INTEGRAZIONE DEI TEST DI PROFITTO AI MANUALI D'ITALIANO USATI IN CINA PER STUDENTI UNIVERSITARI

In questo articolo vengono presentati e discussi i risultati di una ricerca-azione fatta tra gli studenti universitari sinofoni con l’integrazione dei test di autovalutazione/valutazione sviluppati a seconda delle caratteristiche del manuale utilizzato e dei problemi principali degli apprendenti sinofoni. Dopo una presentazione sintetica del contesto dell’insegnamento d’italiano in Cina e i manuali usati, si procede con un confronto del sistema morfosintattico e fonologico tra il cinese mandarino e l’italiano per analizzare le possibili cause delle problematiche degli studenti cinesi nell’apprendimento dell’italiano. Pianificando una serie di valutazioni formative nel programma didattico sin dall’inizio del processo di apprendimento e proponendo gli appositi piani di recupero dopo la somministrazione dei test, si mira ad avere un miglior monitoraggio dell’andamento dello studio dell’italiano LS e nello stesso tempo si offre agli studenti un’occasione per riflettere sui risultati del proprio percorso di apprendimento e si chiede loro di assumersi più responsabilità nel proprio studio.   Integration of self-assessment tests with Italian textbooks used in China for university students This article presents and discusses the results of an action research carried out among university students in China with the integration of self-assessment/evaluation tests developed according to the characteristics of the textbook in use and the main problems the students encountered while learning Italian. Following a brief presentation of the context of teaching Italian in China and the textbooks in use, a comparison of the morphosyntactic and phonological system between Mandarin Chinese and Italian analyzes the possible causes of problems faced by Chinese students learning Italian. By planning a series of formative assessments as part of the didactic program from the beginning of the learning process and proposing appropriate recovery plans afterwards, the action research aimed to better monitor of the progress of the study of Italian LS while offering students an opportunity to reflect on the results of their learning path and take more responsibility in their study

Dismantling the Black Box: Understanding Consumers\u27 Motivations for the Usage of Live Streaming Shopping Platform

Capturing consumers’ motivations for using the live streaming shopping platform (LSSP) can help guide the optimization of the platform and enhance shopping experience of consumers while watching live videos. Previous studies on user motivation typically explored technical and psychological antecedents of usage by considering the platform holistically. However, this black-box like treatment to the platform blurs the finer-grained details of consumer usage. This study takes a micro-level approach, disassembling the LSSP into 13 representative design features, and refines nine user motivations based on the uses and gratifications theory. Through collecting 237 questionnaires and employing regression analysis, we reveal the nuanced relationship between platform design features and consumer motivations. Our findings show that different design features are driven by distinct motivations, diverging from overall LSSP usage motivations. This research broadens the scope of LSSP studies, improves platform functionality, and offers practical insights for service providers

Imaging of brain function based on the analysis of functional connectivity - imaging analysis of brain function by fMRI after acupuncture at LR3 in healthy individuals

Objective: This Study observed the relevant brain areas activated by acupuncture at the Taichong acupoint (LR3) and analyzed the functional connectivity among brain areas using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the acupoint specificity of the Taichong acupoint.Methods: A total of 45 healthy subjects were randomly divided into the Taichong (LR3) group, sham acupuncture group and sham acupoint group. Subjects received resting state fMRI before acupuncture, after true (sham) acupuncture in each group. Analysis of changes in connectivity among the brain areas was performed using the brain functional connectivity method.Results: The right cerebrum temporal lobe was selected as the seed point to analyze the functional connectivity. It had a functional connectivity with right cerebrum superior frontal gyrus, limbic lobe cingulate gyrus and left cerebrum inferior temporal gyrus (BA 37), inferior parietal lobule compared by before vs. after acupuncture at LR3, and right cerebrum sub-lobar insula and left cerebrum middle frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus compared by true vs. sham acupuncture at LR3, and right cerebrum occipital lobe cuneus, occipital lobe sub-gyral, parietal lobe precuneus and left cerebellum anterior lobe culmen by acupuncture at LR3 vs. sham acupoint.Conclusion: Acupuncture at LR3 mainly specifically activated the brain functional network that participates in visual function, associative function, and emotion cognition, which are similar to the features on LR3 in tradition Chinese medicine. These brain areas constituted a neural network structure with specific functions that had specific reference values for the interpretation of the acupoint specificity of the Taichong acupoint.Keywords: acupuncture, Taichong(LR3), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional connectivit

