Maturation Effect or Generation Effect: Empirical Evidence from China

The failure to separate the effects of maturation, generation and zeitgeist on culture has been hindered the identification of cultural change for years. Hofstede regards it as a confusing matter. In this paper, we firstly use a new approach to assess the three effects,.then, according to the data from the investigation of China Telecom Company, we analyze the correlation between age variable and cultural dimensions. The empirical result shows that masculinity has the most significant change in China during the past twenty years. With the aid of the above approach, we also confirmed that the generation effect does work rather than the maturation effect does. Key words: Cultural change, maturation effect, generation effect, China Résumé : L’insuccès de séparer les effets de maturation , de génération et de l’esprit de l’époque sur la culture a pour conséquence le retard d’identification de changement culturel depuis des années . Hofstede la considère comme une question confuse . Dans ce texte , d’abord on se sert d’une nouvelle approche pour évaluer ces trois effets pour passer ensuite à l’analyse la corrélation entre l’âge variant et les dimensions culturelles selon les données recueillies dans les enquêtes de la Compagie Télécom de Chine . Le résultat empirique montre que la masculinité a connu le changement le plus signficatif durant les deux dernières décennies . A l’aide de cette approche ci-dessus , on affirme également que l’effet de génération joue son rôle , mais non pour l’effet de maturation . Mots-clés: changement culturel, effet de maturation, effet de génération, Chin

Perturbation Method for Solar/Infrared Radiative Transfer in a Scattering Medium with Vertical Inhomogeneity in Internal Optical Properties

A new scheme based on perturbation method is presented to solve the problem of solar/infrared radiative transfer (SRT/IRT) in a scattering medium, in which the inherent optical properties (IOPs) are vertically inhomogeneous. The Eddington approximation for SRT and the two-stream approximation for IRT are used as the zeroth-order solution, and multiple-scattering effect of inhomogeneous IOPs is included in the first-order solution. Observations show that the stratocumulus clouds are vertically inhomogeneous, and the accuracy of SRT/IRT for stratocumulus clouds by different solutions is evaluated. In the spectral band of 0.25–0.69 μm, the relative error in absorption with inhomogeneous SRT solution is 1.4% at most, but with the homogeneous SRT solution, it can be up to 7.4%. In the spectral band of 5–8 μm, the maximum relative error of downward emissivity can reach −11% for the homogeneous IRT solution but only −2% for the inhomogeneous IRT solution

The mechanical properties and strengthening mechanism of Nb-based super-alloys

AbstractIn the present paper, the mechanical properties and strengthening mechanism of Nb-based alloy were studied. The scanning electronic microscope, transmission electron microscope, Olympus optical microscope and vacuum high-temperature tensile engine were used to characterize the alloy. The Nb-based super alloy can be strengthening by two approaches. One is solid solution strengthening,i.e.W and Mo in the Nb based alloy act as alloy elements to form solid solution, improving high temperature creep properties.The other one was aging strengthening,i.e.C and Zr were added to form carbide particles during the aging. The effect of C and Zr content and heat treatment on aging strengthening was also investigated

Effect of binocular visual function training on the reconstruction of binocular visual function in postoperative patients with intermittent exotropia

AIM: To explore the effect of binocular visual function training on the reconstruction of binocular visual function and maintaining the stable eye position in postoperative patients with intermittent exotropia. METHODS: A total of 142 patients with intermittent exotropia underwent strabismus surgery in our hospital from January 2010 to December 2015 were enrolled. These patients were divided into two groups according to whether had binocular visual function training after surgery. The treatment group was used the DV-100 system to train the three-level visual function after surgery. For the control group, no intervention was performed after the operation. Respectively analysis the differences of binocular visual function and eye position in the two groups of patients before and 1mo after surgery, 3mo after surgery, 6mo after surgery, and 1a after surgery. RESULTS: The rate of the positive eye position in the treatment group was higher than the control group in the 6mo and 1a after surgery, and statistically significant difference was found(PCONCLUSION: The binocular visual function may have a certain degree of recovery in the patients with intermittent exotropia after surgery to obtain positive eye position. Through the postoperative visual perception learning and binocular visual function training, the binocular visual function can be better and faster recovered and reconstructed so as to obtain stereoscopic vision. It can better stabilize the eye position and help to reduce the rate of the patient's eye position fallback after surgery

