Anthropomorphism of Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs): Antecedents and Consequences

Based on the distinctively anthropomorphic features of intelligent personal assistants (IPAs), this paper proposes a theoretical model to investigate the antecedents and consequences of IPA anthropomorphism based on three-factor theory. Specifically, it is hypothesized that anthropomorphic features of IPAs, which are synthesized speech quality, autonomy, sociability and personality, positively affect IPA anthropomorphism. Meanwhile IPA anthropomorphism influences IPA self-efficacy and social connection positively. IPA self-efficacy and social connection, in turn, are positively related to intention to explore IPAs. Scales will be developed and data will be collected through online survey. Then structural equation model (SEM) will be applied to validate the model

Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Emotional Well-Being during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak in China

We aimed to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 lock down on lifestyle in China during the initial stage of the pandemic. A questionnaire was distributed to Chinese adults living in 31 provinces of China via the internet using a snowball sampling strategy. Information on 7-day physical activity recall, screen time, and emotional state were collected between January 24 and February 2, 2020. ANOVA, χ² test, and Spearman's correlation coefficients were used for statistical analysis. 12,107 participants aged 18-80 years were included. During the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, nearly 60% of Chinese adults had inadequate physical activity (95% CI 56.6%-58.3%), which was more than twice the global prevalence (27.5%, 25.0%-32.2%). Their mean screen time was more than 4 hours per day while staying at home (261.3 ± 189.8 min per day), and the longest screen time was found in young adults (305.6 ± 217.5 min per day). We found a positive and significant correlation between provincial proportions of confirmed COVID-19 cases and negative affect scores (r = 0.501, p = 0.004). Individuals with vigorous physical activity appeared to have a better emotional state and less screen time than those with light physical activity. During this nationwide lockdown, more than half of Chinese adults temporarily adopted a sedentary lifestyle with insufficient physical activity, more screen time, and poor emotional state, which may carry considerable health risks. Promotion of home-based self-exercise can potentially help improve health and wellness.This study was funded by the National Key Technology R&D Program of China (2019YFF0301600),and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11775059 and 31900845)

Small RNA zippers lock miRNA molecules and block miRNA function in mammalian cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) loss-of-function phenotypes are mainly induced by chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides. Here we develop an alternative inhibitor for miRNAs, termed \u27small RNA zipper\u27. It is designed to connect miRNA molecules end to end, forming a DNA-RNA duplex through a complementary interaction with high affinity, high specificity and high stability. Two miRNAs, miR-221 and miR-17, are tested in human breast cancer cell lines, demonstrating the 70∼90% knockdown of miRNA levels by 30-50 nM small RNA zippers. The miR-221 zipper shows capability in rescuing the expression of target genes of miR-221 and reversing the oncogenic function of miR-221 in breast cancer cells. In addition, we demonstrate that the miR-221 zipper attenuates doxorubicin resistance with higher efficiency than anti-miR-221 in human breast cancer cells. Taken together, small RNA zippers are a miRNA inhibitor, which can be used to induce miRNA loss-of-function phenotypes and validate miRNA target genes

Effects of Enzymatic Hydrolysis on the Allergenicity of Whey Protein Concentrates

Cow’s milk whey consists of many protein components and some of them are antigens to human and known to modulate immune responses. Enzymatic hydrolysis is a useful method to modify proteins with allergenicity. The objective of this study was to identify whether the in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis could reduce the allergenicity of whey protein concentrates (WPC). In  this study, WPC were hydrolyzed by trypsin and twenty-four BALB/c mice were divided into three groups and fed with WPC formula and WPC hydrolysates formula, while the control mice received milk-free diet. The results revealed that there was no significant difference between the body weights among all groups. WPC-fed mice produced an elevated spleen lymphocyte proliferation level than WPC hydrolysates-fed mice and also produced higher levels of WPC-specific IgE in intestinal tract and serum in comparison to WPC hydrolysates-fed mice and control group. Significant up-regulation of plasma histamine levels were also observed and showed the same trend with IgE. The secretions of IL-4 and IL-5 were significantly enhanced by WPC. WPC significantly suppressed  the  secretion of  IFN-γ  while hydrolysates of  WPC significantly increased the secretion of IFN-γ compared to control group. These results suggest that hydrolysis may play a role to reduce the allergenicity of WPC

