1,407 research outputs found
Code-switching as appraisal resource in talking about third parties
This article explores the function of code-switching in talking about absent third parties. The basis for the investigation is a corpus of sociolinguistic individual and group interviews with German immigrants in the US and American immigrants in Germany. In these interviews, the interviewees are asked to recount their migration experiences and their lives before and after migration. For each individual speaker, the interviewer and – in the group interviews – the other participants in the group are, on the one hand, potentially 'sympathetic' fellow migrants. On the other hand, however, they are potentially problematic figures, because talking about absent third parties means that these third parties might share characteristics with the interviewer or the others in the group. Talking about third parties can, thus, be face-threatening for both the interviewer and the interviewees. In the analyses presented in this article, we identify how speakers employ English-to-German code-switching when it comes to verbalizing others – specifically members of home and host cultures – in discourse and how they position themselves and their audience in relation to them
Into the blue – The blue economy model in Operation Phakisa ‘Unlocking the Ocean Economy’ Programme
Significance:
Economic and social benefits of ocean resource uses have motivated numerous nations, including South Africa, to turn to their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) to advance economic development initiatives. Such initiatives result in increasing and spatially competitive pressures on ocean systems, compromising ecosystem services and market and non-market ocean benefits. It is critical to prioritise sustainable development in any ocean or blue economy advancement programmes (where the blue economy model most often parallels a terrestrial green economy, to incorporate sustainability and inclusivity pillars over and above the often GDP-centred ocean economy model). We explore multiple definitions of ocean and blue economies, discuss the importance of adopting blue economy models, and examine how the South African Operation Phakisa – Unlocking the Ocean Economy initiative presents numerous features aligned with ocean sustainable development, sustainability, and inclusivity, which strongly align it to a blue economy model
Anatomical, pathological and clinical study of donkey teeth
Eighty normal cheek teeth and 26 normal incisors extracted from 14 donkeys (median age 19
years) at post mortem were anatomically examined including grossly and by computerised axial
tomography (CAT) imaging. Decalcified histology was performed on 54 sections from 18 teeth
(8 donkeys), undeclacified histology on 16 sections from 7 donkeys and scanning electron
microscopy on 10 sections from 10 teeth (3 donkeys). The dental formulae and tooth number
was found to be the same as in horses with a higher prevalence (17 %) of canine teeth in female
donkeys. A decrease in tooth length, pulp horn length and pulp horn width with age was
illustrated, as was an increase in occlusal secondary dentine depth with age, although not all
these age changes were statistically significant. Normal histological and ultrastructural features
of donkey teeth were identified and found to be similar to equine findings. Enamel was found to
be thicker buccally in both maxillary and mandibular cheek teeth. Quantitative measurements of
transverse dentine thickness around pulp cavities, dentinal tubule diameters and densities, and
enamel prism diameters were made. Left lower incisors (301) were extracted from 7 donkeys
and 6 horses for micro-hardness determination of enamel, primary and secondary dentine using a
Knoop Hardness indenter. No significant difference between donkey and horse incisor
microhardness was demonstrated. Examination of 19 donkey skulls at post mortem examination
showed donkeys to have a higher degree of anisognathia (27%) compared to horses (23%).
Post mortem dental examination of 349 donkeys (median age 31) demonstrated a high
prevalence of dental disease (93%) and in particular cheek teeth diastemata (85%). Furthermore,
age was associated with increasing prevalence of dental disease and diastemata. Diastemata were
also associated with the presence of other dental disorders and with colic-related death in
affected donkeys. Quantitative measurements of 45 diastemata from 16 donkeys showed no
difference in the medial and lateral width of diastemata but periodontal pockets were deeper
laterally. The definition of valve and open diastemata were confirmed. Pulp exposure, dental
caries and periodontal disease were examined in detail (54 skulls) at post mortem. A total of 19
teeth were extracted for further detailed examination as performed in normal anatomy.
