Social-Emotional Functioning Explains the Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Performance among Chinese Primary School Students: A Mediation Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To examine the mediating effects of socioemotional and behavioral functioning in the association between physical activity and academic achievement in Chinese children.

STUDY DESIGN

Chinese children (n = 17 318; aged 6-11 years) from the Shanghai Children's Health, Education and Lifestyle Evaluation study in 2014 were the source of data. Children reported the time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPA) during weekdays and weekends. Parents rated their children's socioemotional and behavioral difficulties. Head teachers rated the academic performance of each student. A mediation analysis with multiple mediators was performed to test the mediation effects of 5 socioemotional and behavioral variables (emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity and inattention, peer relationship, and prosocial behaviors) in the association between MVPA and academic achievement, adjusting for demographic and health-related variables.

RESULTS

Results revealed that MVPA was positively associated with academic performance (b = 0.78; SE = .01; P < .001). Conduct problems, hyperactivity and inattention, and peer problems showed significant mediating effects in the association between MVPA and academic achievement, with hyperactivity and inattention being the strongest mediator (b = 0.38; SE = 0.04; P < .001) accounting for 49% of the total effect.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides evidence that MVPA is associated with fewer socioemotional difficulties, which, in turn, is associated with better academic achievement. Promoting physical activity among school-aged children may benefit their overall development.

A nanocomposite prepared from magnetite nanoparticles, polyaniline and carboxy-modified graphene oxide for non-enzymatic sensing of glucose

The authors report on the synthesis of carboxy functionalized graphene oxide (fGO) decorated with magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles. The resulting nanomaterial was used to prepare a composite with polyaniline (PANI) which was characterized by UV-vis, Fourier transform-infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Its surface morphologies were characterized by atomic force and scanning electron microscopies. A screen-printed carbon electrode was then modified with the nanocomposite to obtain an enzyme-free glucose sensor. The large surface of fGO and Fe₃O₄ along with the enhanced charge transfer capability of PANI warrant a pronounced electrochemical response (typically measured at 0.18 V versus Ag/AgCl) which is suppressed in the presence of glucose. This reduction of current by glucose was used to design a sensitive method for quantification of glucose. The response of the modified SPCE is linear in the 0.05 μM - 5 mM glucose concentration range, and the lower detection limit is 0.01 μM. Graphical abstract Schematic illustration of in-situ anchoring of Iron oxide on functionalized graphene oxide and synthesis of its polymeric nanocomposite for non-enzymatic detection of Glucose. The nanocomposite modified screen printed interface enabled monitoring of glucose at lower potential with higher precision. GO (graphene oxide), fGO (functionalized graphene oxide), PANI (polyaniline).

Context Matters: Adolescent Neighborhood and School Influences on Young Adult Body Mass Index

PURPOSE

Both schools and neighborhoods play important roles in determining adolescent weight status, but little is known about their relative importance, particularly in predicting long-term weight outcomes. We assessed the impacts of both school and neighborhood socioeconomic composition, social connectedness, and built environment during adolescence on weight status in young adulthood.

METHODS

The study sample consisted of 14,625 respondents from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Data were analyzed using cross-classified multilevel modeling to examine the joint effect of adolescents' school and neighborhood predictors on body mass index (BMI) 13 years later.

RESULTS

Living in a neighborhood with lower average parent education during adolescence, and attending a school with lower average parent education, were each associated with higher BMI in young adulthood. Living in a neighborhood with more physical activity resources predicted lower young adult BMI, independent of adolescent weight, parent obesity status, and demographic characteristics. School physical activity resources and perceptions of social connectedness (in the school or neighborhood) were not significantly associated with young adult BMI.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the importance of school and neighborhood socioeconomic composition during adolescence on young adult weight status. Results also suggest that improving neighborhood infrastructure may promote healthy weight.

Electrochemical DNA Biosensing via Electrochemically Controlled Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization

Sensitive and selective sensing of biological molecules is fundamental to disease diagnosis and infectious disease surveillance. Herein, an ultrasensitive and highly selective electrochemical DNA biosensor is described by exploiting the electrochemically controlled reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (eRAFT) polymerization as a signal amplification strategy and the peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes as the recognition elements. Specifically, the PNA probes with a thiol at their 5'-terminals are anchored to a gold electrode surface (via gold-sulfur self-assembly) for sequence-specific recognition of target DNA (tDNA) fragments, of which the phosphate sites serve as the anchorages for the targeted labeling (via the well-established phosphate-Zr⁴⁺-carboxylate chemistry) of the carboxyl-group-containing chain-transfer agents (CTAs) for the succedent eRAFT polymerization, wherein the initiating radicals are generated through electrochemical reduction of aryl diazonium salts under a potentiostatic condition. In the presence of ferrocenylmethyl methacrylate (FcCH═CH₂) as the monomer, the grafting of polymer chains from the CTA-anchored sites as a result of the eRAFT polymerization brings numerous electroactive Fc tags to the electrode surface, outputting a high electrochemical sensing signal even in the presence of trace amounts of tDNA fragments. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range of the described electrochemical DNA biosensor spans from 10 aM to 10 pM ( R² = 0.998), with an attomolar detection limit (4.1 aM) being achieved. Moreover, the described electrochemical DNA biosensor is highly selective and applicable to the sensing of tDNA fragments in complex serum samples. Given its high efficiency, easy operation, and low cost, this biosensor shows great promise in real applications.

