Meeting the Needs of Chinese English Language Learners at Writing Centers in America: A Proposed Culturally Responsive Model

This paper describes the ways in which Writing Centers (WC) currently serve English Language Learners (ELL) at American universities. The authors argue that the pedagogy offered at these centers does not always meet the needs of the Chinese ELLs who make up the largest population of ELLs at American universities. The proposed supplemental model they recommend, which is grounded in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP), has the potential to better meet the needs of Chinese ELLs. The authors identify obstacles to successful implementation of the proposed model and ways in which these, and gaps in research, can be addressed by directors of Writing Centers

Crossover point and maximal fat oxidation training effects on blood lipid metabolism in young overweight women: a pilot study

Purpose: To determine the effects of weight reduction schemes using the exercise intensities corresponding to maximal fat oxidation (FATmax) and crossover point (COP). The effects of different intervention protocols on blood lipid metabolism were compared to explore how fat can be consumed and used more efficiently and provide a theoretical basis for weight loss through exercise.Methods: This study included 30 young overweight women randomly divided into the COP, FATmax, and control groups. Participants in the COP and FATmax groups exercised for 45 min four times a week for 8 weeks after the individual treadmill exercise test. The control group did not perform any exercise.Results: After 8 weeks of training, participants in the COP group significantly decreased weight (2.6 ± 3.3 kg), body mass index (0.91 ± 1.26 kg/m2), body fat percentage (1.21% ± 1.50%), and fat mass (1.90 ± 2.30 kg) (p < 0.05). They also had significantly decreased hip circumference (4.8 ± 3.3 cm), serum apolipoprotein B (ApoB) levels (15.48 ± 14.19 mg/dL), and ApoB/apolipoprotein AI (ApoAI) ratios (0.47 ± 0.37) (p < 0.01). However, their serum ApoAI levels were significantly increased (14.18 ± 10.24 mg/dL; p < 0.01). Participants in the FATmax group had significantly decreased hip circumference (2.4 ± 2.0 cm), serum ApoB levels (14.49 ± 11.00 mg/dL), and ApoB/ApoAI ratios (0.59 ± 0.30) (p < 0.01) but significantly increased serum ApoAI levels (29.53 ± 13.29 mg/dL; p < 0.01). No significant changes in physiological indexes were observed in participants in the control group.Conclusion: Personalised exercise intervention positively affected central obesity, effectively improving blood lipid metabolism and fat oxidation, reducing cardiovascular disease risk in young overweight women. COP training improved weight and body composition better than the FATmax exercise, while the latter provided greater improvements in serum ApoAI levels

Service Life Prediction of Electrolytic Capacitors in Urban Rail Transit Based on Analytical Iteration and GM (

In the power supply of urban rail transit system, electrolytic capacitors are used in large numbers. They suffer from inevitable ripple currents; such ripple currents generate heat dissipation, which shortens their service life seriously. To increase the reliability of the whole power supply system, the aging process of electrolytic capacitors must be evaluated, so that their service life could be predicted and measures could be taken in advance before their failures. When they are applied into the power supply system, the accuracy of conventional approaches is somewhat lowered, owing to the existence of unpredictable ripple current and ambient temperature variations. In this paper, we build an analytical ripple model to offer online aging monitoring of electrolytic capacitors. After that, a GM(2,1) model is adopted to predict service life with higher accuracy than conventional approaches

N-(4-Hydroxy­pheneth­yl)acetamide

In the title compound, C10H13NO2, the occurrence of inter­molecular N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the hydr­oxy and acetamido groups results in the formation of tetra­mers with an R 4 4(25) graph-set motif. These tetra­mers are further assembled, building up a corrugated sheet parallel to (001)

The β-modification of trizinc borate phosphate, Zn3(BO3)(PO4)

Crystals of β-Zn3(BO3)(PO4) have been grown by the Kyropoulos method. The asymmetric unit contains three Zn sites, three B-atom sites (all with symmetry 3), two P sites (both with m symmetry) and nine O-atom sites (four with m symmetry). The fundamental building units of the title structure are isolated BO3 triangles and PO4 tetra­hedra, which are bridged by ZnO4 tetra­hedra or ZnO5 trigonal bipyramids through common O atoms, leading to a three-dimensional framework structure. Some significant structural differences between the β-polymorph and the α-polymorph are discussed

Promoting routine syphilis screening among men who have sex with men in China: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of syphilis self-testing and lottery incentive.

BACKGROUND: Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a high burden of syphilis infection. Expanding syphilis testing to improve timely diagnosis and treatment is critical to improve syphilis control. However, syphilis testing rates remain low among MSM, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We describe the protocol for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess whether provision of syphilis self-testing services can increase the uptake of syphilis testing among MSM in China. METHODS: Four hundred forty-four high-risk MSM will be recruited online and randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to (1) standard syphilis self-testing arm; (2) a self-testing arm program enhanced with crowdsourcing and a lottery-based incentive, and (3) a standard of care (control). Self-testing services include a free syphilis self-test kit through the mail at monthly intervals. Participants in the lottery incentive arm will additionally receive health promotion materials generated from an open crowdsourcing contest and be given a lottery draw with a 10% chance to win 100 RMB (approximately 15 US Dollars) upon confirmed completion of syphilis testing. Syphilis self-test kits have step-by-step instructions and an instructional video. This is a non-blinded, open-label, parallel RCT. Participants in each arm will be followed-up at three and 6 months through WeChat (a social media app like Facebook messenger). Confirmation of syphilis self-test use will be determined by requiring participants to submit a photo of the used test kit to study staff via secure data messaging. Both self-testing and facility-based testing will be ascertained by sending a secure photographic image of the completed kit through an existing digital platform. The primary outcome is the proportion of participants who tested for syphilis in the past 3 months. DISCUSSION: Findings from this study will provide much needed insight on the impact of syphilis self-testing on promoting routine syphilis screening among MSM. The findings will also contribute to our understanding of the safety, effectiveness and acceptability of syphilis self-testing. These findings will have important implications for self-testing policy, both in China and internationally. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR1900022409 (10 April, 2019)

