Shared and Distinct Neural Bases of Large- and Small-Scale Spatial Ability: A Coordinate-Based Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis

Background: Spatial ability is vital for human survival and development. However, the relationship between large-scale and small-scale spatial ability remains poorly understood. To address this issue from a novel perspective, we performed an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies to determine the shared and distinct neural bases of these two forms of spatial ability.Methods: We searched Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar for studies regarding “spatial ability” published within the last 20 years (January 1988 through June 2018). A final total of 103 studies (Table 1) involving 2,085 participants (male = 1,116) and 2,586 foci were incorporated into the meta-analysis.Results: Large-scale spatial ability was associated with activation in the limbic lobe, posterior lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, right anterior lobe, frontal lobe, and right sub-lobar area. Small-scale spatial ability was associated with activation in the parietal lobe, occipital lobe, frontal lobe, right posterior lobe, and left sub-lobar area. Furthermore, conjunction analysis revealed overlapping regions in the sub-gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal lobule, right middle occipital gyrus, right superior occipital gyrus, left inferior occipital gyrus, and precuneus. The contrast analysis demonstrated that the parahippocampal gyrus, left lingual gyrus, culmen, right middle temporal gyrus, left declive, left superior occipital gyrus, and right lentiform nucleus were more strongly activated during large-scale spatial tasks. In contrast, the precuneus, right inferior frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, left supramarginal gyrus, left superior parietal lobule, right inferior occipital gyrus, and left middle frontal gyrus were more strongly activated during small-scale spatial tasks. Our results further indicated that there is no absolute difference in the cognitive strategies associated with the two forms of spatial ability (egocentric/allocentric).Conclusion: The results of the present study verify and expand upon the theoretical model of spatial ability proposed by Hegarty et al. Our analysis revealed a shared neural basis between large- and small-scale spatial abilities, as well as specific yet independent neural bases underlying each. Based on these findings, we proposed a more comprehensive version of the behavioral model

Rapid and sensitive determination of Se and heavy metals in foods using electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with a novel transportation system

Rapid, sensitive and simultaneous determination of trace multi-elements in various plant food samples such as grain, oilseed, vegetable and tea is always a challenge thus far. In this work, a rapid determination method for Se, Cd, As and Pb in food samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) using slurry sampling electrothermal vaporization (SS-ETV) was developed. To improve the analytical sensitivity and precision as well as eliminate the memory effect, a gas turbulator line and signal delay device (SDD) were for the first time designed for the graphite furnace (GF) ETV coupled with ICP-MS. The signal acquisition parameters of ICP-MS, ashing and vaporization conditions, and the flow rates of carrier gas and gas turbulator were investigated for Se, Cd, As and Pb in food samples. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of determination (LODs) for Se, Cd, As and Pb were 0.5 ng g−1, 0.3 ng g−1, 0.3 ng g−1 and 0.6 ng g−1, respectively; the limits of quantification (LOQs) for Se, Cd, As and Pb were 1.7 ng g−1, 1.0 ng g−1, 1.0 ng g−1 and 1.9 ng g−1, respectively; linearity (R2) in the range of 1 to 4,000 ng g−1 was >0.999 using the standard addition method. This method was used to analyze 5 CRMs including rice, tea and soybeans, and the concentrations detected by this method were within the range of the certified values. The recoveries of Se, Cd, As and Pb in plant food matrices including grain, oilseed, celery, spinach, carrot and tea samples were 86–118% compared to the microwave digestion ICP-MS method; and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 1.2–8.9% for real food sample analysis, proving a good precision and accuracy for the simultaneous determination of multi-elements. The analysis time was less than 3 min, slurry preparation time < 5 min without sample digestion process. The proposed direct slurry sampling ICP-MS method is thus suitable for rapid and sensitive determination of Se, Cd, As and Pb in food samples with advantages such as simplicity, green and safety, as well as with a promising application potential in detecting more elements to protect food safety and human health

Quasi-freestanding epitaxial silicene on Ag(111) by oxygen intercalation

Silicene is a monolayer allotrope of silicon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure with massless Dirac fermion characteristics similar to graphene. It merits development of silicon-based multifunctional nanoelectronic and spintronic devices operated at room temperature because of strong spin-orbit coupling. Nevertheless, until now, silicene could only be epitaxially grown on conductive substrates. The strong silicene-substrate interaction may depress its superior electronic properties. We report a quasi-freestanding silicene layer that has been successfully obtained through oxidization of bilayer silicene on the Ag(111) surface. The oxygen atoms intercalate into the underlayer of silicene, resulting in isolation of the top layer of silicene from the substrate. In consequence, the top layer of silicene exhibits the signature of a 1 x 1 honeycomb lattice and hosts massless Dirac fermions because of much less interaction with the substrate. Furthermore, the oxidized silicon buffer layer is expected to serve as an ideal dielectric layer for electric gating in electronic devices. These findings are relevant for the future design and application of silicene-based nanoelectronic and spintronic devices