Investigation of the binding sites and orientation of Norfloxacin on bovine serum albumin by surface enhanced Raman scattering and molecular docking

Norfloxacin (NFX) is an antibacterial agent belonging to the fluoroquinolone family of drugs, known to bind bovine serum albumin (BSA). Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with molecular docking were explored to investigate the binding interaction between NFX with Bovine serum albumin (BSA) at a physiological condition. This study focused on identifying the binding site and relevant interaction mechanisms between NFX and BSA. Spectrophotometric titration with molecular docking results demonstrated that the binding site of NFX on BSA was located in sub-domain IIA. The principle binding site was identified within a hydrophobic cavity which is surrounded by the residues Leu 197, Arg 198, Ser 201, Ala 209, Trp 213, Ser 343, Leu 346, Lys 350, Ser 453, Leu 480, Val 481, and the binding force was mainly hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bond interaction. In addition, the absorptive orientation of the NFX molecule on the colloidal surface underwent a set of changes during the process of NFX binding to BSA.

Alleviating concentration polarization: a micro three-electrode interdigitated glucose sensor based on nanoporous gold from a mild process

Precisely detecting the concentration of glucose in the human body is an attractive way to prevent or diagnose diabetes. Compared with the traditional enzyme-based electrochemical glucose sensors, the non-enzymatic ones have gradually come to people's attention recently. By integrating three electrodes into one device, glucose sensors can achieve superior performance and are convenient to carry. Herein, a non-enzymatic three-electrode interdigitated glucose sensor (TEIDGS) based on nanoporous gold is designed and fabricated. To our best knowledge, it is the first time that interdigitated electrodes are combined in a single non-enzymatic glucose sensor device. Due to the advantage of the interdigitated structure and the smart design of the three-electrode circuit board, the TEIDGS can effectively reduce concentration polarization and achieve a high detective sensitivity for glucose of 1217 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻² and 343 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻² in the ranges of 0.001–0.590 mM and 0.59–7.00 mM, respectively. Moreover, a low detection limit of 390 nM can be reached. In addition, this TEIDGS possesses excellent selectivity for glucose among other interferents. Strikingly, after three weeks of operation, it can still retain a high detection performance. This work will certainly provide an efficient structure and proper catalytic material choice for future non-enzymatic glucose sensors.

An interdigitated three-electrode non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on nanoporous gold is achieved and presents excellent sensing performance including great sensitivity, high stability and low detective limit.

Catechin inhibits glycated phosphatidylethanolamine formation by trapping dicarbonyl compounds and forming quinone

Catechin inhibits glycated phosphatidylethanolamine formation by trapping dicarbonyl compounds and forming quinone.

Breathable and Skin-Mountable Strain Sensor with Tunable Stretchability, Sensitivity, and Linearity via Surface Strain Delocalization for Versatile Skin Activities' Recognition

Metal film/elastomer-based strain sensors usually exhibit small rupture strain (<5%) because of the strain localization and necking effect of the metal film under tension. To achieve both high stretchability and wide linear region is still challenging for metal film-based strain sensors. Here, we propose a low-cost yet effective strategy for fabricating ultrathin, breathable, and skin-mountable strain sensors with high sensitivity (gauge factor from 7.2 to 474.8), high stretchability (up to 140%), and good linearity by regulating the surface strain delocalization in the metal film on elastomer substrate. On the basis of this phenomenon of strain delocalization, the sensitivity and linearity are further enhanced based on a novel diffraction-induced Au film with gradient thickness. Meanwhile, by means of the strain redistribution and Poisson effect, a novel biaxial strain sensor is designed for recognition of complex human motion. On the basis of the enhanced stretchability, linearity, skin-mountable, and breathable properties, the low-cost metal film-based strain sensors can be broadened as disposable wearables for human motion detection, emotional expression recognition, human interaction, and virtual reality.

Longitudinal associations between popularity and aggression in Chinese middle and high school adolescents

The longitudinal associations between popularity, overt aggression, and relational aggression were assessed in middle school and high school cohorts drawn from a large urban Northwest Chinese city. The middle school (n = 880; 13.33 years.) and high school samples (n = 841; 16.66 years.) were each followed for 2 years. In the concurrent regression analyses, overt aggression was more strongly and consistently associated with popularity than relational aggression after controlling for likability. Cross-lagged analyses revealed that popularity predicted subsequent increases in overt and relational aggression throughout middle and high school whereas overt aggression at 7th and 10th grade predicted increases in popularity 1 year later. These findings provide further evidence that popularity is associated with aggression and suggest that overt and relational aggression may be a consequence rather than a contributor to popularity in Chinese adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Hierarchical bi-continuous Pt decorated nanoporous Au-Sn alloy on carbon fiber paper for ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid simultaneous sensing

