Probe on Rupture Theory of Soft-Matter Quasicrystals

In this chapter, a probe on an important aspect, rupture theory of soft matter, is discussed, in which the soft matter and soft-matter quasicrystals are introduced at first. Then, we discuss the behaviour of the matter. For the soft-matter quasicrystals, there are basic equations describing their dynamics; due to the work of the second author of this chapter, this provides a fundamental for studying the rupture feature quantitatively. For general soft matter, there are no such equations so far, whose rupture theory quantitatively is not available at moment. The discussion on the soft-matter quasicrystals may provide a reference for other branches of soft matter

Comparison of form-deprived myopia and lens-induced myopia in guinea pigs

<b>AIM:</b> To study the efficacy difference between form-deprived myopia (FDM) and lens-induced myopia (LIM), the degree of myopia, axial length and pathological changes of the posterior sclera from guinea pigs were evaluated.<b>METHODS:</b> Four-week pigmented guinea pigs were randomly assigned into 3 groups, including normal control (<i>n</i>=6), FDM group with monocular cover (<i>n</i>=11) and LIM group with monocular -7D lens treatment (<i>n</i>=11). FDM group was form-deprived while LIM group was lens-induced for 14 d. Refractive error and axial length were measured prior to and post treatment, respectively. Morphological changes of sclera were examined using both light and electronic microscopes.<b>RESULTS:</b> After 14d treatment, refractive errors for FDM group and LIM group were -3.05±0.71D and -2.12±1.29D, respectively, which were significantly more myopic than that of normal controls and fellow control eyes (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01). As for axial length, it was 7.93±0.03 mm for FDM group and 7.89±0.06 mm for LIM group, which were significantly longer than both normal and fellow controls (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01). With respect to both refractory error and axial length, the differences between FDM group and LIM group were not significant (<i>P</i>&gt;0.05). Under light microscope, both FDM group and LIM group showed thinned sclera, disarrangement of fibrosis and enlarged disassociation between fibers. Consistently, ultrastructural examination showed degenerated fibroblasts and thinned fibers in posterior sclera.<b>CONCLUSION:</b>Following two weeks of myopia induction in guinea pigs, with regard to the degree of myopia, axial length and pathological alterations, there was no significant difference between FDM and LIM models. Therefore, FDM and LIM are equally effective and useful as a model of experimental myopia and guinea pigs are ideal animals for induction of experimental myopia because their high sensitivity to both form-deprivation and lens-induction

Hybridized surface plasmon polaritons at an interface between a metal and a uniaxial crystal

The surface plasmonpolariton (SPP) at an interface between a metal and a uniaxial crystal is studied. A new class of hybridized SPP found in this work is quite different from the traditional SPP at the interface between a metal and an isotropic dielectric. In contrast to the two evanescent fields for the traditional SPP, the hybridized SPP involves four evanescent fields: transverse-electric-like and transverse-magnetic-like waves in the metal, and ordinary-light-like and extraordinary-light-like waves in the uniaxial crystal. The necessary conditions and the regimes for the existence of the hybridized SPP are presented. Some potential applications are also discussed.This work is supported in part by NSFC under Grant No. 10325417, by the State Key Program for Basic Research of China under Grant No. 2006CB921805, and by the 111 Project under Grant No. B07026

Effects of painful stimulation and acupuncture on attention networks in healthy subjects

Pain is a subjective sensory and emotional experience, and it has been reported that many different brain regions are regulated by pain, and that pain can impact attention. Acupuncture is an important treatment component of Chinese traditional medicine, and has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide variety of conditions. Although several studies have shown that acupuncture improves consciousness, the precise impact of both acupuncture and painful stimulation on attention is unclear. Are all of the attention networks modulated, or do these stimuli act on a specific network? Is the effect of painful stimulation similar to that of acupuncture? We administered the attention network test to 30 participants (15 males) to investigate the relative efficiencies of three independent attention networks (alerting, orienting, and executive control networks) under three conditions: baseline, after painful stimulation, and after acupuncture. The degree of pain experienced was assessed on a horizontally oriented visual analogue scale. The results showed that painful stimulation and acupuncture had similar effects on the orienting and executive control networks; however, there was a significantly different effect between the three conditions on the alerting network. In conclusion, (1) painful stimulation can selectively impact attention; (2) acupuncture can also selectively impact attention; i.e., both have selective influences on the alerting and executive control networks, but not on the orienting network; (3) the effects of acupuncture and painful stimulation are not identical. The mechanisms by which painful stimulation and acupuncture influence attention warrant further research

Metabolism of Salvianolic Acid A and Antioxidant Activities of Its Methylated Metabolites

ABSTRACT This study investigated the metabolism of salvianolic acid A (SAA) both in vivo and in vitro. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of drug-containing rat bile samples and bile samples hydrolyzed by glucuronidase revealed a series of methylated conjugates of SAA and its glucuronides, as well as the predominance of the methylation pathway of SAA in rats. For the first time, four major methylated metabolites present in vivo were prepared for structure characterization and bioactivity evaluation using in vitro coincubation systems with rat hepatic cytosol protein as the enzyme donor. By using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and other spectroscopic methods, these metabolites were unambiguously elucidated as 3-O-methyl-SAA (M1), 39-O-methyl-SAA (M2), 3,30-O-dimethyl-SAA (M3), and 39,30-O-dimethyl-SAA (M4), respectively. Along with results from the enzyme inhibition study, selective formation of these meta-O-methylated derivatives indicated that catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) is responsible for methylated transformation of SAA. All of these metabolites displayed fairly high antioxidant potency against in vitro rat liver lipid peroxidation with halfmaximal inhibitory concentrations that were much lower than those of the positive controls and even SAA. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate that SAA is a metabolically unstable compound that undergoes rapid methylation metabolism catalyzed by COMT, and these generated O-methylated metabolites may be largely responsible for its in vivo pharmacological effects

Empathy and bystander helping behavior in cyberbullying among adolescents: the mediating role of internet moral judgment and the moderating role of internet self-efficacy

IntroductionCyberbullying poses a significant challenge among adolescents. If bystanders stand up and help victims, their helping behavior may be able to reduce the frequency and negative impact of cyberbullying. This study investigates the association of empathy, internet moral judgment, and internet self-efficacy with bystander helping behavior among adolescents, building upon the empathy-altruism hypothesis, bystander intervention model, and dual-process model of morality.MethodsA sample of 919 Chinese adolescents from 3 schools in Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces completed the Basic Empathy Scale, Internet Moral Judgment Questionnaire, Internet Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and Styles of Bystander Intervention Scale. And we constructed a moderated mediation model to examine the relationship between empathy and bystander helping behavior in cyberbullying and assessed the mediating role of internet moral judgment and the moderating role of internet self-efficacy.ResultsOur findings revealed a significant positive correlation between empathy and bystander helping behavior in cyberbullying. Internet moral judgment mediated the relationship between empathy and helping behavior, whereas internet self-efficacy moderated the latter half of the mediation pathway. Specifically, the association between internet moral judgment and helping behavior was stronger for bystanders with higher levels of internet self-efficacy compared with those that have lower levels.DiscussionThese results further deepen our understanding of the mechanisms involved in bystander helping behavior in cyberbullying, thus providing a basis for future interventions to encourage more helping actions from bystanders during cyberbullying incidents