Intermediate Mechanism Research Articles

The value of the platelet/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in predicting depression and its cardiovascular disease mortality: a population-based observational study.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and depression have a bidirectional association, with inflammation and metabolic factors being common important triggers for both conditions. However, as a novel inflammatory and metabolic marker, platelet-to-HDL-C ratio (PHR) has not been established in relation to depression and cardiovascular disease. Participants aged 20 years and older were included in the 2005-2018 NHANES database. PHR was calculated as the ratio of platelet count (1000 cells/μL) to HDL-C (mmol/L). The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to diagnose depression, with a cutoff value of 10. Weighted logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis were employed to examine the association between PHR and depression-related features. Additionally, weighted COX regression and RCS were used to analyze the association of PHR with CVD mortality in patients with depression. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess whether PHR had an advantage over HDL-C in predicting depression. Finally, the mediating role of PHR in the latest cardiovascular health indicator Life's Essential 8 and depression was explored. A total of 26,970 eligible participants were included, including 2,308 individuals with depression, representing approximately 160 million U.S. adults when weighted. After full adjustment, we estimated that the odds ratio (OR) of depression associated with a per standard deviation (SD) increase in PHR was 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01-1.12, P=0.03). The restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis indicated a linear association (Nonlinear P=0.113). When PHR was divided into four groups based on quartiles and included in the model after full adjustment for depression risk factors, participants in quartile 2, quartile 3, and quartile 4 of PHR showed a trend of increasing risk of depression compared to the lowest quartile group (P trend=0.01). In addition, weighted COX regression and RCS revealed that a per SD increase in PHR was associated with a higher risk of CVD mortality among patients with depression (HR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.05-1.81, P=0.02, Nonlinear P=0.400). Subgroup analyses showed that current alcohol consumption enhanced the association between PHR and depression (P for interaction=0.017). Furthermore, the areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were 0.556 (95% CI, 0.544-0.568; P < 0.001) for PHR and 0.536 (95% CI, 0.524-0.549; P < 0.001) for HDL-C (PDeLong = 0.025). Finally, mediation analysis indicated that PHR was an intermediate mechanism between LE8 and depression (mediation proportion=5.02%, P=0.02). In U.S. adults, an increase in PHR linearly increases the risk of depression and CVD mortality among individuals with depression. Additionally, PHR has a better predictive advantage for depression compared to HDL-C. Furthermore, PHR significantly mediates the association between LE8 scores and depression.

Board Gender Diversity, Firm Risk, and the Intermediate Mechanisms: A Meta-Analysis

Board Gender Diversity, Firm Risk, and the Intermediate Mechanisms: A Meta-Analysis

Pressure and temperature dependent kinetics and the reaction mechanism of Criegee intermediates with vinyl alcohol: a theoretical study.

Criegee intermediates (CIs), the key intermediates in the ozonolysis of olefins in atmosphere, have received much attention due to their high activity. The reaction mechanism of the most simple Criegee intermediate CH2OO with vinyl alcohol (VA) was investigated by using the HL//M06-2X/def2TZVP method. The temperature and pressure dependent rate constant and product branching ratio were calculated using the master equation method. For CH2OO + syn-VA, 1,4-insertion is the main reaction channel while for the CH2OO + anti-VA, cycloaddition and 1,2-insertion into the O-H bond are more favorable than the 1,4-insertion reaction. The 1,4-insertion or cycloaddition intermediates are stabilized collisionally at 300 K and 760 torr, and the dissociation products involving OH are formed at higher temperature and lower pressure. The rate constants of the CH2OO reaction with syn-VA and anti-VA both show negative temperature effects, and they are 2.95 × 10-11 and 2.07 × 10-13 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 300 K, respectively, and the former is agreement with the prediction in the literature.

Intermediate Layer Attention Mechanism for Multimodal Fusion in Personality and Affect Computing

Intermediate Layer Attention Mechanism for Multimodal Fusion in Personality and Affect Computing

Direct O2 mediated oxidation of a Ni(II)N3O structural model complex for the active site of nickel acireductone dioxygenase (Ni-ARD): characterization, biomimetic reactivity, and enzymatic implications.

