English adaptation in Mandarin A-not-A constructions

A-not-A refers to a Mandarin reduplication construction where the underlying form /RED-pu-A/ contains a reduplication of the first syllable in A. In this study I investigate the kinds of adaptations that occur when an English word serves as the base A in code-switching speech. Since the complex onsets and most codas allowed in English are illegal in Mandarin syllables, the reduplicated part is expected to adapt to Mandarin phonotactics to some degree. I ran a production experiment where 20 native Mandarin-speakers were asked to produce A-not-A constructions with 55 mono- and multi-syllabic English words. Results from the experiment showed varied adaptation methods in syllable structure and tones. To model the results, I used the Maximum Entropy Harmonic Grammar (MaxEnt) with weighted constraints on syllable structure markedness and base-reduplicant faithfulness

Distribution and Abundance of Archaea in South China Sea Sponge Holoxea sp. and the Presence of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea in Sponge Cells

Compared with bacterial symbionts, little is known about archaea in sponges especially about their spatial distribution and abundance. Understanding the distribution and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea will help greatly in elucidating the potential function of symbionts in nitrogen cycling in sponges. In this study, gene libraries of 16S rRNA gene and ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) genes and quantitative real-time PCR were used to study the spatial distribution and abundance of archaea in the South China Sea sponge Holoxea sp. As a result, Holoxea sp. specific AOA, mainly group C1a (marine group I: Crenarchaeota) were identified. The presence of ammonia-oxidizing crenarchaea was observed for the first time within sponge cells. This study suggested a close relationship between sponge host and its archaeal symbionts as well as the archaeal potential contribution to sponge host in the ammonia-oxidizing process of nitrification

Job burnout and associated influencing factors in employees of 7 research and development enterprises in Minhang District of Shanghai

BackgroundJob burnout is an early mental health condition caused by job stress and contributes to many negative effects on work and life. Employees of research and development (R&D) enterprises are exposed to constant pressure from innovation, production speed and sales expansion, and they are prone to burnout symptoms if such factors are not under effective control. ObjectiveTo evaluate the current situation of job burnout among employees of R&D enterprises in Minhang District of Shanghai and explore its influencing factors. MethodsDuring November to December 2021, a cross-sectional study was developed and a convenient sampling method was used to enroll employees from 7 R&D enterprises in Minhang District of Shanghai. On the basis of voluntary participation with informed consent, a survey was conducted by using a self-made questionnaire (collecting data about general demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, behavior and lifestyle), the Chinese version of the Concise Occupational Stress Questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. Occupational stress and its dimensions (job demand, job control, and social support) were divided into high, medium, and low levels according to tertiles. The positive rate of job burnout was reported according to score categorization (<1.5 refers to no job burnout, ≥1.5 refers to job burnout, where ≥1.5 and <3.5 refer to mild and moderate job burnout, and ≥3.5 refers to severe job burnout). Potential influencing factors of job burnout were evaluated by using one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, forward stepwise regression, and non-conditional binary logistic regression (α=0.05, two-sided test). ResultsA total of 3153 subjects were enrolled and 3014 samples were included in the analysis, with a valid response rate of 95.6%. Among the included subjects, 888 (29.46%) reported no job burnout, 1775 (58.89%) reported mild to moderate job burnout, and 351 (11.64%) reported severe job burnout. The mean of total job burnout score was 2.17±1.12, and the dimentional mean scores were 2.78±1.61 for emotional exhaustion, 1.60±1.60 for cynicism, and 4.05±1.57 for diminished personal accomplishment. Varied categories of sex, age, marital status, working position, sleep status, job demand, job control, and social support groups of workers resulted in significant differences in job burnout score. Compared with the low job demand group, the positive rate of job burnout was elevated in the medium and high job demand groups; the risk of job burnout in the medium job demand group was 1.42 (95%CI: 1.04-1.94) times higher, and that in the high job demand group was 2.64 (95% CI : 2.17-3.22) times higher versus the low job demand group. The risk of job burnout in the medium job control group was 1.35 (95%CI: 1.06-1.72) times higher versus the low job control group. Compared with the low social support group, job burnout was less reported in the other groups, and the OR (95%CI) values of the medium and high social support groups were 0.41 (0.31-0.53) and 0.15 (0.12-0.19) respectively. ConclusionThe rate of reporting positive job burnout in R&D enterprises is high, which deserves sufficient attention. Relieving work pressure, increasing job control and social support, and maintaining adequate sleep are helpful to reduce job burnout

Optimization of Clostridium tyrobutyricum encapsulation by extrusion method and characterization of the formulation

Purpose: To optimize the process parameters for the encapsulation of Clostridium tyrobutyricum (Ct) and to determine its in vitro characteristics.Methods: The process parameters, including the concentration of the wall and hardening material, Ct to gelatin ratio and hardening time, were studied by single factor analysis, while optimization was performed by orthogonal experimental design for the encapsulation rate of Ct.Results: Optimal conditions exhibited by orthogonal experimental design at a 92.17 % encapsulation rate with a viable count of 9.61 ± 0.06 lgCFU/g were: 6 % modified starch, 3 % sodium alginate, and 2 % CaCl2 at a Ct to gelatin ratio of 1:1 with a hardening time of 30 min. The survival rates of encapsulated Ct were higher than free Ct in simulated gastric (6.22 %) and intestinal juices (15.55 %). Reduction in viable counts of Ct at 90 °C were higher for free cells (44.76 %) than encapsulated cells (28.09 %) after 30 min of heat treatment. Correspondingly, encapsulation boosted the capacity of Ct to withstand the strong acidic conditions of the stomach and improved the storage properties of Ct.Conclusion: The results suggested that extrusion is a good technique for the encapsulation of Ct, as it enhances the viability of Ct during their transit through the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, encapsulation is favorable for Ct if planned for use in formulations where high temperature treatment is required