Study of Bˉ0→D0μ+μ−\bar B^0 \to D^0 \mu^+\mu^- Decay in Perturbative QCD Approach

Within the perturbative QCD approach and ignoring the contributions of long distance and subleading penguin loops, we investigate $\bar B^0 \to D^0 \mu^+\mu^-$ decay in the large recoiling kinematic region in the Standard Model. At the tree level, $\bar B^0$ decays to $D^0$ by exchanging a $W$ boson accompanied by a virtual photon emission from the valence quarks of $\bar B^0$ and $D^0$ meson, then the virtual photon decays to the lepton pair. Numerically, we find that the branching ratio decreases rapidly as the $q^2$ increases, and the branching ratio of $\bar B^0\to D^0\mu^+\mu^-$ is $(9.7_{-3.2}^{+4.2})\times 10^{-6}$ in the region $q^2 \in [1,5] \mathrm{GeV}^2$. The order of the branching ratio shows a possibility to study this interesting channel in the current $B$ factories and the Large Hadron Collider. The precise experimental data will help us to test the factorization approach and the QCD theory, in general.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Final version to be published in JHE

[68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/MR in patients with acute myocardial infarction: potential role of predicting left ventricular remodeling.

PURPOSE To assess predictive value of 68Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-04 ([68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04) PET/MR for late left ventricular (LV) remodeling in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS Twenty-six patients with STEMI were included in the study. [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/MR was performed at baseline and at average 12 months after STEMI. LV remodeling was defined as >10% increase in LV end-systolic volume (LVESV) from baseline to 12 months. RESULTS The LV remodeling group demonstrated higher [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 uptake volume (UV) at baseline than the non-LV remodeling group (p < 0.001). [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 UV at baseline was a significant predictor (OR = 1.048, p = 0.011) for LV remodeling at 12 months after STEMI. Compared to clinical information, MR imaging and cardiac function parameters at baseline, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 UV demonstrated better predictive ability (AUC = 0.938, p < 0.001) for late LV remodeling, with sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 81.3%. CONCLUSIONS [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 PET/MR is an effective tool to non-invasively quantify myocardial fibroblasts activation, and baseline [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI-04 UV may have potential predictive value for late LV remodeling

Coinfection with influenza virus and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae aggregates inflammatory lung injury and alters gut microbiota in COPD mice

BackgroundAcute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is associated with high mortality rates. Viral and bacterial coinfection is the primary cause of AECOPD. How coinfection with these microbes influences host inflammatory response and the gut microbiota composition is not entirely understood.MethodsWe developed a mouse model of AECOPD by cigarette smoke exposure and sequential infection with influenza H1N1 virus and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). Viral and bacterial titer was determined using MDCK cells and chocolate agar plates, respectively. The levels of cytokines, adhesion molecules, and inflammatory cells in the lungs were measured using Bio-Plex and flow cytometry assays. Gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Correlations between cytokines and gut microbiota were determined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient test.ResultsCoinfection with H1N1 and NTHi resulted in more severe lung injury, higher mortality, declined lung function in COPD mice. H1N1 enhanced NTHi growth in the lungs, but NTHi had no effect on H1N1. In addition, coinfection increased the levels of cytokines and adhesion molecules, as well as immune cells including total and M1 macrophages, neutrophils, monocytes, NK cells, and CD4 + T cells. In contrast, alveolar macrophages were depleted. Furthermore, coinfection caused a decline in the diversity of gut bacteria. Muribaculaceae, Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae, and Rikenella were further found to be negatively correlated with cytokine levels, whereas Bacteroides was positively correlated.ConclusionCoinfection with H1N1 and NTHi causes a deterioration in COPD mice due to increased lung inflammation, which is correlated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiota