Trust, Reciprocity, and Guanxi in China: An Experimental Investigation

We examine the influence of social distance on levels of trust and reciprocity in China. Social distance, reflected in the indigenous concept of guanxi, is of central importance to Chinese culture. In Study 1, some participants participated in two financially salient trust games to measure behavior, one with an anonymous classmate and the other with an anonymous, demographically identical nonclassmate. Other participants, drawn from the same population, completed hypothetical surveys to gauge both hypothetical behavior and expectations of others. Social distance effects on actual and hypothetical behavior were statistically consistent. The results together corroborated the hypothesized negative relationship between trust and social distance. However, reciprocity was not responsive to social distance. Study 2 found that affect-based trust, but not cognition-based trust, played a mediating role in the relationship between social distance and interpersonal trust in a hypothetical scenario. We conclude that close guanxi ties in China engender affect-based trust, which is extended to shouren classmates. This is true despite the fact that no more cognition-based trust is placed nor reciprocity received or expected from classmates compared to demographically identical shengren nonclassmates.Experiment; Affect-based Trust; China; Guanxi; Reciprocity; Trust; Social Distance

VISIBLE LIGHT CURING OF FIBER-REINFORCED IMPACT-RESISTANT COMPOSITES

Visible light curing technology was used to fabricate fiber-reinforced polymer composites. This project started with designing and constructing a visible light curing unit – a multi-LED array and investigating its optical characteristics. Visible light curable formulations were developed and studied using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to optimize curing efficiency as well as to validate the feasibility of curing through a thick laminate. A third study was conducted to develop test methods and evaluate the impact resistance of visible light cured fiber-reinforced 1/2-inch-thick ballistic panels and 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch-thick storm panels. The results showed a great success in using visible light to cure thick laminated composites. In addition, the visible light cured composites have demonstrated comparable impact strength with commercial ballistic panels

MiR-574-5p Activates Human TLR8 to Promote Autoimmune Signaling and Lupus

Endosomal single-stranded RNA-sensing Toll-like receptor-7/8 (TLR7/8) plays a pivotal role in inflammation and immune responses and autoimmune diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying the initiation of the TLR7/8-mediated autoimmune signaling remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that miR-574-5p is aberrantly upregulated in tissues of lupus prone mice and in the plasma of lupus patients, with its expression levels correlating with the disease activity. miR-574-5p binds to and activates human hTLR8 or its murine ortholog mTlr7 to elicit a series of MyD88-dependent immune and inflammatory responses. These responses include the overproduction of cytokines and interferons, the activation of STAT1 signaling and B lymphocytes, and the production of autoantigens. In a transgenic mouse model, the induction of miR-574-5p overexpression is associated with increased secretion of antinuclear and anti-dsDNA antibodies, increased IgG and C3 deposit in the kidney, elevated expression of inflammatory genes in the spleen. In lupus-prone mice, lentivirus-mediated silencing of miR-574-5p significantly ameliorates major symptoms associated with lupus and lupus nephritis. Collectively, these results suggest that the miR-574-5p-hTLR8/mTlr7 signaling is an important axis of immune and inflammatory responses, contributing significantly to the development of lupus and lupus nephritis

Exposure to arsenic during pregnancy and newborn mitochondrial DNA copy number: A birth cohort study in Wuhan, China

