The relationship between work–family conflict and job satisfaction for preschool teachers in rural China: a moderated mediation model

BackgroundJob satisfaction for preschool teachers in rural areas has an important impact on their professional development, physical and mental health, and the development of preschool education. However, few studies have explored the factors that influence rural preschool teachers’ job satisfaction.PurposeThis study aims to examine the influence of rural preschool teachers’ work–family conflict on their job satisfaction, and the mediating effect of occupational identity, the moderating effect of social support.MethodParticipants included 3,065 rural preschool teachers from Zhejiang Province in mainland China. Teachers completed questionnaires on work–family conflict, occupational identity, job satisfaction, and social support. The correlation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using SPSS PROCESS.Results(1) work–family conflict is associated with poorer job satisfaction in preschool teachers; (2) occupational identity mediates the relationship between work–family conflict and job satisfaction; and (3) a high level of social support alleviates the negative influence of work–family conflict on job satisfaction and promotes the positive effect of occupational identity on job satisfaction.ConclusionThe study revealed the negative impact of work–family conflict on preschool teachers’ job satisfaction, and the protecting effect of social support, which has important implications for improving teachers’ future job satisfaction

Erythritol attenuates postprandial blood glucose by inhibiting α-glucosidase

This work was supported by grants from Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai (No. 2016-ZJ-942Q), West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. Y629071211), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31701243), International Cooperative Projects of Qinghai province (No. 2017-HZ-811), Project of Discovery, Evaluation and Transformation of Active Natural Compounds, Strategic Biological Resources Service Network Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. ZSTH-027), Major Special Science and Technology Projects in Qinghai Province (2014-GX-A3A-01).Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious metabolic disorder where impaired postprandial blood glucose regulation often leads to severe health complications. The natural chemical, erythritol is a C4 polyol approved by FDA for use as a sweetener. Here we examined a potential role for erythritol in the control of postprandial blood glucose levels in DM. An anti-postprandial hyperglycemia effect upon erythritol administration (500 mg kg-1) was demonstrated in alloxan-induced DM model mice by monitoring changes in blood glucose after intragastric administration of drugs and starch. We also found that erythritol most likely exerts its anti-postprandial hyperglycemic activities by inhibiting α-glucosidase in a competitive manner. This was supported by enzyme activity assays and molecular modelling experiments. In the latter experiments it was possible to successful dock erythritol into the catalytic pocket of α-glucosidase, with the resultant interaction likely to be driven by electrostatic interactions involving Asp 215, Asp69 and Arg446 residues. This study suggests that erythritol may not only serve as a glucose substitute but may also be a useful agent in the treatment of diabetes mellitus to help manage postprandial blood glucose levels.PostprintPeer reviewe

An improved damage-plasticity material model for concrete subjected to dynamic loading

Appropriate material model will provide more accurate predictions for the mechanical response and damage mode of concrete structures, and thus developing a material model that is more consistent with the dynamic behavior of concrete has an important significance to obtain better numerical results. In this paper, an improved damage-plasticity material model for concrete is presented to predict its mechanical response subjected to dynamic loading. Based on the current extent of damage, the failure strength surface is modified through linearly interpolating between the maximum and yield strength surfaces or the maximum and residual strength surfaces. The shear, compacted and tensile damage are separately defined, and a unified hardening/softening function associated with the shear and compacted damage is introduced as the prediction of strain hardening and softening behaviors under compression. The Lode angle effect is considered for describing the reduction of shear strength on the compressive meridian, and the strain rate effect is considered by the radial enhancement method. The calibration method of material parameters is suggested according to the existing experimental data and empirical equations. The feasibility and accuracy of this improved concrete model are verified by the single element validation, and its performance improvement is discussed by comparing with the popular material models for concrete. The experiments and numerical simulations of split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) are conducted for concrete and cement to further verify the validity and accuracy of this improved concrete model

On Mediation of Equipment Contract Dispute

The mediation is one of the basic ways to solve the equipment contract disputes. The mediation involves the good offices of a third party to facilitate the parties to the dispute to voluntarily reach a settlement agreement. The whole process of the equipment contract dispute settlement can be mediated. And the mediation of the equipment contract disputes should follow the principle of legality, seeking truth from facts and objectivity and justice

Effects of Coupling Treatment of Acid and Aluminum under Soilless Culture on Water Content of Ginkgo biloba L.

In this experiment, two-factor 7-level uniform design scheme was applied. Separate treatment of each factor was performed for single effect test. Then, it analyzed the effects of acid and aluminum stress under soilless culture on the water content of plant during the growth of Ginkgo biloba L. seedlings, so as to provide a theoretical basis for studying the connection between plant water and physiological stress. The results showed that the water content of G. biloba plants declined with the decrease of pH, but the water content of G. biloba plants declined with the increase in the concentration of aluminum treatment, indicating that the stronger the acid and aluminum stress, the lower the water content of the plants, affecting the normal absorption of water content of G. biloba plants, accordingly leading to lack of water. According to the analysis of the degree of influence on the water content, pH is the first factor influencing the growth of G. biloba plants. If pH is lower than 3.5, G. biloba plants will not growth, while pH is higher than 5.0, aluminum has no significant effect on the water content of G. biloba plants. In conclusion, the water content of G. biloba plants can be used as an essential indicator for acid and aluminum stress