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Measuring Chinese Personality in 8 Minutes: A Short Measure of the Five-Factor Model of Personality
No full textUsing data from three Chinese samples (Ns = 611, 403, 299) collected using both monolingual and bilingual designs, we evaluated the psychometric properties and factor structure of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory 3 (FFI-3), the short form of the NEO Personality Inventory 3 (PI-3), for use in Chinese communities. Although the FFI-3 contains only a quarter of the 240 items of the PI-3, exploratory structural equation modeling revealed that it maintained the five-factor structure of the long form and achieved acceptable levels of internal consistency, cross-language validity, and test–retest reliability. The correlation coefficients between the short-form factors and the corresponding long-form factors were all above.86, indicating a strong association between the short and long versions of the scale. Taken together, our findings suggest that the FFI-3 is a viable tool for mapping personality in Chinese communities.</p
Protein A-connected SMA-modified PVDF membranes for high-selectivity IgG capture
No full textThe present research relates to a method for preparing high-performance polymeric membranes for protein purification. The membrane matrix is made of polyvinylidene fluoride or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and styrene maleic anhydride (SMAn) and fabricated using an improved phase inversion method. The PVDF serves as the support skeleton of the membrane and the RAFT (Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer) polymerized SMAn copolymer serves as the active component. By optimizing the ratios of Styrene: Maleic anhydride in SMAn copolymer, superior membrane properties can be fabricated with high porosity and surface-to-volume ratio for maximum protein binding throughput. The PVDF-SMAn membrane matrix can be tailored with suitable chemistries for the functionalization of the ligands of interest. In particular, a mixed-mode membrane and an affinity-based membrane have been fabricated immobilizing tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) and protein A onto the membrane matrix via the SMAn copolymer, respectively. The morphology of the fabricated membrane matrix, as revealed by electron microscopy, shows superior porosity and surface area which are important for achieving a high protein binding capacity membrane. The maximum DBC for IgG observed under flow conditions, via bind-and-elute mode, using pure IgG sample as the feed solution was about 400 mg and 85 mg per mL for the mixed-mode and protein A membrane, respectively. The present research provides an efficient and simple method for fabricating high-performance polymeric membranes with optimum ligand distribution and internal structure for downstream purification of biologics.</p
Effects of glutamatergic modulators on striatal activation, functional connectivity and reward in persons with major depressive disorder and healthy controls: a systematic review of fMRI studies
No full textIntroduction Convergent evidence suggests that disrupted reward processing may be associated with observed alterations in frontostriatal activity in persons with major depressive disorder (MDD). Replicated evidence suggests that glutamatergic modulators may benefit persons experiencing disrupted reward function compared to healthy controls (HC). Herein, we systematically reviewed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that examined the effects of glutamatergic modulators on frontostriatal activity and/or reward function in persons with MDD or healthy controls (HC). Methods A systematic literature search of online databases (PubMed, OVID, Scopus, Web of Science) and manual search of reference lists and Google Scholar was conducted from inception to July 22, 2025. Studies were included if they employed fMRI to assess changes in frontostriatal activation or connectivity following administration of glutamatergic agents with known or proposed antidepressant effects in persons with MDD or HC. Results We identified 11 fMRI studies that investigated the effects of ketamine (n = 9), nitrous oxide (n = 1) or memantine (n = 1) on frontostriatal activity in persons with MDD or HCs. Preliminary evidence suggests that intravenous ketamine may affect functional connectivity in striatal regions that may be relevant to improved reward function in persons with TRD. Conclusion Future studies should evaluate the impact of glutamatergic modulators on brain structures subserving reward and the temporality of the effect, as select glutamatergic modulators have a rapid onset of action. Future studies should also compare the effects of glutamatergic modulators on frontostriatal connectivity between persons with TRD and HCs, and aim to identify baseline characteristics that may mediate/moderate antidepressant response.</p
Anion-driven oxygen configuration tuning on NiO boosts hydrogen peroxide production