A new biomimetic model complex of the active site of acireductone dioxygenase (ARD) was synthesized and crystallographically characterized ([Ni(ii)(N-(ethyl-N'Me2)(Py)(2-t-ButPhOH))(OTf)]-1). 1 displays carbon-carbon oxidative cleavage activity in the presence of O2 towards the substrate 2-hydroxyacetophenone. This reactivity was monitored via UV-Visible and NMR spectroscopy. We postulate that the reactivity of 1 with O2 leads to the formation of a putative Ni(III)-superoxo transient species resulting from the direct activation of O2via the nickel center during the oxidative reaction. This proposed intermediate and reaction mechanism were studied in detail using DFT calculations. 1 and its substrate bound derivatives display reactivity toward mild outer sphere oxidants, suggesting ease of access to high valent Ni coordination complexes, consistent with our calculations. If confirmed, the direct activation of O2 at a nickel center could have implications for the mechanism of action of ARD and other nickel-based dioxygenases and their respective non-traditional, enzymatic moonlighting functions, as well as contribute to a general understanding of direct oxidation of nickel(II) coordination complexes by O2.

Dynamic simulation of force loading of drives of mobile power facilities with variable external resistance

The article describes dynamical simulation of the transfer of power load parameters from the engine to the final mechanism on a mobile power source under external variable loads. Using the dynamic model developed by the authors the kinematic and power characteristics of each intermediate mechanism can be found.

Examining Intermediate Mechanism of Customer Participatory Market Orientation on High-Tech Firms’ Innovation Performance—Secondary Regulating Effect of Relationship Quality

The prosperity of the Internet economy enables consumers to better participate in corporate innovation and value creation; therefore, corporate innovation needs to be based on customer needs and market orientation, especially from the relationship quality between customer and company departments, to give full play to the market orientation and customer participation, which plays an essential part in company innovation performance. This study examined the direct effect of market orientation on innovation performance from employees&#x2019; perspectives, while the moderating effect of customer participation and relationship quality from customers&#x2019; perspectives. We collected data from 265 respondents, including Chinese high-tech companies&#x2019; managerial staff and company customers, and analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and SPSS Analysis of Moment Structures AMOS software. The results of regression analyses show that customer participation plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between market orientation and company innovation performance; a quality relationship can also promote the moderating effect of customer participation. At the same time, under the conditions of high customer participation and high relationship quality, market orientation has the most significant impact on company innovation performance. The findings of this study have significant implications for researchers, chief executives of high-tech companies, and government regulatory bodies.

Polyethersulfone membrane fouling mitigation during ultrafiltration of wastewaters from car washes

The car wash wastewater was separated by ultrafiltration. The commercial ultrafiltration (UF) polyethersulfone (PES) membranes (10 and 100 kDa) were applied. The FTIR analysis indicated that membrane matrix beside PES also contained poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). These membranes were used for the wastewater separation, achieving over 50 % rejection of most contaminants and the permeate with a turbidity of <0.2 NTU. It has been shown that a severe membrane fouling was caused not only by the pollutants removed from the cars but also by the detergents used for car washing. As a result, the permeate flux disappeared after 5–10 h of filtration. The Hermia's models analysis indicated that raw wastewater (841 NTU) caused both complete blocking and intermediate fouling mechanism. Wastewater turbidity was reduced by sedimentation (29 NTU), and consequently, cake formation was dominant fouling mechanism in this case. Fouling was reduced by washing the membranes with alkaline agents (pH = 11–12), commonly used in car washes, to clean wheels and remove insects. By washing the membranes every 5–7 h for 30 min with solutions (0.3–0.5 %) of these agents a stable permeate flux at a level of 80 % of the initial flux was obtained during 100 h wastewater filtration tests.

Probing the mechanism of the dedicated NO sensor [4Fe-4S] NsrR: the effect of cluster ligand environment

NsrR from Streptomyces coelicolor is a bacterial nitric oxide (NO) sensor/nitrosative stress regulator as its primary function, and has been shown to have differential response at low, mid, and high levels of NO. These must correspond to discrete structural changes at the protein-bound [4Fe-4S] cluster in response to stepwise nitrosylation of the cluster. We have investigated the effect of the monohapto carboxylate ligand in the site differentiated [4Fe-4S] cluster cofactor of the protein NsrR on modulating its reactivity to NO with a focus on indentifying mechanistic intermediates. We have prepared a synthetic model [4Fe-4S] cluster complex with tripodal ligand and one single site differentiated site occupied by either thiolate or carboxylate ligand. We report here the mechanistic details of sequential steps of nitrosylation as observed by ESI MS and IR spectroscopy. Parallel non-denaturing mass spectrometry analyses were performed using site-differentiated variants of NsrR with the native aspartic acid, cysteine, or alanine in the position of the forth ligand to the cluster. A mono-nitrosylated synthetic [4Fe-4S] cluster was observed for the first time in a biologically-relevant thiolate-based coordination environment. Combined synthetic and protein data give unprecedented clarity in the modulation of nitrosylation of a [4Fe-4S] cluster.

