The effects of the ant-exclusion treatment from the canopy on the abundances of ants, beetles, spiders and predators on forest floor.

<p>The effects of the ant-exclusion treatment from the canopy on the abundances of ants, beetles, spiders and predators on forest floor.</p

The experimental design in 2009 (A), 2010, and 2011 (B) and the sampling sites in each 20*20 m plot (C).

<p>Grey represents treated plots and white represents control plots. The size of the large plots in 2010 was 80*60 m. The arrows represent the spatial arrangement of the treated and control plots, where along the arrow (from left to right), the basic lines of ant abundances decreased, but the basic lines of beetle and spider abundances increased.</p

The relationship between the abundance of ants and beetles, and ants and spiders in the three transects (n = 35).

<p>The relationship between the abundance of ants and beetles, and ants and spiders in the three transects (n = 35).</p

The impacts of excluding ants from the canopy on the abundance of ground arthropods (Mean, SE, * represents <i>p</i><0.05, ** represents <i>p</i><0.01).

<p>The impacts of excluding ants from the canopy on the abundance of ground arthropods (Mean, SE, * represents <i>p</i><0.05, ** represents <i>p</i><0.01).</p

Data_Sheet_1_The impact of job stress on perceived professional benefits among Chinese nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer: mediating effects of perceived social support and self-efficacy.xlsx

IntroductionNurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer experience significant job stress, which adversely impacts their mental health. Previous studies have indicated that perceived professional benefits serves as a protective factor for nurses’ mental health, and factors such as job stress, perceived social support and self-efficacy influence their perceived professional benefits. However, the relationships between these factors and the associated mechanisms have remained incompletely understood. This study explored the role of perceived social support and self-efficacy in job stress and perceived professional benefits among nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer.MethodsDuring June and July 2023, an investigation was conducted in Anhui Province. The Nurse Job Stressors Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, Nurses’ Perceived Professional Benefits Questionnaire and General Self-Efficacy Scale were administered to 311 nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer. A chained-mediated effect model was constructed and validated.ResultsJob stress negatively affected nurses’ perceived professional benefits. Perceived social support was a mediator in job stress and nurses’ perceived professional benefits, with a mediating effect value of −0.093. Additionally, perceived social support and self-efficacy functioned as sequential mediators in this relationship, with a mediating effect value of −0.032.ConclusionThis study unveils the influencing mechanisms of job stress on perceived professional benefits of nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer. It is essential for nursing managers to alleviate nurses’ job stress, provide sufficient and effective social support and improve their self-efficacy, ultimately enhancing their perceived professional benefits.</p

Data_Sheet_2_The impact of job stress on perceived professional benefits among Chinese nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer: mediating effects of perceived social support and self-efficacy.docx

IntroductionNurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer experience significant job stress, which adversely impacts their mental health. Previous studies have indicated that perceived professional benefits serves as a protective factor for nurses’ mental health, and factors such as job stress, perceived social support and self-efficacy influence their perceived professional benefits. However, the relationships between these factors and the associated mechanisms have remained incompletely understood. This study explored the role of perceived social support and self-efficacy in job stress and perceived professional benefits among nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer.MethodsDuring June and July 2023, an investigation was conducted in Anhui Province. The Nurse Job Stressors Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, Nurses’ Perceived Professional Benefits Questionnaire and General Self-Efficacy Scale were administered to 311 nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer. A chained-mediated effect model was constructed and validated.ResultsJob stress negatively affected nurses’ perceived professional benefits. Perceived social support was a mediator in job stress and nurses’ perceived professional benefits, with a mediating effect value of −0.093. Additionally, perceived social support and self-efficacy functioned as sequential mediators in this relationship, with a mediating effect value of −0.032.ConclusionThis study unveils the influencing mechanisms of job stress on perceived professional benefits of nurses caring for patients with gynecological cancer. It is essential for nursing managers to alleviate nurses’ job stress, provide sufficient and effective social support and improve their self-efficacy, ultimately enhancing their perceived professional benefits.</p

GRS-CRC-201707-team6-documents

2017 Graduate Research Students' Day - Collaborative Research Challenge - Team

Exploring the Proton Conductance and Drug Resistance of BM2 Channel through Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Free Energy Calculations at Different pH Conditions