In this work, Pt nanoparticles modified nanoporous AuSn(Pt@NP-AuSn) alloy on Ni buffered flexible carbon fiber paper (CFP) is fabricated by a simple replacement reaction in which NP-AuSn is fabricated by controllable dealloy of electrodeposited Au-Sn alloy films. The as prepared Pt@NP-AuSn/Ni/CFP possesses hierarchical pore structure, high specific surface area and excellent catalytic activity. Due to the bi-functions of both the large surface area of nanoporous metal and macroporous of carbon fiber paper facilitating mass transfer, the Pt@NP-AuSn/Ni/CFP shows high sensitivity of detecting ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA), with sensitivities of 0.14 μA μM^-1 cm^-2, 15.23 μA μM^-1 cm^-2, 0.28 μA μM^-1 cm^-2 under the concentration ranging from 200 to 2000 μM, 1-10 μM, and 25-800 μM for AA, DA and UA, respectively. Further, the Pt@NP-AuSn/Ni/CFP possesses long-term stability of sensing AA, DA and UA and presents great anti-interference towards a variety of common compounds in body fluid. All of these results manifest the Pt@NP-AuSn/Ni/CFP can be a promising candidate for the application of the electrochemical sensor for simultaneous detection of AA, DA and UA.

Effects of chronic dexamethasone exposure on bile acid metabolism and cecal epithelia function in goats

Bile acids (BAs) are synthesized in the liver via the oxidation of cholesterol and further metabolized by microbiota in the gut, where they simultaneously impact gut function. In the present study, 10 goats were randomly divided into 2 groups; 1 group was injected with dexamethasone (Dex; 0.2 mg/kg), and the other group was injected with saline as the control (Con) for 21 d. Expression levels of key genes and proteins in the liver and gut mucosa were analyzed and compared to investigate the impact of chronic stress on BA metabolism and related functions in ruminants. The results revealed that Dex decreased plasma total BAs (TBAs) concentration (P < 0.05) but increased TBA concentration in the cecal digesta (P < 0.05). Total cholesterol in the liver decreased moderately in response to Dex. The protein expression of cytochrome P450 family 7 subfamily A member 1 and cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily A member 1, 2 enzymes that control BA synthesis in the liver, remained unchanged by Dex administration (P > 0.05). The expression of several genes in the cecal mucosa encoding epithelial tight junction proteins, including occludin (P < 0.05), tight junction protein 1 (P < 0.01), and claudin 1 (P < 0.05), increased significantly in response to Dex, and expression of defensin beta 1, which can strengthen the innate immune system, was also upregulated (P < 0.05). In addition, BAs increased the expression of the Solute Carrier family 9 member A 2 (P < 0.01) that encodes a sodium hydrogen exchanger. These results suggest that the Dex-induced disruption of BA homeostasis might be mediated through a liver-independent pathway in goats, and the Dex-induced accumulation of TBAs in the cecal digesta may improve volatile fatty acid transportation and mucosal defense.

Zero-Shot Learning via Category-Specific Visual-Semantic Mapping and Label Refinement

Zero-Shot Learning (ZSL) aims to classify a test instance from an unseen category based on the training instances from seen categories, in which the gap between seen categories and unseen categories is generally bridged via visual-semantic mapping between the low-level visual feature space and the intermediate semantic space. However, the visual-semantic mapping (i.e., projection) learnt based on seen categories may not generalize well to unseen categories, which is known as the projection domain shift in ZSL. To address this projection domain shift issue, we propose a method named Adaptive Embedding ZSL (AEZSL) to learn an adaptive visual-semantic mapping for each unseen category, followed by progressive label refinement. Moreover, to avoid learning visual-semantic mapping for each unseen category in the large-scale classification task, we additionally propose a deep adaptive embedding model named Deep AEZSL (DAEZSL) sharing the similar idea (i.e., visual-semantic mapping should be category-specific and related to the semantic space) with AEZSL, which only needs to be trained once, but can be applied to arbitrary number of unseen categories. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our proposed methods achieve the state-of-theart results for image classification on three small-scale benchmark datasets and one large-scale benchmark dataset.

Hierarchical Nickel-Cobalt-Based Transition Metal Oxide Catalysts for the Electrochemical Conversion of Biomass into Valuable Chemicals

The upgrading of biomass into sustainable and valuable fine chemicals is an alternative to the use of state-of-the-art petrochemicals. The conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) biomass derivative into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) has been recognized as an economical and green approach to replace the current polyethylene terephthalate based plastic industry. However, this reaction mostly relies on noble-metal-based catalysts for the sluggish aerobic oxidation of alcohol groups. In this work, we report a series of hierarchical Ni-Co-based transition metal oxide catalysts for HMF oxidation by electrocatalysis. Comprehensive material characterization and electrochemical evaluation have been performed. A 90 % FDCA yield, nearly 100 % Faradaic efficiency, and robust stability were achieved for NiCo₂ O₄ nanowires. As non-precious-metal catalysts, Ni-Co-based transition metal oxides may open up new potential materials for highly efficient electrochemical biomass upgrading.