Gender diversity of senior management teams and corporate innovation efficiency: Evidence from China

The world economy is now trending toward a green economy as a kind of sustainable growth. This research uses Chinese A-share listed companies between 2011 and 2021 to analyze the impact of gender diversity on corporate innovation in the boardroom. We find that the presence of women on boards has a favorable impact on both the quantity and quality of green innovations. The role of research and development (R&D) and government funding (government support) as intermediate mechanisms strengthen the connection between women on boards and corporate innovation. Heterogeneous investigations further demonstrate the importance of ESG maturity, gender diversity on corporate boards, and size of business in fostering corporate innovation. The research lends theoretical support to the shift in corporate strategy thinking necessitated by the increased representation of women in senior positions and also gives empirical evidence for the growth of environmentally friendly innovations.

How does consumers' face consciousness influence green self-efficacy and consumption behavior, and how does electronic and social media persuasion moderate these relationships?

Encouraging green consumption has become a topic of immense interest in terms of Chinese dual carbon (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality) goals. We used impression and expectation management theories to examine the intermediate mechanism of how consumers’ face consciousness formulates green consumption behavior, the mediating effect of green self-efficacy, and the moderating effect of media persuasion. We conducted this study in East China, collected data from 382 green consumers, and utilized hierarchical regression for data analysis.We concluded that (1) both dimensions of face consciousness (i.e., gaining face and avoiding losing face) helped escalate green consumption behavior; 2) consumers with high face consciousness have higher green consumption behavior than those with low face consciousness; (3) media persuasion increases consumers' green consumption behavior; and (4) media persuasion negatively moderates the association between face consciousness and green self-efficacy, which means that media persuasion can reduce consumer green self-efficacy with both dimensions of face consciousness. Therefore, electronic, and social media need to control the frequency and intensity of reporting environment-related negative news. Moreover, the government and enterprises need to stimulate consumers’ sense of face, improve their sense of green self-efficacy, and encourage them to adopt green products to achieve dual carbon goals.

Insight into enhanced photogeneration mechanism of reactive intermediates from dissolved black carbon by co-pyrolysis of plastics and biomass

The dissolved black carbon (DBC) derived from co-pyrolysis of plastic and biomass be released into aquatic environment. DBC was an important photoactive constituent, however, the photochemical activity of DBC from the co-pyrolysis plastic and biomass remains unclear. Herein three popular plastic wastes (polystyrene, PS; polylactic acid, PLA; plastic mulch film, PMF) and pine needle biomass prepared co-pyrolysis biochar, and effects of co-pyrolysis plastics on DBC’s photogeneration ability of reactive intermediates, affecting pollutant photodegradation, were investigated. In comparison to individual DBC, the mixed DBC from co-pyrolysis biochar had a lower molecular weight and more oxygen-containing groups. Quantum yields of singlet oxygen (1O2) and triplet state DBC (3DBC*) from mixed DBC were higher, especially PMF-DBC since its lower aromaticity and molecular weight connected with its higher E2/E3 and lower SUVA254 values. Steady-state photochemical experiment demonstrated 3DBC* formation rates for mixed DBC were lower than individual DBC, while the second-order reaction rate constants of 3DBC* with 2,4,6-trimethylphenol for mixed DBC were higher than that of individual DBC. Quenching experiment by sorbic acid to distinguish high/low-energy triplets revealed that contributions of low-energy triplets to 3DBC* and 1O2 generation decreased relative to individual DBC, indicating the transformation of reductive groups to oxidative groups, which was supported by the phototransformation kinetics. Quantum yields of 3DBC* and 1O2 were positively linear correlations with E2/E3 using twenty DBC samples. These findings are helpful in understanding DBC’s photochemical activity from co-pyrolysis of plastics and biomass, especially in aquatic environments adjacent to soil amended by biochar.

Kinetics, Mechanism, and Reactivity of Intermediates of the Cerium(IV)–Oxalate Reaction in a Sulfate Medium

Kinetics, Mechanism, and Reactivity of Intermediates of the Cerium(IV)–Oxalate Reaction in a Sulfate Medium

Entrepreneurial Orientation Impact on the Innovation Ambidexterity: Evidence from the Industrial-Based Sector