BM2 channel plays an important role in the replication of influenza virus B. However, few studies attempt to investigate the mechanism of the proton conductance in BM2 channel, as well as the drug resistance of the BM2 channel. The first experimental structure of the BM2 protein channel has recently been solved, enabling us to theoretically study BM2 systems with different protonation states of histidine. By performing molecular dynamics simulations on the BM2 systems with different protonation states of four His19 residues, we provided our understanding of the structure, dynamics, and drug resistance of the BM2 channel. In general, the results of our study and other investigations both have demonstrated that whether the BM2 channel adopts an open or a closed form depends on the protonation state of His19. Meanwhile, we discovered that a drug (amantadine) was unable to enter into the center of the BM2 channel even at a low pH condition probably due to the number of hydrophilic residues of the BM2 channel. Finally, potentials of mean force (PMF) calculations were performed for the drug binding BM2 channel, energetically explaining why the BM2 channel exhibited drug resistance to two inhibitors of the AM2 channel, amantadine and rimantadine

Bridging the g‑C₃N₄ Interlayers for Enhanced Photocatalysis

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has been widely investigated and applied in photocatalysis and catalysis, but its performance is still unsatisfactory. Here, we demonstrated that K-doped g-C₃N₄ with a unique electronic structure possessed highly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance for NO removal, which was superior to Na-doped g-C₃N₄. DFT calculations revealed that K or Na doping can narrow the bandgap of g-C₃N₄. K atoms, intercalated into the g-C₃N₄ interlayer via bridging the layers, could decrease the electronic localization and extend the π conjugated system, whereas Na atoms tended to be doped into the CN planes and increased the in-planar electron density. On the basis of theoretical calculation results, we synthesized K-doped g-C₃N₄ and Na-doped g-C₃N₄ by a facile thermal polymerization method. Consistent with the theoretical prediction, it was found that K was intercalated into the space between the g-C₃N₄ layers. The K-intercalated g-C₃N₄ sample showed increased visible-light absorption, efficient separation of charge carriers, and strong oxidation capability, benefiting from the narrowed band gap, extended π conjugated systems, and positive-shifted valence band position, respectively. Despite that the Na-doped g-C₃N₄ exhibited narrowed bandgap, the high recombination rate of carriers resulted in the reduced photocatalytic performance. Our discovery provides a promising route to manipulate the photocatalytic activity simply by introducing K atoms in the interlayer and gains a deep understanding of doping chemistry with congeners. The present work could provide new insights into the mechanistic understanding and the design of electronically optimized layered photocatalysts for enhanced solar energy conversion

DataSheet_1_Metabolic profiling of synovial fluid in human temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.docx

IntroductionTemporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA) is a common TMJ degenerative disease with an unclear mechanism. Synovial fluid (SF), an important component of TMJ, contains various proteins and metabolites that may directly contribute to OA. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of SF in TMJOA at the metabolite level.MethodsUntargeted and widely targeted metabolic profiling were employed to identify metabolic changes in SF of 90 patients with different TMJOA grades according to TMJ magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsA total 1498 metabolites were detected. Most of the metabolites were amino acids and associated metabolites, benzene and substituted derivatives, and lipids. Among patients with mild, moderate and severe TMJOA, 164 gradually increasing and 176 gradually decreasing metabolites were identified, indicating that biosynthesis of cofactors, choline metabolism, mineral absorption and selenocompound metabolism are closely related to TMJOA grade. Combined metabolomics and clinical examination revealed 37 upregulated metabolites and 16 downregulated metabolites in patients with pain, of which 19 and 26 metabolites were positively and negatively correlated, respectively, with maximum interincisal opening. A model was constructed to diagnose TMJOA grade and nine biomarkers were identified. The identified metabolites are key to exploring the mechanism of TMJOA.DiscussionIn the present study, a metabolic profile was constructed and assessed using a much larger number of human SF samples from patients with TMJOA, and a model was established to contribute to the diagnosis of TMJOA grade. The findings expand our knowledge of metabolites in human SF of TMJOA patients, and provide an important basis for further research on the pathogenesis and treatment of TMJOA.</p