Ultrasonography Monitoring of Trauma-Induced Heterotopic Ossification: Guidance for Rehabilitation Procedures

Traumatic injury is one of varying causes of heterotopic ossification (HO). After HO occurrence, rehabilitation training need alterations to avoid the aggravation of HO. Therefore, monitoring of HO development plays an important role in the rehabilitation procedure. The aims of this study are to evaluate the post-traumatic HO occurring at various joints, to describe the features of HO development in ultrasound images, and to provide a guidance for the orthopedist to make individualized rehabilitation therapy. Eight subjects with the post-traumatic HO were recruited in this study. The joints on the injured side was examined by plain radiography. The joints on the injured side and the corresponding sites on the uninjured sides were scanned by ultrsonography. The HO tissues were segmented automatically using a semi-supervised segmentation algorithm. Then the HO tissues were evaluated in comparison with the corresponding region of the uninjured side. During the development stage of immature HO, ultrasonography was sensitive to observe the involved soft tissue and the calcification of HO. The characteristics of HO tissues in ultrasound image included the hyperechoic mass occasionally accompanied with acoustic shadow and the irregular muscular architecture. It was found that the mean grayscale value of HO was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that of the uninjured side at the middle and late stages. During the development period of HO, the HO grayscale value gradually increased and the mean grayscale of value of mature HO was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of immature HO. According to the information of HO provided by ultrasound, the orthopedist properly adjusted the rehabilitation treatment. The results demonstrated that the visualization of HO using ultrasonography revealed the development of HO in the muscle tissues around the injured joints and thus provide a guidance for the orthopedist to make individualized rehabilitation therapy. Ultrasound could be a useful imaging modality for quantitative evaluation of HO during the rehabilitation of traumatic injury

Optimizing Peer Distribution of Syphilis Self-Testing Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: A Multi-City Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

Syphilis testing uptake is low among men who have sex with men (MSM) around the world. Syphilis self-testing (SST) may complement facility-based testing; the distribution model is yet to be explored. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of peer distribution of syphilis self-testing on promoting syphilis testing. We conducted a three-arm, unblinded, parallel individually randomized controlled trial among MSM in three cities in Guangdong, China. Inclusion criteria were: men who were born biologically male, aged 18 or above, have ever had sex with a man, will refer the interventions to peers, and will take the three-month follow-up survey. Enrolled indexes were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio into standard-of-care arm (SOC arm), standard SST delivery arm (S-SST arm), and a web-based referral link SST delivery arm (RL-SST arm). The primary outcome was the number of returned photograph-verified syphilis testing results per index. A total number of 300 indexes were enrolled, with 100 indexes in each arm. The number of verified syphilis tests per index conducted by alters was 0.05 in the control arm, 0.51 in the S-SST arm, and 0.31 in the RL-SST arm. The cost per alter tested was $760.60 for SOC,$83.78 for S-SST, and $93.10 for RL-SST. Minimal adverse event was reported among both indexes and alters during the study. This study showed that peer distribution of SST could improve syphilis testing uptake among MSM in China compared to facility-based testing. This approach warrants further consideration as part of expanding syphilis self-testing

Two-phase exhumation along major shear zones in the SE Tibetan Plateau in the late Cenozoic

Three continent-scale shear zones are arguably the most outstanding structural features in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, and therefore, their tectonic and landscape evolution have significant implications for understanding the history and mechanisms of intracontinental mountain building and plateau growth. This study presents low-temperature thermochronology from the Gaoligong and Chongshan shear zones (GLSZ and CSSZ) and quantitative analyses of fluvial longitudinal profiles of tributaries in the Salween drainage, which lies between the shear zones. Apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He data reveal a two-stage exhumation history for both shear zones: rapid and prominent cooling in the middle Miocene followed by a second, lower magnitude cooling event in the late Miocene to early Pliocene. Ductile transpressional shearing is inferred to have caused the first cooling, continuing until ~11\ua0Ma. The northward migration of the tectonic events along the Mogok metamorphic belt and GLSZ and synchronous dextral displacement along the Jiali fault indicate the dominant role of the north advancing eastern Himalayan syntaxis on the surrounding structures. Increased river incision is identified in the middle Salween drainage, leading to two-segment river profiles and further exhumation along the GLSZ and CSSZ. The tributary transient response could result from temporal changes in uplift or adjustments of the trunk channel to climatic change. Furthermore, glaciers play an important role in shaping the landscape of the upper reaches of catchments in the northern segment of the shear zones. Different drivers for the two exhumation events may reflect distinct stages of plateau growth characterized by different crustal deformation patterns