No full textThe adsorption configuration of O2 on catalyst surfaces is crucial for the selectivity of the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e− ORR). However, achieving targeted regulation of O2 adsorption configuration remains a major challenge. This study proposes a new strategy of regulating oxygen adsorption configuration via non-metallic anion doping. Introducing S2−, P3− and Se2− forms Ni−X bonds, disrupting lattice symmetry, adjusting electron density, and directly inducing the transformation of oxygen adsorption configuration from 2e− ORR-unfavorable to suitable Pauling-type. Anion doping regulates the d band center of the catalyst, and it synergistically interacts with the optimized adsorption configuration, ultimately establishing a typical volcano-type relationship between the d band center and catalytic performance. Among them, S-doped NiO (S-NiO) performs best, with H2O2 selectivity over 95 %, a yield of 768.64 mmol·g−1·h−1 at −0.4 V vs. RHE in 0.1 mol·L−1 KOH, stability exceeding 100 h. This catalyst also demonstrates excellent potential in the field of microplastic degradation: in a continuous 12-hour degradation reaction, the degradation rate of target microplastics can reach 27.22 %, providing a new technical direction for microplastic pollution control. This work lays a foundation for high-performance catalyst design and environmental applications of 2e− ORR technology, highlighting the core driving role of oxygen adsorption configuration change.</p
Efficient peracetic acid activation by iron boride@biochar for pharmaceutical degradation and bacteria disinfection: sustainable Fe(II) regeneration triggered by triple active sites
No full textPeracetic acid (PAA)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have garnered significant attention due to their dual functionality in decontamination and disinfection. This work introduces a novel magnetic iron boride@biochar (Fe2B@biochar) catalyst to boost PAA activation. The optimized PAA/Fe2B@biochar system utilizing 0.5 mM PAA and 0.2 g/L catalyst at pH 7.0 achieves complete degradation of 5 μM of a wide range of pharmaceuticals and complete disinfection of 105.3 CFU/mL Escherichia coli (E. coli) in 5 min. The quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analysis undertaken on ten pharmaceuticals revealed that the degradation rate constants correlated with the partition coefficient (LogP), the energy gap (EGAP), and the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital (EHOMO), confirming electron transfer from the aromatic compounds to the alkoxy radicals (R-O•) as the primary mechanism. Mechanistic investigation revealed Fe(II) as the major active site for PAA activation, generating the dominant R-O• for pharmaceutical degradation. Concurrently, triple active sites (Fe0, B species, and biochar) in Fe2B@biochar enable sustainable Fe(II) regeneration for efficient PAA activation. This study extends the current theoretical understanding and contributes to practical application of PAA-based AOPs for the simultaneous decontamination and disinfection in wastewater.</p
Contrasting ecological communities in rice paddy fields under conventional and no-fertilizer farming practices
No full textGlobal crop production is essential for providing energy and nutrients to humans, but agricultural systems contribute substantially to environmental issues, making it crucial to find sustainable methods for crop production. In this study, we conducted extensive field monitoring of two rice paddy fields in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, where a rice variety, Hinohikari, was cultivated to investigate how ecological communities influence rice growth and yields under two contrasting farming practices: conventional farming and no-fertilizer farming. We had three objectives: (1) to monitor rice growth and ecological dynamics to create a comprehensive ecological time series using quantitative environmental DNA metabarcoding and complementary monitoring methods, (2) to identify ecological variables that causally affect rice performance using nonlinear time series analysis, and (3) to examine the effects of the two farming practices on ecological variables and rice performance. As expected, the no-fertilizer paddy field showed lower rice growth and yields but still produced 40–50 % of the yields of the conventional field. Ecological monitoring revealed contrasting ecological communities between the two fields, particularly among plant species on the paddy ridges and microbial taxa. Twenty-five taxa had statistically clear causal influences on rice performance. While the per-abundance influences of the causal taxa were largely similar in both paddy fields, their abundances were different, contributing to the differences in the overall effects of these taxa on the rice performance. These findings suggest that the abundance of causal taxa, along with nutrient conditions, may have driven differences in rice growth between the two paddy fields.</p
Treatment of wall boundary conditions in high-order compact gas-kinetic schemes