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in Chemosphere on 11/11/2019, available online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653519325755?via%3Dihub The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Background: Arsenic (As) is a widely distributed environmental chemical with potentially different toxicities. However, little is known about the impact of maternal As exposure on newborn mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn), which may lie on the pathway linking As exposure to adverse health impacts. Objectives: We aimed to explore whether maternal As exposure was associated with newborn mtDNAcn. Methods: We conducted a birth cohort study of 762 mother-infant pairs in Wuhan, China, 2013-2015. Cord blood mtDNAcn was determined using qPCR. Maternal urinary As levels in each trimester were quantified by ICP-MS. Multiple informant models were used to examine the associations of repeated urinary As levels with cord blood mtDNAcn. Results: The median urinary As levels in the first, second, and third trimesters were 17.2 g/L, 16.0 g/L and 17.0 g/L respectively. In the multivariate model, each doubling increase in the first-trimester urinary As level was associated with a 6.6% (95% CI: -12.4%, -0.5%) decrease in cord blood mtDNAcn. The highest versus lowest quintile of first-trimester urinary As level was related to a 19.0% (95% CI: -32.9%, -2.2%) lower cord blood mtDNAcn. There was significant association of urinary As levels in the second and third trimesters with cord blood mtDNAcn. The inverse relationship between first-trimester urinary As level and cord blood mtDNAcn was more pronounced among female infants. Conclusions: First-trimester As exposure was associated with decreased cord blood mtDNAcn. The potential health impacts of decreased mtDNAcn in early life need to be further clarified

The Microbiome Protocols eBook initiative: Building a bridge to microbiome research

The Microbiome Protocols eBook (MPB) serves as a crucial bridge, filling gaps in microbiome protocols for both wet experiments and data analysis. The first edition, launched in 2020, featured 152 meticulously curated protocols, garnering widespread acclaim. We now extend a sincere invitation to researchers to participate in the upcoming 2nd version of MPB, contributing their valuable protocols to advance microbiome research

Alterations in brain structure and function associated with pediatric growth hormone deficiency: A multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging study

IntroductionPediatric growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a disease resulting from impaired growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis but the effects of GHD on children’s cognitive function, brain structure and brain function were not yet fully illustrated.MethodsFull Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children, structural imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were assessed in 11 children with GHD and 10 matched healthy controls.Results(1) The GHD group showed moderate cognitive impairment, and a positive correlation existed between IGF-1 levels and cognitive indices. (2) Mean diffusivity was significantly increased in both corticospinal tracts in GHD group. (3) There were significant positive correlations between IGF-1 levels and volume metrics of left thalamus, left pallidum and right putamen but a negative correlation between IGF-1 levels and cortical thickness of the occipital lobe. And IGF-1 levels negatively correlated with fractional anisotropy in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and right corticospinal tract. (4) Regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the left hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus was negatively correlated with IGF-1 levels; the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and ReHo in the paracentral lobe, postcentral gyrus and precentral gyrus were also negatively correlated with IGF-1 levels, in which region ALFF fully mediates the effect of IGF-1 on working memory index.ConclusionMultiple subcortical, cortical structures, and regional neural activities might be influenced by serum IGF-1 levels. Thereinto, ALFF in the paracentral lobe, postcentral gyrus and precentral gyrus fully mediates the effect of IGF-1 on the working memory index

Phenotypic expansion in DDX3X - a common cause of intellectual disability in females

De novo variants in DDX3X account for 1-3% of unexplained intellectual disability (ID) cases and are amongst the most common causes of ID especially in females. Forty-seven patients (44 females, 3 males) have been described. We identified 31 additional individuals carrying 29 unique DDX3X variants, including 30 postnatal individuals with complex clinical presentations of developmental delay or ID, and one fetus with abnormal ultrasound findings. Rare or novel phenotypes observed include respiratory problems, congenital heart disease, skeletal muscle mitochondrial DNA depletion, and late-onset neurologic decline. Our findings expand the spectrum of DNA variants and phenotypes associated with DDX3X disorders

TRUST, RECIPROCITY AND SOCIAL DISTANCE IN CHINA: AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

We investigate the effects of social distance on both actual trusting and reciprocity behavior and beliefs about such behavior. Some participants participated in two financially salient trust games to measure behavior, one with a classmate and the other with a student who was a stranger, while others drawn from the same population completed hypothetical surveys to gauge beliefs and intentions. Actual behavior and beliefs about both one’s own and others’ behavior were statistically indistinguishable. The results together corroborated the expected negative relationship between trust and social distance. However, reciprocity, while proportional to trust, was not responsive to social distance.Trust, reciprocity, guanxi, China, behavioral decision-making, social distance, belief.