Bidirectional regulation of angiogenesis and miR-18a expression by PNS in the mouse model of tumor complicated by myocardial ischemia

BACKGROUND: Panax Notoginseng Saponins (PNS) is the major class of active constituents of notoginseng, a natural product extensively used as a therapeutic agent in China. Tumor when accompanied by cardiovascular disorders poses a greater challenge for clinical management given the paradoxical involvement of angiogenesis, therefore gaining increased research attention. This study aim to investigate effects of PNS and its activity components in the mouse model of tumor complicated with myocardial ischemia. METHODS: Tumor complexed with myocardial ischemia mouse model was first established, which was followed by histological and immunohistochemistry examination to assess the effect of indicated treatments on tumor, myocardial ischemia and tissue specific angiogenesis. MicroRNA (miRNA) profiling was further carried out to identify potential miRNA regulators that might mechanistically underline the therapeutic effects of PNS in this complex model. RESULTS: PNS and its major activity components Rg1, Rb1 and R1 suppressed tumor growth and simultaneously attenuated myocardial ischemia. PNS treatment led to decreased expression of CD34 and vWF in tumor and increased expression of these vascular markers in heart. PNS treatment resulted in reduced expression of miR-18a in tumor and upregulated expression of miR-18a in heart. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated for the first time that PNS exerts tissue specific regulatory effects on angiogenesis in part through modulating the expression of miR-18a, which could be responsible for its bidirectional effect on complex disease conditions where paradoxical angiogenesis is implicated. Therefore, our study provides experimental evidence warranting evaluation of PNS and related bioactive component as a rational therapy for complex disease conditions including co-manifestation of cancer and ischemic cardiovascular disease

3D Facial Similarity Measure Based on Geodesic Network and Curvatures

Automated 3D facial similarity measure is a challenging and valuable research topic in anthropology and computer graphics. It is widely used in various fields, such as criminal investigation, kinship confirmation, and face recognition. This paper proposes a 3D facial similarity measure method based on a combination of geodesic and curvature features. Firstly, a geodesic network is generated for each face with geodesics and iso-geodesics determined and these network points are adopted as the correspondence across face models. Then, four metrics associated with curvatures, that is, the mean curvature, Gaussian curvature, shape index, and curvedness, are computed for each network point by using a weighted average of its neighborhood points. Finally, correlation coefficients according to these metrics are computed, respectively, as the similarity measures between two 3D face models. Experiments of different persons’ 3D facial models and different 3D facial models of the same person are implemented and compared with a subjective face similarity study. The results show that the geodesic network plays an important role in 3D facial similarity measure. The similarity measure defined by shape index is consistent with human’s subjective evaluation basically, and it can measure the 3D face similarity more objectively than the other indices

Compounds purified from edible fungi fight against chronic inflammation through oxidative stress regulation

Chronic inflammation is associated with various chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer, which severely affect the health and quality of life of people. Oxidative stress induced by unbalanced production and elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the essential risk factors for chronic inflammation. Recent studies, including the studies of mushrooms, which have received considerable attention, report that the antioxidant effects of natural compounds have more advantages than synthetic antioxidants. Mushrooms have been consumed by humans as precious nourishment for 3,000 years, and so far, more than 350 types have been identified in China. Mushrooms are rich in polysaccharides, peptides, polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids and are associated with several healthy biological functions, especially antioxidant properties. As such, the extracts purified from mushrooms could activate the expression of antioxidant enzymes through the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway to neutralize excessive ROS and inhibit ROS-induced chronic inflammation through the NF-κB pathway. Recently, the antioxidant properties of mushrooms have been successfully applied to treating cardiovascular disease (CAD), neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. The present review summarizes the antioxidant properties and the mechanism of compounds purified from mushrooms, emphasizing the oxidative stress regulation of mushrooms to fight against chronic inflammation

The clinical outcome of pembrolizumab for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a single center, real world study in China

BackgroundThe KEYNOTE-048 and KEYNOTE-040 study have demonstrated the efficacy of pembrolizumab in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M HNSCC), we conducted this real-world study to investigate the efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with R/M HNSCC.MethodsThis is a single-center retrospective study conducted in the Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Shanghai, China). Between December 2020 and December 2022, a total of 77 patients with R/M HNSCC were included into analysis. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR)and toxicity.Efficacy was assessed according to RECIST version 1.1.SPSS 27.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0 software were utilized to perform the statistical analysis.ResultsBy the cut-off date (February 28, 2023), the median OS,PFS and ORR were 15.97 months,8.53 months and 48.9% in patients treated with the pembrolizumab regimen in the first line therapy. Among these patients, 17 patients received pembrolizumab with cetuximab,and 18 received pembrolizumab with chemotherapy.We observed no significant differences between two groups neither in median OS (13.9 vs 19.4 months, P=0.3582) nor PFS (unreached vs 8.233 months, P= 0.2807). In the ≥2nd line therapy (n=30), the median OS, PFS and ORR were 5.7 months, 2.58 months and 20% respectively. Combined positive score (CPS) was eligible from 54 patients. For first line therapy, the median OS and PFS were 14.6 and 8.53 months in patients with CPS ≥1, and median OS and PFS were 14.6 and 12.33 months in patients with CPS ≥20. The immune-related adverse events (irAEs) were occurred in the 31 patients (31/77, 40.26%), and the most common potential irAEs were hypothyroidism (25.97%), and pneumonitis (7.79%).ConclusionOur real-world results indicated that pembrolizumab regimen is a promising treatment in patients with R/M HNSC