CERKL regulates autophagy via the NAD-dependent deacetylase SIRT1

<p>Macroautophagy/autophagy is an important intracellular mechanism for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Here we show that the <i>CERKL</i> (ceramide kinase like) gene, a retinal degeneration (RD) pathogenic gene, plays a critical role in regulating autophagy by stabilizing SIRT1. <i>In vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>, suppressing CERKL results in impaired autophagy. SIRT1 is one of the main regulators of acetylation/deacetylation in autophagy. In CERKL-depleted retinas and cells, SIRT1 is downregulated. ATG5 and ATG7, 2 essential components of autophagy, show a higher degree of acetylation in CERKL-depleted cells. Overexpression of SIRT1 rescues autophagy in CERKL-depleted cells, whereas CERKL loses its function of regulating autophagy in SIRT1-depleted cells, and overexpression of CERKL upregulates SIRT1. Finally, we show that CERKL directly interacts with SIRT1, and may regulate its phosphorylation at Ser27 to stabilize SIRT1. These results show that CERKL is an important regulator of autophagy and it plays this role by stabilizing the deacetylase SIRT1.</p

IMAGING OF BRAIN FUNCTION BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY - IMAGING ANALYSIS OF BRAIN FUNCTION BY FMRI AFTER ACUPUNCTURE

Objective: This Study observed the relevant brain areas activated by acupuncture at the Taichong acupoint (LR3) and analyzed the functional connectivity among brain areas using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the acupoint specificity of the Taichong acupoint. Methods: A total of 45 healthy subjects were randomly divided into the Taichong (LR3) group, sham acupuncture group and sham acupoint group. Subjects received resting state fMRI before acupuncture, after true (sham) acupuncture in each group. Analysis of changes in connectivity among the brain areas was performed using the brain functional connectivity method. Results: The right cerebrum temporal lobe was selected as the seed point to analyze the functional connectivity. It had a functional connectivity with right cerebrum superior frontal gyrus, limbic lobe cingulate gyrus and left cerebrum inferior temporal gyrus (BA 37), inferior parietal lobule compared by before vs. after acupuncture at LR3, and right cerebrum sub-lobar insula and left cerebrum middle frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus compared by true vs. sham acupuncture at LR3, and right cerebrum occipital lobe cuneus, occipital lobe sub-gyral, parietal lobe precuneus and left cerebellum anterior lobe culmen by acupuncture at LR3 vs. sham acupoint. Conclusion: Acupuncture at LR3 mainly specifically activated the brain functional network that participates in visual function, associative function, and emotion cognition, which are similar to the features on LR3 in tradition Chinese medicine. These brain areas constituted a neural network structure with specific functions that had specific reference values for the interpretation of the acupoint specificity of the Taichong acupoint

Case Report: Suspected Case of Brucella-Associated Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome

Human brucellosis is one of the most prevalent zoonoses. There are many similarities between the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection and that of brucellosis. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) may occur during the treatment of MTB infection, but it has not been reported in brucellosis cases thus far. We report the case of a 40-year-old male whose condition initially improved after adequate anti-Brucella therapy. However, 3 weeks later, the patient presented with exacerbation of symptoms and development of a paravertebral abscess. After exclusion of other possible causes of clinical deterioration, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) with brucellosis was presumed. After supplementation with anti-Brucella treatment with corticosteroids, the abscess disappeared, and the symptoms completely resolved. Our case suggests that it is necessary to be aware of the possible occurrence of IRIS in patients with brucellosis in clinical practice

Exploring the mechanistic role of alloying elements in copper-based electrocatalysts for the reduction of carbon dioxide to methane

The promise of electrochemically reducing excess anthropogenic carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and fuels has gained significant interest. Recently, indium–copper (In–Cu) alloys have been recognized as prospective catalysts for the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), although they chiefly yield carbon monoxide. Generating further reduced C1 species such as methane remains elusive due to a limited understanding of how In–Cu alloying impacts electrocatalysis. In this work, we investigated the effect of alloying In with Cu for CO2RR to form methane through first-principles simulations. Compared with pure copper, In–Cu alloys suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction while demonstrating superior initial CO2RR selectivity. Among the alloys studied, In7Cu10 exhibited the most promising catalytic potential, with a limiting potential of −0.54 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Analyses of adsorbed geometries and electronic structures suggest that this decreased overpotential arises primarily from electronic perturbations around copper and indium ions and carbon–oxygen bond stability. This study outlines a rational strategy to modulate metal alloy compositions and design synergistic CO2RR catalysts possessing appreciable activity and selectivity