Effects of urethane on the response properties of visual cortical neurons in young adult and old cats

Previous studies have shown that visual cortical neurons in old mammals exhibit higher spontaneous activity,higher responsiveness to visual stimuli,and lower selectivity for stimulus orientations and motion directions than did neurons in young adult counterparts.However,whether the responsive difference in cortical neurons between young and old animals resulted from different effects induced by anesthetics has remained unclear.To clarify this issue,we recorded the response properties of individual neurons in the primary visual cortex of old and young adult cats while systematically varying the anesthesia level of urethane,a widely used anesthetic in physiology experiments.Our results showed that cumulatively administrating 50 mg and 100 mg of urethane upon the minimal level of urethane required to anesthetize an old or young adult cat did not significantly alter the degree of neuronal response selectivity for stimulus orientations and motion directions nor significantly change the visually-driven response and spontaneous activity of neurons in old and young adult cats.Cumulatively administrating 150 mg of urethane decreased neuronal responsiveness similarly in both age groups.Therefore,urethane appears to exert similar effects on neuronal response properties of old and young adult animals.

Factors associated with financial support in old age for young and middle-aged rural residents in China

This study examined the factors associated with financial support in old age from three primary mechanisms-personal savings,family support,and social insurance-to explore the implications for the future development of China's rural social welfare system.Cross-sectional surveys of 1392 young and middle-aged rural residents were conducted in July and August2012.The results showed that while social insurance was increasingly acceptable,personal savings and family support still had fundamental value.Combining the three mechanisms,the rural old-age welfare system presented nontraditional features.China's new rural endowment insurance is discussed as a means to address the need for financial support among the rural aging population.

COMPARISON BETWEEN YOUNG AND OLD PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER

Objective: To compare the clinical characteristics, histological types, stage at diagnosis and treatment between young (< or =40 years) and older (> or =70 years) patients with lung cancer. Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective review of 808 lung cancer patients referred to the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital over a 6-year period from 1995 to 2001. Data regarding demographics, presentation symptoms, histology, tumor staging, and treatment modality were obtained from all patients. Results: We found significantly more female patients and adenocarcinoma in the younger group compared with the older patients. Cough was the most common presenting symptom in both the younger and older groups followed by dyspnea, hemoptysis in the older group or chest pain in the younger group. There was no difference in the stage of disease at initial presentation between the younger and older groups. The young patients tended to receive aggressive treatment more readily than the older patients, and the older patients frequently received supportive care only. Conclusion: The female sex and adenocarcinoma were predominant in young patients compared with the older patients. Young patients tended to receive more aggressive treatment and may have better survival.

Age and Gender-Related Differences in Physical Functions of the Elderly Following One-Year Regular Exercise Therapy

Reports on physical functions during maintenance period of the elderly with cardiac and other serious diseases are limited. This study aims to clarify age and gender-related differences in their physical functions. Participants included 167 elderly individuals (males, 78;mean age, 76.5 years;SD = 6.0 years;females, 89;mean age, 75.5 years;SD = 4.5 years) who participated in a 1-year regular exercise therapy twice a week. The following eight physical function tests were selected: grip strength, 10-m obstacle walking time, one-legged balance with eyes open, sit-ups, sitting trunk flexion, 6-min walk, stepping by sitting position, and a timed up & go (TUG). Two-way analysis of variance was used to examine mean differences by gender and age: young elderly group (aged 65 - 74 years) and old elderly group (aged ≥ 75 years). In the grip strength, sit-ups, 6-min walk, 10-m obstacle walking time, stepping by sitting position, and sitting trunk flexion tests, males were superior in the former four tests, and females were superior in the latter two tests. The young elderly group was superior in all tests except for sit-ups compared with the old elderly group. The balance during one-legged with eyes open test was superior in males compared with females in the young elderly group, but decreased in males in the old elderly group. In conclusion, physical functions of the elderly during maintenance period are different between genders. Muscle strength, muscle endurance, whole-body endurance, and walking ability are superior in males, whereas flexibility and agility are superior in females. The old elderly group was inferior in all the elements of physical function except muscle endurance.