No full textThe boundary layer represents a fundamental structure in fluid dynamics, where accurate boundary discretization significantly enhances computational efficiency. This paper presents a third-order boundary discretization for compact gas-kinetic scheme (GKS). Wide stencils and curved boundaries pose challenges in the boundary treatment for high-order schemes, particularly for temporal accuracy. By utilizing a time-dependent gas distribution function, the GKS simultaneously evaluates fluxes and updates flow variables at cell interfaces, enabling the concurrent update of cell-averaged flow variables and their gradients within the third-order compact scheme. The proposed one-sided discretization achieves third-order spatial accuracy on boundary cells by utilizing updated flow variables and gradients in the discretization for non-slip wall boundary conditions. High-order temporal accuracy on boundary cells is achieved through the GKS time-dependent flux implementation with multi-stage multi-derivative methodology. Additionally, the proposed boundary treatment method can give exact zero mass flux across the wall boundaries, with extensions to curved mesh geometries to fully exploit the advantages of high-order schemes. Comparative analysis between the proposed one-sided third-order boundary scheme, third-order boundary scheme with ghost cells, and second-order boundary scheme demonstrates significant performance differences for the third-order compact GKS. Results indicate that lower-order boundary cell treatments yield substantially inferior results, while the proposed third-order treatment demonstrates superior performance, particularly on coarse grid configurations.</p
The Impact of Crises on the Careers of County Magistrates in Qing China, 1830–1912
No full textWe investigate one dimension of state capacity in the late Qing Dynasty period: enforcement of regulations for the evaluation of officials. For this, we examine how natural disasters and harvest outcomes influenced the careers of county magistrates between 1820 and 1911. County magistrates were responsible for reporting disasters and dealing with their aftermath. Their response was assessed during their performance evaluations. The clearest rules were for locust infestations: as their occurrence was considered prima facie evidence of negligence and was supposed to result in termination. We show that an infestation increased the chances that an official would cease service. Among disasters with more complex origins and where blame was harder to ascribe, including floods, droughts, epidemics, and famine, only famine increased the risk of ending careers. We conclude that the state enforced these personnel regulations before 1880, but not afterward. Effects of infestation and famine did not vary by whether an official had an examination degree or by the rated difficulty of the county. No systematic time trends in effects of famine or infestation were apparent. Our analysis makes use of career histories of officials in the China Government Employee Database-Qing (CGED-Q) Jinshenlu (JSL) dataset, linked to records of disasters and harvests transcribed from a published compilation.</p
The evolution of space art: Dream, Monolith and Revelation
No full textThis paper traces the history of Space Art, exploring its connection with human space activities and technology while highlighting its role as an independent discipline reflecting diverse cultural expressions. It identifies key periods in Space Art's evolution, from ancient depictions of the cosmos to modern influences shaped by scientific, technological, and cultural developments. Through academic research and artwork analysis, the paper offers a comprehensive view of Space Art's interdisciplinary nature and its intersection with art, technology, and society. It also considers the future of Space Art, emphasizing its importance in human engagement with the cosmos and its potential to challenge ideologies and envision new worlds.</p
Efficient and accurate simulation of the stochastic-alpha-beta-rho model
No full textWe propose an efficient, accurate and reliable simulation scheme for the stochastic-alpha-beta-rho (SABR) model. The two challenges of the SABR simulation lie in sampling (i) integrated variance conditional on terminal volatility and (ii) terminal forward price conditional on terminal volatility and integrated variance. For the first sampling procedure, we sample the conditional integrated variance using the moment-matched shifted lognormal approximation. For the second sampling procedure, we approximate the conditional terminal forward price as a constant-elasticity-of-variance (CEV) distribution. Our CEV approximation preserves the martingale condition and precludes arbitrage, which is a key advantage over Islah's approximation used in most SABR simulation schemes in the literature. We then adopt the exact sampling method of the CEV distribution based on the shifted-Poisson mixture Gamma random variable. Our enhanced procedures avoid the tedious Laplace inversion algorithm for sampling integrated variance and non-efficient inverse transform sampling of the forward price in some of the earlier simulation schemes. Numerical results demonstrate our simulation scheme to be highly efficient, accurate, and reliable.</p