Clinical dental examinations were performed on 357 donkeys in the U.K. that were selected for
age distribution, and the prevalence of dental disease in different age groups was found to
increase from 28% in the youngest group (age 0-10 years) to 98% in the oldest group (age > 35
years). An increased prevalence of most dental disorders with age was demonstrated as was an
association between dental disease and weight loss, poor body condition score, supplemental
feeding and previous episodes of colic. Clinical dental examination of 203 working donkeys in
Mexico showed similar types of dental disorders as found in the U.K. study, with dental disease
present in 62%, of which 18% required urgent dental treatment. There was a significant
association between age groups and dental disease, and age groups and body condition score, but
there was no association between dental disease and body condition score. However, body
condition score was not associated with supplemental feeding or faecal egg counts either
Baseline adjustment methodology in a shared water savings contract during severe water restrictions – a case study in the Western Cape, South Africa
A novel method for baseline adjustment in a shared water savings contract under serious drought conditions was presented in a companion paper. The newly developed baseline adjustment method was subsequently applied to a case study, as discussed in this manuscript. The case study involved application of the method to 24 relatively complex sites, spread over the Western Cape Province in South Africa. The sites included, for example, military bases, naval dockyards, an airforce base, prison facilities, large multi-storey blocks of flats and administrative office buildings. Baseline adjustment became essential mid-contract during the serious water restrictions in Cape Town at the time. The restrictions were linked to the ‘Day Zero’ scenario in 2018 when water supply would potentially run out, and resulted in water savings at baseline sites that were ascribed to external factors. The study incorporated a comprehensive review of the approved baseline reports with site visits to 12 of the properties. The baseline adjustment method provided a robust means to obtain adjustments for sites with relatively limited data. The minimum data requirement was a record of monthly water consumption per site. The adjustments varied between 0% and 64% of the original baseline value for the different sites in the study sample. The relatively higher adjustments were linked to sites where outdoor irrigation and pool water use was prevalent during the baseline-setting period, but was banned during the drought. Zero adjustments were found for sites with exceptionally high leakage flows that had subsequently been repaired; leaks dwarfed actual use in these cases. The results for all 24 sites were accepted by the contracting parties as being reasonable and fair.Keywords: baselines, shared water savings contrac
Salt-dependent Blood Pressure in Human Aldosterone Synthase-Transgenic Mice
Hypertension is one of the most important, preventable causes of premature morbidity and mortality in the developed world. Aldosterone is a major mineralocorticoid hormone that plays a key role in the regulation of blood pressure and is implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension and heart failure. Aldosterone synthase (AS, cytochrome P450 11B2, cyp11B2) is the sole enzyme responsible for the production of aldosterone in humans. To determine the effects of increased expression of human aldosterone synthase (hAS) on blood pressure (BP), we established transgenic mice carrying the hAS gene (cyp11B2). We showed that hAS overexpression increased levels of aldosterone in hAS+/− mice. On high salt diet (HS), BPs of hAS+/− mice were significantly increased compared with WT mice. Fadrozole (an inhibitor of aldosterone synthase) treatment significantly reduced BPs of hAS+/− mice on HS. This is the first time overexpression of AS in a transgenic mouse line has shown an ability to induce HP. Specifically inhibiting AS activity in these mice is a promising therapy for reducing hypertension. This hAS transgenic mouse model is therefore an ideal animal model for hypertension therapy studies
The photoelectric effect in external fields
Atoms and negative ions interacting with laser photons yield a coherent
source of photoelectrons. Applying external fields to photoelectrons gives rise
to interesting and valuable interference phenomena. We analyze the spatial
distribution of the photocurrent using elementary quantum methods. The
photoelectric effect is shown to be an interesting example for the use of
coherent particle sources in quantum mechanics.Comment: Contribution to the Einstein special issue, slightly updated
reference
Reflected Schr\"odinger Bridge for Constrained Generative Modeling
Diffusion models have become the go-to method for large-scale generative
models in real-world applications. These applications often involve data
distributions confined within bounded domains, typically requiring ad-hoc
thresholding techniques for boundary enforcement. Reflected diffusion models
(Lou23) aim to enhance generalizability by generating the data distribution
through a backward process governed by reflected Brownian motion. However,
reflected diffusion models may not easily adapt to diverse domains without the
derivation of proper diffeomorphic mappings and do not guarantee optimal
transport properties. To overcome these limitations, we introduce the Reflected
Schrodinger Bridge algorithm: an entropy-regularized optimal transport approach
tailored for generating data within diverse bounded domains. We derive elegant
reflected forward-backward stochastic differential equations with Neumann and
Robin boundary conditions, extend divergence-based likelihood training to
bounded domains, and explore natural connections to entropic optimal transport
for the study of approximate linear convergence - a valuable insight for
practical training. Our algorithm yields robust generative modeling in diverse
domains, and its scalability is demonstrated in real-world constrained
generative modeling through standard image benchmarks
Emerging Roles of Cellular Metabolism in Regulating Dendritic Cell Subsets and Function
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the bridge between innate and T cell-dependent adaptive immunity and are promising therapeutic targets for cancer and immune-mediated disorders. Upon stimulation by pathogen or danger-sensing receptors, DCs become activated and poised to induce T cell priming. Recent studies have identified critical roles of metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and fatty acid metabolism, in orchestrating DC function. In this review, we discuss the shared and distinct metabolic programs shaping the functional specification of different DC subsets, including conventional DCs, bone marrow-derived DCs, and plasmacytoid DCs. We also briefly discuss the signaling networks that tune metabolic programs in DC subsets
Community Engagement newsletter, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Autumn, 2012
The 5th Annual Donkey Workshop at Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria, from 2 to 3 March 2012, funded by the Donkey Sanctuary, UK / Dr Nicole du Toit -- Rust de Winter excursion / Dr Fortune Sithole -- History and origin of the Makapanstad CVC / Dr Debbie PleanerOriginally published as HTML file, converted to PDF with Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Version 9.0.0.The 5th Annual Donkey Workshop at Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria, from 2 to 3 March 2012, funded by the
Donkey Sanctuary, UK / Nicole du Toit -- Rust de Winter Excursion / Fortune Sithole -- History and origin of the
Makapanstad CVC / Debbie Pleaner.ab2012mn201
Potential Antioxidative Effects of Kolaviron on Reproductive Function in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats
The present study investigated the effects of Kolaviron (KV) on the testicular and epididymal tissue antioxidant status in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ at 50Â mg/kg body weight. The antioxidant status was studied by evaluating epididymal and testicular levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation (LPO) marker, and the activities of catalase (CAT) glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also assessed using biochemical techniques. Diabetes induction resulted in testicular and epididymal LPO and adversely affected the activities of antioxidant enzymes evident by a noticeable decrease in enzyme activity in both tissues. The potential antioxidative effects of KV in the testicular and epididymal tissues of STZ-induced diabetes were revealed by its ability to mitigate against LPO and increase the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes in the reproductive tissues studied. KV might potentially be used as an antioxidant as well as antidiabetic treatment; however, further studies are needed
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