Impact of the Waves on the Sea Surface Roughness under Uniform Wind Conditions:Idealized Cases for Uniform Winds(Part I)

The effect of the surface gravity waves over sea surface roughness length (z0) is investigated from several idealized numerical experiments with the Wave-Watch-III (WW3) model. The WW3 model is combined with a simplified model to estimate z0, CD, u* and U10 as function of the sea state. The impacts related to the presence of the ocean waves over z0 are obtained from conditions of growing (young waves) and mature seas (old waves). The wave spectrum is obtained from WW3 model for each idealized simulation under uniform wind conditions. Uniform wind experiments range from 15 to 45 m/s. The simplified algorithm determines z0, CD, u* and U10 for cases of young waves, old waves and by the Charnock method. The results show that when the ocean is characterized by young waves, both z0 and CD (drag coefficient) increase while U10 is reduced. In Charnock case, the values of z0, CD and U10 have no dependence with the presence of gravity waves. Experiments using winds higher than 30 m/s result in young waves’ CD values higher than the CD value for old waves. Even for young waves CD values are high for cases of strong winds. The results also show that in experiments using winds higher than 30 m/s the dependence between CD and wave age becomes stronger, which is in accordance with other studies.

基于实体交互的老幼共娱产品设计研究

充分研究老年人和儿童这两类人群对老幼共娱产品的需求,利用实体交互理论指导老幼共娱产品设计研究,训练用户的认知能力,促进老幼两代之间的情感交流。本文以实体交互理论为指导,综合运用文献分析法、问卷调查法、用户访谈法、观察法等,对老幼互动行为、实体交互介入老幼共娱产品的设计策略进行了着重研究。结合实体交互理论,提出了以讲述中国传统故事为主题,积木为实体产品,平板电脑为移动终端的老幼共娱产品设计策略。为当代城市隔代教育家庭出现的现实问题提供全新的解决途径。

Decreased contrast sensitivity of visual cortical cells to visual stimuli accompanies a reduction of intracortical inhibition in old cats

Psychophysical experiments on human and animal subjects have proven that aged individuals show significantly reduced visual contrast sensitivity compared with young adults.To uncover the possible neural mechanisms,we used extracellular single-unit recording techniques to examine the response of V1（primary visual cortex） neurons as a function of visual stimulus contrast in both old and young adult cats（Felis catus）.The mean contrast sensitivity of V1 neurons to visual stimuli in old cats decreased significantly relative to young adult cats,consistent with findings reported in old primates.These results indicate that aging can affect contrast sensitivity of visual cortical cells in both primate and non-primate mammalian animals,and might contribute to the reduction of perceptual visual contrast sensitivity in aged individuals.Further,V1 cells of old cats exhibited increased responsiveness,decreased signal-to-noise ratio,and enlarged receptive field（RF） size compared with that of young adult cats,which indicated that decreased contrast sensitivity of V1 neurons accompanied a reduction of intracortical inhibition during senescence.

cathepsin B与cystatin C在青年及老年人胃癌发生、发展中的意义

目的观察青年及老年人胃癌组织中cathepsin B和cystatin C的表达差异,探讨二者在胃癌侵袭和转移过程中的作用。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测52例青年人及65例老年人胃癌、48例高级别上皮内瘤变、53例正常胃黏膜组织中cathepsin B和cystatin C的表达。结果青年人胃癌组cathespin B的表达水平明显高于老年人胃癌组(P<0.05),两组中cystatin C的表达差异无显著性;cathespin B在胃癌中的表达水平明显高于高级别上皮内瘤变(P<0.01)和正常胃黏膜(P<0.01),且在有淋巴结转移及远处转移组中表达明显增高(P<0.05);cystatin C表达水平在正常胃黏膜中最高,其次为高级别上皮内瘤变,与胃癌组相比差异有显著性(P<0.01);Ⅲ+Ⅳ期胃癌组中cystatin C表达明显低于Ⅰ+Ⅱ期胃癌组(P<0.05);cystatin C与cathespin B表达呈负相关(rs=-0.648,P<0.01)。结论 cathepsin B、cystatin C的表达水平与胃癌的生物学行为密切相关。cathespin B高表达可能是青年人胃癌进展更为迅速的原因之一,对评估患者的预后有一定参考价值。

