Nonprofit contracting and partnership in elderly care : a comparison between China and the Netherlands

This paper offers an empirical account of the engagement and success of nonprofits in contracting for elderly care in China and the Netherlands as two contrasting contexts. While contracting as an innovation demonstrates a state-centered approach in China, its Dutch counterpart has sought a balance between state and professional influences. The paper argues that public sector reforms, civil society development and social regulation support schemes contextualize the engagement and success of nonprofits in contracting for elderly care. Surveys among the managers of 176 elderly care organizations in Shanghai and 70 elderly care organizations in the Netherlands shows that the fundamental elements of nonprofit contracting in elderly care are strikingly similar between both contexts, although their manifestation is shaped by each specific institutional context.Peer reviewe

Gapped Topological Kink States and Topological Corner States in Graphene

Based on the tight-binding model calculations and photonic experimental visualization on graphene, we report the domain-wall-induced gapped topological kink states and topological corner states. In graphene, domain walls with gapless topological kink states could be induced either by sublattice symmetry breaking or by lattice deformation. We find that the coexistence of these two mechanisms will induce domain walls with gapped topological kink states. Significantly, the intersection of these two types of domain wall gives rise to topological corner state localized at the crossing point. Through the manipulation of domain walls, we show graphene not only a versatile platform supporting multiple topological corner modes in a controlled manner, but also possessing promising applications such as fabricating topological quantum dots composed of gapped topological kink states and topological corner states.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, supplementary includ

Antifungal Activity of Coumarin Against Candida albicans Is Related to Apoptosis

Coumarin (1,2-benzopyrone), an aromatic oxygen-containing heterocyclic compound, has various biological functions. Previous studies have demonstrated that coumarin and its derivatives exhibit antifungal activity against Candida albicans. In this study, we investigated the exact mechanism by which coumarin works against this fungus using Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining, TUNEL assay, and DAPI staining, and found that it induced a series of apoptotic features, including phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, DNA fragmentation, and nuclear condensation. Moreover, it also induced cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm and metacaspase activation. Further study revealed that intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were increased and mitochondrial functions, such as mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial morphology, were altered after treatment with coumarin. Cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca2+ levels were also found to be elevated. However, pretreatment with ruthenium red (RR), a known mitochondrial Ca2+ channel inhibitor, attenuated coumarin-mediated DNA fragmentation and metacaspase activity, indicating that the coumarin-induced C. albicans apoptosis is associated with mitochondrial Ca2+ influx. Finally, coumarin was found to be low-toxic and effective in prolonging the survival of C. albicans-infected mice. This study highlights the antifungal activity and mechanism of coumarin against C. albicans and provides a potential treatment strategy for C. albicans infection

Adaptation and validation of the chronic illness-related shame scale among patients with knee osteoarthritis in Singapore

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most common and disabling conditions worldwide. A neglected aspect of knee OA is its psychosocial impact, such as shame. However, assessment tools to measure shame among patients diagnosed with knee OA are lacking. In this study, the psychometric properties of the Chronic Illness-related Shame Scale (CISS) were evaluated among knee OA patients in Singapore. Methods Adaptations were made to CISS for use among the knee OA population. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to analyze the factor structure. Cronbach’s Alpha and corrected item-total correlations were used to evaluate the internal consistency. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to test the correlation between CISS and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) to determine the validity of the instrument. Results The EFA yielded a one-factor structure, with an eigenvalue of 4.78 explaining 68.25% of variance. Cronbach Alpha was 0.92, which indicated good internal consistency. The Spearman correlation revealed a significant correlation between CISS and PHQ-4. Conclusions The adapted CISS is a valid and reliable instrument to measure shame for knee OA patients. Both research and clinical settings can benefit from the use of the adapted CISS for assessing shame among knee OA patients

Phenolic Composition, Antioxidant Properties, and Inhibition toward Digestive Enzymes with Molecular Docking Analysis of Different Fractions from <i>Prinsepia utilis</i> Royle Fruits