Mom, dad, put down your phone and talk to me: how parental phubbing influences problematic internet use among adolescents

Abstract Background The positive association of parental phubbing with internalising and externalising problems among adolescents has gained academic traction. To date, limited research has investigated the association of parental phubbing and adolescents’ Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Furthermore, the mechanism underlying this association is largely unknown. These gaps limit our understanding of family-related issues affecting PIU among adolescents. The present study explores whether there is a relation between parental phubbing and PIU and investigates the mechanisms underlying this relation among adolescents. Methods The participants were 495 junior high schoolers aged 11–15 years. Participants completed questionnaires on their experiences with PIU, parental phubbing, parent–child relationships, and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Results The results showed a direct and indirect positive association between parental phubbing and PIU. Furthermore, parental phubbing indirectly influenced PIU and was mediated by the parent–child relationship and basic psychological needs satisfaction, respectively. Moreover, the parent–child relationship and basic psychological needs satisfaction were sequentially mediated. Conclusions Our study highlights the crucial role of parents in the development of adolescent PIU and provides theoretical and practical guidelines for PIU prevention and intervention

The Role of Work Engagement in the Association between Psychological Capital and Safety Citizenship Behavior in Coal Miners: A Mediation Analysis

With the development of science and technology and the increasing importance attached by to these domains by the state and government departments in recent years, China’s coal production and safety supervision level continue to increase. However, the prevalence of frequent coal mine safety accidents has not been effectively curbed. The main purpose of this study was to explore the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between psychological capital and safety citizenship behavior among Chinese coal miners. Data for 317 coal miners were collected from five coal and energy enterprises. The Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), the Job Engagement Scale (JES), and the Safety Citizenship Behavior Scale (SCBS) were used to evaluate the coal miners’ psychological capital, work engagement, and safety citizenship behavior. The causal steps approach and bootstrap Method were used in this study to assess the proposed mediation models. A correlation analysis indicated that psychological capital, work engagement, and safety citizenship behavior were significantly correlated with each other. Furthermore, the mediation analysis showed that work engagement mediated the relationship between psychological capital and safety citizenship behavior. Psychological capital does not only have a direct impact on coal miners’ safety citizenship behavior, but it also has an indirect impact on coal miners’ safety citizenship behavior via work engagement. Therefore, effectively enhancing an individual’s psychological capital and work engagement may be a basic factor determining coal miners’ safety citizenship behavior, which further promotes safety production within the enterprise

Fast and Sensitive Determination of Cadmium and Selenium in Rice by Direct Sampling Electrothermal Vaporization Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

In this work, a direct solid sampling device based on modified graphite furnace electrothermal vaporization (GF-ETV) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was established for the simultaneous detection of trace selenium and cadmium in rice samples. A bypass gas was first designed in GF-ETV to improve the device’s analytical sensitivity and precision. The ashing and vaporization conditions, the flow rates of the Ar carrier and the bypass gases of ICP-MS were all investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) for Se and Cd were 0.5 μg kg−1 and 0.16 μg kg−1, respectively; the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of repeated measurements were within 8% (n = 6). The recoveries of Cd and Se in rice samples were in the range of 89–112% compared with the microwave digestion ICP-MS method, indicating good accuracy and precision for the simultaneous detection of Se and Cd in rice matrix. The whole analysis time is <3 min without the sample digestion process, fulfilling the fast detection of Se and Cd in rice samples to protect food safety

Radiation stability and radiolysis mechanism of hydroxyurea in HNO3 solution: Alpha, beta, and gamma irradiations

Hydroxyurea (HU) is a novel salt-free reductant used potentially for the separation of U/Pu in the advanced PUREX process. In this work, the radiation stability of HU were systematically investigated in solution by examining the effects of the type of rays (α, β, and γ irradiations), the absorbed dose (10–50 kGy), and the HNO3 concentration (0–3 mol L−1). The influence degree on HU radiolysis rates followed the order of the absorbed dose > the ray type > the HNO3 concentration, but the latter two had moderate effects on HU radiolysis products where NH4+ and NO2− were found to be the most abundant ones, suggesting that the differences of α, β, and γ rays should be considered in the study of irradiation effects. The radiolysis mechanism was explored using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and it proposed the dominant radiolysis paths of HU, indicating that the radiolysis of HU was mainly a free radical reaction among ·H, eaq–, H2O, intermediates, and the radiolytic free radical fragments of HU. The results reported here provide valuable insights into the mechanistic understanding of HU radiolysis under α, β, and γ irradiations and reliable data support for the application of HU in the reprocessing of spent fuel