60~74岁老年人儿童期成长环境与抑郁症状的关联

目的:探讨60~74岁低龄老年人儿童期成长环境与抑郁症状的关联。方法:利用中国健康与养老追踪调查2018年第4轮调查和2014年生命历程调查数据,共纳入7642名60~74岁低龄老年人,采用简化版流行病研究中心抑郁症状自评量表评估研究对象抑郁症状,通过广义线性混合效应模型探讨儿童期成长环境与低龄老年人抑郁症状的关联。结果:低龄老年人抑郁症状检出率为37.2%,女性(OR=1.89)、农村(OR=1.35)、儿童期有饥饿经历(OR=1.22)、与男性扶养人关系不好(OR=1.72)、女性扶养人有因病卧床经历(OR=1.38)、社区不太安全(OR=1.59)、邻里关系比较融洽(OR=1.20)和邻里关系不太融洽(OR=1.81)是低龄老年人的抑郁症状发生的危险因素,人均家庭收入中等(OR=0.79)和高等(OR=0.50)、父亲受过教育(OR=0.84)是低龄老年人的抑郁症状发生的保护因素(均P<0.05)。结论:儿童期成长环境是低龄老年人抑郁症状的影响因素,应重视儿童期成长环境的远期健康效应。

泛娱乐主义对大学生的危害及应对理路

近年来,泛娱乐主义给大学生带来审美庸俗、道德失范、理性缺位和精神缺“钙”四大危害。对此,高校应当坚持不懈传播马克思主义科学理论,抵御审美庸俗;积极培育和践行社会主义核心价值观,抵制道德失范;大力弘扬爱国主义精神,补理性缺失之位;持之以恒抓好理想信念教育,补精神不足之钙。

符号互动论视角下的代际数字互动设计

文章引用符号互动论,对“数字反哺”这一行为的代际互动双方进行研究,探讨设计协助“数字反哺”行为弥合老年数字鸿沟的可行性。通过构建符号互动论视角下的老幼代际数字互动模型,采用开放式问卷调查和二元逻辑回归分析,从符号层面对影响互动双方的符号要素以及互动中的符号行为内容进行研究。明确了语言、行为、数字符号在互动中的影响因素及作用机制。在实践层面,设计师对基于数字产品进行的老幼代际行为设计时,需要从互动方式、互动机制以及互动理念3个方面,通过合理、有序、积极的符号互动逻辑,促进“数字反哺”的顺利展开。

年轻老年帕金森病病人认知障碍的影响因素及其预测模型构建

目的:探讨年轻老年帕金森病病人认知障碍的风险因素,并依据风险因素构建预测模型。方法:以帕金森病进展标志物倡议(PPMI)数据库中164例完成第5年随访的年轻老年帕金森病病人为研究对象,采用蒙特利尔认知评估量表(MoCA)评估认知功能,将164例年轻老年帕金森病病人分为认知正常(PD⁃NC)组和认知障碍(PD⁃CI)组,采用Logistic回归分析探讨年轻老年帕金森病病人认知障碍的风险因素,并据此构建预测模型。结果:164例年轻老年帕金森病病人中,PD⁃NC组101例,PD⁃CI组63例,认知障碍发生率为38.4%。Logistic回归分析显示,病人年龄、受教育年限、国际帕金森和运动障碍协会⁃统一帕金森病评定量表第2部分(MDS⁃UPDRSⅡ)和第3部分(MDS⁃UPDRSⅢ)评分进入回归方程。构建的预测模型受试者工作特征曲线下面积为0.815。结论:年轻老年帕金森病病人认知功能受年龄、受教育年限、日常生活活动能力和运动功能影响,构建的预测模型区分度和校准度良好,可为早期甄别和干预年轻老年帕金森病病人认知障碍提供参考。

住区老幼代际共享公共活动空间营造研究——以安徽省合肥市若干典型住区为例

当前,我国一老一小问题逐渐凸显,现有的住区公共空间忽视了老幼群体共同使用的活动需求。本文从住区老幼人群的时空行为出发,通过调研不同时期住区老幼人群在住区公共空间的代际交往行为,并从中分析老幼代际行为的类型特征和时空规律,从时间和空间两个层面尝试构建住区公共空间老幼代际共享策略,旨在打造一个能促进两者代际共享的公共活动空间环境。

基于可供性理论的社区老幼游乐设施设计研究

目前隔代照看的现象普遍存在,社区公共游乐设施区域作为老幼日常活动的主要场所,设计规划往往从成人或者儿童视角出发,不能满足老幼的共同需求。因此,文章首先尝试引入可供性理论进行分析,通过用户访谈、行为观察等研究方法,从用户需求及互动行为出发,对社区公共游乐设施进行可供性挖掘。其次,获得用户需求初始描述后,从认知、功能、行为、感官、情感可供性五个层面进行分类归纳,并总结设计机会。最后,提出社区老幼游乐设施的设计原则和设计策略,从而改善现阶段社区公共游乐设施的不足,促进老幼群体和谐,提高他们的生活质量和幸福感。以期为社区老幼公共游乐设施的创新设计提供参考。