Entrepreneurship, in many low-developed economies, plays an important role in defeating external distress. It is crucial in such situation that entrepreneurial firms resist and even grow. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation brings about organisational ambidexterity through the mediation role of intellectual capital in the context of a developing country. This paper reports research results combining a qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The exploratory study is based on qualitative case studies and in-depth interview data collected from 15 Tunisian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the industrial sector. Then, the methodology included a survey of 155 SMEs using a questionnaire and structural equation modelling analyses. The results reveal that SMEs leverage internal and external resources to pursue ambidexterity separately or simultaneously. The data were gathered from a sole informant from every firm. Consequently, more in-depth longitudinal study may be requisite to expand deeper insights into the used variables. SME managers need to focus on the specific barriers to ambidexterity and design effective mechanisms to advance the drivers of ambidexterity. The mechanisms to realize ambidexterity as branded in this study will assist SMEs in particular, and firms in general. A new shape of organisation is an open design allowing more outer acquaintance and resources to be riveted, which is claimed as a novel model for organisation. This study combined the concepts of entrepreneurial orientation and intellectual capital as the basis of innovation ambidexterity. Human, organisational and relational capitals are the intermediate mechanisms to explain the effect of entrepreneurial orientation. Moreover, the Tunisian specific context adds more novelty to this study.

Preparation of nanofiber Co–BiVO4/Bi2O3 p-n heterojunction for high efficiency photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

In recent years, water pollution caused by organic pollutants and antibiotic residues has become increasingly serious, posing a serious threat to human health and ecosystems. In this paper, Co–BiVO4/Bi2O3 heterojunction was successfully prepared by electrospinning of Co3+ doped monoclinic BiVO4 nanofibers and Bi2O3. The photocatalytic degradation of chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CTC·HCl) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) in water was tested by simulating visible light conditions. The degradation efficiency of CTC·HCl by 3Co–BiVO4/Bi2O3-0.8 reached 90.5 % within 30 min, and the degradation rates were 3.93 and 7.06 times that of BiVO4 and Bi2O3, respectively. At the same time, the degradation efficiency of MBT by 3Co–BiVO4/Bi2O3-0.8 reached 97.7 % within 40 min, and the degradation rates were 8.93 and 41.80 times that of BiVO4 and Bi2O3, respectively. In addition, the photocatalytic performance of the catalyst and potassium persulfate (PS) co-system on pollutants was investigated. When 0.5 mM PS and a small amount of 3Co–BiVO4/Bi2O3-0.8 catalyst were added, the degradation efficiency of CTC·HCl and MBT could reach 87.6 % and 92.8 % in a short time. Furthermore, the work function and difference of the material were calculated by density functional theory (DFT), and the charge transfer mechanism of the p-n heterojunction was further determined. Finally, the intermediate products, degradation pathways and reaction mechanisms of MBT degradation were analyzed in detail by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Therefore, this study provides a potential effective way for the treatment of water pollution.

Rational Design of Oxygen Species Adsorption on Nonnoble Metal Catalysts for Two‐Electron Oxygen Reduction

AbstractMolecular oxygen can be electrochemically reduced to water via the 4e− transfer pathway or hydrogen peroxide via a 2e− pathway, which holds significant relevance within energy conversion and chemical synthesis. The specific oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) pathways intricately hinge upon the adsorption configuration and state of oxygen species. Precisely steering the adsorption state of oxygen species at the active sites serves as a crucial guiding principle for the design and preparation of ORR catalysts. This review succinctly summarizes the strategies employed to regulate the adsorption state of oxygen species on nonnoble metal catalyst surfaces, encompassing insights into the adsorption mechanism and state regulation of oxygen intermediates, with a particular focus on the 2e− ORR pathway to produce H2O2. Moreover, the persistent challenges that remain in the realm of non‐noble metal oxygen catalysts are pointed out and the prospects for their future development are meticulously evaluated.

초기성인의 정신화가 대인관계문제에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate in early adulthood the relationship between mentaliza-tion, self-silencing, emotion dysregulation, and interpersonal problems, and verify the mediating effect of self-silencing and emotion dysregulation when mentalization affects interpersonal problems. Methods 369 sample were collected by the online survey and 367 data was used in analyses. The Mentalization Scale, The Self-silencing Scale, The Emotion dysregualtion Scale, and The Interpersonal Problems Scale was used. The data was analized by Spss 25.0 and Process Macro 3.5. Results The results of this study are as follows. First, as a result of correlation analysis, mentalization showed sig-nificant negative correlation with self-silencing, emotion dysregulation, and interpersonal problems, while self-siencing, emotion dysregulation, and interpersonal problems showed significant positive correlations with each other. Second, when mentalization influenced interpersonal problems, the mediating effect of self-silencing and emotion dysregulation could be observed. This study has confirmed that Mentalization not only directly af-fects interpersonal problems, but also indirectly affects interpersonal problems by sequentially mediating self-si-lencing and emotion dysregulation. Conclusions This study is meaningful in that it presents the basis for an effective treatment approach, by identify-ing the intermediate mechanisms of self-silencing and emotion dysregulation regarding the effect of mentaliza-tion on interpersonal problems. Finally, the limitations of the study and the direction of the follow-up study were suggested.