The present study investigated the phenolic profiles and antioxidant properties of different fractions from Prinsepia utilis Royle fruits using molecular docking analysis to delineate their inhibition toward digestive enzymes. A total of 20 phenolics was identified and quantified. Rutin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, and isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside were the major phenolic compounds in the total phenolic fraction and flavonoid-rich fraction. The anthocyanin-rich fraction mainly contained cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside. All of the fractions exhibited strong radical scavenging activities and good inhibition on cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in H2O2-induced HepG2 cells, as evaluated by DPPH and 2,2&#8242;-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Moreover, the powerful inhibitory effects of those fractions against pancreatic lipase and &#945;-glucosidase were observed. The major phenolic compounds that were found in the three fractions also showed good digestive enzyme inhibitory activities in a dose-dependent manner. Molecular docking analysis revealed the underlying inhibition mechanisms of those phenolic standards against digestive enzymes, and the theoretical analysis data were consistent with the experimental results

Effects of Hot-Water Extract from Vine Tea (Ampelopsis grossedentata) on Acrylamide Formation, Quality and Consumer Acceptability of Bread

Acrylamide is a harmful substance that could be inhibited by natural products. Vine tea is an edible herb belonging to the Vitaceae family and has been approved by Chinese authorities as a new food ingredient in 2013. However, the effects of vine tea extract on acrylamide formation and bread quality are rarely investigated. In this study, the polyphenol composition of hot-water extract from vine tea was characterized by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-HRMS/MS), and its effects on acrylamide formation, quality, and consumer acceptability of bread were investigated. Vine tea extract and its main polyphenol, dihydromyricetin, significantly inhibited the acrylamide formation in bread, especially the low dose of vine tea extract (1.25 g/kg), which decreased the acrylamide formation by 58.23%. The color and texture of bread were significantly affected by vine tea extract or dihydromyricetin, whereas the moisture content was not changed remarkably. Triangle and paired preference tests indicated that, although the aroma, appearance, and taste of the bread with vine tea extract significantly differ from those of the control bread, vine tea extract did not significantly affect the consumer acceptability. In conclusion, the addition of vine tea extract could be used to develop a new and healthy bread product with low acrylamide content

Dietary Flavonoids Alleviate Inflammation and Vascular Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction Induced by Advanced Glycation End Products In Vitro

The aim of this study was to compare the protective effects of three dietary flavonoids (apigenin-7-O-glucoside (A7G), isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside (I3R), and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G)) on advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced inflammation and vascular endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms of varied effects of those three dietary flavonoids were analyzed by molecular docking analysis. Results showed that C3G (40 &mu;M) achieved the best inhibition on inflammatory cytokines (TNF-&alpha;, IL-1&beta;, and IL-6) in AGEs-induced RAW264.7 cells, followed by I3R, and A7G was the weakest. The molecular docking results also showed that C3G exhibited the closest binding with the receptor for AGE. However, I3R (40 &mu;M) demonstrated the best effect in improving endothelial dysfunction in AGEs-induced EA.hy926 cells, followed by C3G, and A7G was the weakest, as evidenced by the molecular docking results of flavonoids with profilin-1. This work may provide knowledge and helpful suggestions regarding the benefits of dietary flavonoids in diabetic vascular complications

Assessment of Grassland Degradation on the Tibetan Plateau Based on Multi-Source Data

Grassland is one of the most widely distributed ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) accounting for about 60% of the total area. The grassland degradation has spread throughout the TP, and the scope and degree are increasing. The inconsistency of multi-source data poses a great challenge to accurately obtaining information about grassland degradation on the TP. This study used five land cover products and six vegetation indexes to analyze the spatial-temporal change in grassland area and quality at the pixel level across the TP from 2000 to 2020. Then, 279 observed grassland degradation points that were collected from 86 published papers were used to verify the grassland degradation information. The grassland fusion product demonstrated that the grassland area increased by 8.84% from 2000 to 2020, and the rate of grassland degradation exceeded the rate of grassland greening during 2010–2020. The superimposed six vegetation indexes showed that 25.88% of the grassland quality has been degraded on the TP from 2000 to 2020. In Changdu City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Rikaze City, Shannan City and Nagqu City, the grassland quality degraded by more than in 20% and the degraded grassland area exceeded 2000 km2. The observed grassland degradation points were mainly distributed in the northeastern and central parts of the TP. The consistency of six vegetation indexes with the observed grassland degradation points on the TP was 56.63%, with solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) being more effective than other vegetation indexes for monitoring grassland degradation on the TP. In general, the degradation of grassland on the TP has been a looming problem in recent decades