互联网使用对低龄老年人劳动参与的影响——老年人力资本提升视角

基于人力资本理论,构建“互联网使用-老年人力资本-劳动参与率”之间的影响机制,并采用中国健康与养老追踪调查(CHARLS)2018年和2020年的微观数据,运用Probit模型、IV Probit模型、倾向得分匹配等方法进行实证检验。研究发现,互联网使用能够显著提升低龄老年人劳动参与概率,其中,老年人力资本是二者之间产生影响的重要机制,且经过一系列的内生性和稳健性检验后,上述结论依然成立。此外,受教育水平越高的老年人,互联网使用对其劳动参与的促进效应越小;互联网使用对低龄老年人自雇工作具有显著的促进作用,且平均边际效应大于对受雇工作的影响。研究结论能够为提高老年人力资本水平、促进低龄老年人劳动参与提供政策启示。

自娱自适,皆抒性情——袁枚晚年山水诗析论

袁枚是乾嘉“性灵”诗坛的主将,其晚年的山水诗以“性情”为宗,极力描摹山水盛景,记录游行过程及所见所感,既抒发一己之真情,又贯彻古代山水诗谈玄说理的精神。体裁多变、喜写组诗、善用比拟、长于联想是其晚年山水诗的鲜明特色,这样的诗歌创作既有它独特的优点,也有一定的不足。

年轻和老年小鼠脂肪来源干细胞生物学特性对比

背景:脂肪来源干细胞具有抗衰老的作用,但来自不同年龄供者的脂肪来源干细胞是否有区别,还需深入研究。目的:对比老年和年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞的生物学特性。方法:分别从8周龄、14周龄C57BL小鼠脂肪组织中提取脂肪来源干细胞,对比分析老年和年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞的细胞周期、凋亡、增殖能力的差异,定量PCR和Western blot检测老年和年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞衰老相关P21、P27基因和蛋白的表达。结果与结论:与老年小鼠脂肪来源干细胞相比,年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞更有活力,形态更规则,凋亡更少,增殖更快,衰老相关P21、P27基因和蛋白表达量更低,说明年轻小鼠脂肪来源干细胞具有更好的抗衰老作用。

老幼友好型社区活动空间的规划设计

基于儿童友好理念,在老龄化日益加剧的背景下,社会对老幼群体的关注度不断提升,社区活动空间规划设计应强化对老幼群体的关怀问题也进入了各级政府和学界的视野。尤其在老幼群体规模较大的社区,社区公共活动空间设计要以构建友善包容、促进代际交流融合的安全、多样化、多功能、舒适的空间环境为原则,以提升老幼群体在社区公共活动空间的活动质量与幸福指数为宗旨。综合考量老年人和儿童的身体特点、兴趣爱好、认知能力、情感需求等因素,才能确保活动空间能够满足老幼群体的多样化需求,推动老幼友好型社区的建设和发展,使之成为促进社区和谐、增进居民福祉的重要场所。

自我效能在低龄老年人社会支持与养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿中的中介作用

目的 了解南京市低龄老年人社会支持、自我效能与养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿的现状,探讨自我效能在社会支持与养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿中的中介作用。方法 采用一般资料调查表、社会支持评定量表、一般自我效能量表、低龄老年人养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿量表对南京市365名低龄老年人进行问卷调查。采用Pearson相关分析各变量之间的相关性,并使用分层回归法和Bootstrap方法分析检验自我效能在低龄老年人社会支持与养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿间的中介效应。结果 南京市低龄老年人社会支持总得分(35.40±7.70)分,主观支持(20.58±4.61)分,客观支持(7.61±3.22)分,支持利用度(7.14±1.75)分;自我效能总分为(27.15±7.24)分,总均分为(2.72±0.72)分;养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿总得分为(14.01±2.82)分,各条目均分为(4.67±0.94)分。低龄老年人社会支持与自我效能呈正相关(r=0.246,P<0.01),与养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿呈正相关(r=0.293,P<0.01);自我效能与养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿呈正相关(r=0.240,P<0.01)。社会支持、自我效能正向预测参与意愿(P均<0.001)。社会支持对养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿的直接效应值为0.030(95%C1:0.019~0.043),直接效应占总效应的83.3%,自我效能在社会支持和养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿之间的部分中介效应为0.006(95%C1:0.002~0.009),中介效应占总效应的16.7%。结论 自我效能在社会支持和养老服务互助时间平台参与意愿之间起部分中介作用,提高低龄老年人自我效能感,有利于提高其互助养老参与意愿。