The Effect of Zhongyong Thinking on Remote Association Thinking: An EEG Study

The Doctrine of the Mean (zhongyong) introduced by Confucianism is not only an aspect of faith, but also a way of thinking for Chinese individuals. Zhongyong includes two thinking forms: eclectic thinking (ET; i.e., “neither-A-nor-B”) and integrated thinking (IT; i.e., “both-A-and-B”). Given the inclination of Asian individuals toward situational cognition, this study used questions about situations familiar to Chinese undergraduates to activate either ET or IT. This was done to investigate the effects of the two divergent thinking forms of zhongyong on performance levels on the Remote Associates Test (RAT). Both behavioral and EEG results found that participants in the IT condition demonstrated higher RAT scores than those in the ET condition. The conclusion was that the RAT and priming tasks shared the same neural mechanism. This meant that the priming tasks of IT allowed participants to enter a state of creative preparation in advance, further affecting resolution of the RAT

Functional Analysis of the Melanin-Associated Gene CmMR1 in Coniothyrium minitans

Coniothyrium minitans is a sclerotial parasite, which has been investigated for commercial control of crop diseases caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Previously, we obtained a T-DNA insertional mutant, ZS-1TN24363, which did not produce melanin during conidiation. To understand the function of melanin in C. minitans, we cloned the gene that was disrupted by the T-DNA insertion, and found that this gene, called CmMR1, encoded a putative protein of 1,011 amino acids, which is a homolog of the transcription factor MR. Full-length CmMR1 contains 3,167 bp, with three exons and two introns. To confirm that the disrupted gene is responsible for the melanin-deficiency of the mutant, CmMR1 was disrupted and three targeted knockout mutants were obtained. Biological assays showed that the phenotype of the targeted knockout mutants was similar to that of the T-DNA insertional mutant. Furthermore, gene complementation confirmed that CmMR1 is responsible for the mutant phenotype. CmMR1 disruption did not affect hyphal growth, conidiation, and parasitization of C. minitans, however, the ROS accumulation increased and tolerance to UV light decreased significantly in the mutants. Our result may enhance the understanding of melanin in the ecology of C. minitans on molecular level

Application of enhanced recovery after surgery during the perioperative period in children with Meckel’s diverticulum–a single-center prospective clinical trial

BackgroundEnhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been widely used in adult surgery. However, few studies have reported the efficacy of ERAS in paediatric patients with Meckel's diverticulum (MD), the aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of ERAS in treating MD.MethodsA prospective randomised controlled study of children with MD admitted to our hospital from Jan 1, 2021 to Dec 31, 2023 were conducted, we developed and implemented an ERAS program for this patients. All cases were strictly selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Among these patients, they were randomly assigned to the ERAS group or the traditional (TRAD) group with random number table row randomization. The main observational indicators were operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, FLACC pain scale results on 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h after surgery, length of postoperative stay (LOPS), time to first defecation, time to first eating after surgery, time to discontinuation of intravenous infusion, total treatment cost, incidence of postoperative complications, 30-day readmission rate and parental satisfaction rate.ResultsA total of 50 patients underwent Meckel's diverticulectomy during this period, 7 patients were excluded, 23 patients were assigned to the ERAS group and 20 patients were assigned to the TRAD group. There were no significant differences in demographic data and operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage. The FLACC pain scale results on 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h after surgery were significantly lower in the ERAS group. The LOPS was 6.17 ± 0.89 days in the ERAS group and 8.30 ± 1.26 days in the TRAD group, resulting in a significantly shorter LOPS in ERAS group. ERAS could also reduce the first postoperative defecation time, the time to first eating after surgery and the time to discontinuation of intravenous infusion. The treatment cost was decreased in the ERAS group. The rate of complications and 30-day readmission were not significantly different between the two groups.ConclusionsIn this single-center study, the ERAS protocol for patients with MD requiring surgery was safe and effective