other rare earths for potential applications in lighting and display fields.

NIX/BNIP3L is known as a proapoptotic protein that is also related to mitophagy. Previous reports have shown that NIX could be involved in neuronal apoptosis after intracerebral hemorrhage, but it also plays a protective role in mitophagy in ischemic brain injury. How NIX works in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is unclear. Thus, this study was designed to observe the expression of NIX and perform a preliminary exploration of the possible effects of NIX in a rat TBI model. The results showed that NIX expression decreased after damage, and colocalized with neuronal cells in cortical areas. Moreover, when we induced upregulation of NIX, autophagy was increased, while neuronal apoptosis and brain water content decreased along with neurological deficits. These findings remind us that NIX probably plays a neuroprotective role in TBI through autophagy and apoptosis pathways.