Electronegative graphene film based interface-chemistry regulation for stable lithium metal batteries

To achieve practical application of lithium (Li) metal anodes for high-energy–density batteries, the primary challenges of the inhomogeneous solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and irregular Li electrochemical stripping/depositing behaviors should been surmounted. So as to homogenize Li+ distribution and stabilize the SEI layer, herein, we reported a partially reduced graphene oxide (PrGO) film with a manageable electronegativity as an ideal Li host to construct composite electrode (PrGO@Li). The fabricated PrGO with tunable oxygen amount and negatively charge can achieve controllable Li capacity avoiding excess Li. More importantly, the electronegative PrGO film matrix can cause an electrostatic force and thereby regulate the Li+ distribution pattern and diffusion kinetics, which induces a homogeneous and stable LiF-rich SEI and highly conformal Li+ stripping/deposition behaviors without Li dendrites. As a result, the optimal PrGO@Li electrode delivers long-term reversible Li+ stripping/depositing processes with an extremely low overpotential (7 mV) after 2000 h cycling at 20 mA cm−2 and 10 mAh cm−2. Moreover, the full battery based on this anode paired with LiFePO4 cathode exhibits outstanding cycling stability, high rate capacity and excellent flexibility characters. Meanwhile, the controllable PrGO films can also be loading with sulfur as cathodes for satisfactory Li/sulfur batteries. This research deeply analyzes the intermediation mechanism between the graphene host and Li+ on the electrochemical behaviors, and offers universal guidance for the development of high-performance Li-metal batteries.

Construction and actual application of In2O3/BiOBr heterojunction for effective removal of ciprofloxacin under visible light: Photocatalytic mechanism, DFT calculation，degradation pathway and toxicity evaluation

To effectively degrade antibiotics remained in surface water, a type-II heterojunction photocatalyst In2O3/BiOBr was constructed by the solvothermal method. The composite photocatalyst greatly improves the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation towards antibiotic ciprofloxacin through enhancing the response to visible light and accelerating the separation rate of electron-hole pairs. The optimal degradation rate of ciprofloxacin reaches 93.5% within 90 min, much higher than those of monomeric In2O3 (only 5.5%) and BiOBr (34.3%) under visible light. The hole radicals contribute a dominant role, while superoxide radicals have a certain contribution. The transfer pathway of carriers follows the type-II process, which is demonstrated by various characterizations and Density Functional Theory. The catalyst In2O3/BiOBr has a good performance for all three actual water samples, including lake water, tap water and domestic sewage. The degradation mechanism, pathways and toxicity evaluation of intermediates all reveal that the produced type-II heterojunction In2O3/BiOBr has a very high practical value in reducing residual antibiotics in water.

Kinetics, Mechanism, and Reactivity of the Cerium(IV)-Oxalatereaction in a Sulphate Medium

This work presents an approach for studying the kinetics, mechanism, and reactivity of intermediates in a wide class of the redox reactions for which the rate-limiting step is the redox-decomposition of an intermediate complex. This approach is applied to investigate the oxalic acid (H2Ox) oxidation by cerium(IV) in sulfuric acid medium, which is an integral part of the cerium-catalyzed oscillatory Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. Using experimental, mathematical and computational techniques commonly used to study metal complexes in a stable oxidation state (OS), kinetically generalized by the authors for studying variable-valence metal complexes, the characteristics of intermediate complexes of the cerium(IV)-oxalate reaction were studied, the general rate law was derived on the basis of a set of equations describing the rapid establishment of preequilibria in the system and the subsequent nonequilibrium process. A quantitative reaction model is proposed that includes two parallel reaction pathways, for which two different intermediate cerium(IV)-oxalate complexes with close reactivity have been identified and characterized that may be due to the similarity in the structure of their inner coordination spheres and an inner sphere mechanism of electron transfer in the complexes. Based on the developed model, the distribution diagram was also constructed for the computed fractions of all the detectable cerium(IV) species under conditions of the BZ reaction, which testify to the necessity to take into account under these conditions the formation of intermediate complexes CeOHOx (n = 1, 2) during oxidation of oxalic acid. The main difference of the proposed model of the cerium(IV)-oxalate reaction as part of the BZ-reaction from the previous models is the explicit accounting of the formation of intermediate cerium(IV) complexes with anions of oxalic acid and sulfate background.