222 research outputs found
Animal Welfare Consciousness of Chinese College Students: Findings and Analysis
The moral character of China’s single-child generation has been studied by Chinese researchers since the early 1990s. Recent acts of animal cruelty by college students turned this subject of academic inquiry into a topic of public debate. This study joins the inquiry by asking if the perceived unique traits of the single-child generation, i.e. selfcenteredness, lack of compassion, and indifference to the feelings of others, are discernible in their attitudes toward animals. Specifically, the study investigates whether the college students are in favor of better treatment of animals, objects of unprecedented exploitation on the Chinese mainland. With the help of two surveys conducted in selected Chinese universities, this study concludes that the college students, a majority of whom belong to the single-child generation, are not morally compromised. A high percentage of the surveyed expressed empathy toward animals and opposed animal cruelty. This finding suggests that upbringing in families with better material conditions has not undercut the moral development of the students. Importantly, the study supports the view that China is philosophically ready for legislation on animal welfare despite the remaining ideological, cultural, and economic factors that discourage societal activism for animal protection
Animal Welfare Consciousness of Chinese College Students: Findings and Analysis
The moral character of China’s single-child generation has been studied by Chinese researchers since the early 1990s. Recent acts of animal cruelty by college students turned this subject of academic inquiry into a topic of public debate. This study joins the inquiry by asking if the perceived unique traits of the single-child generation, i.e. selfcenteredness, lack of compassion, and indifference to the feelings of others, are discernible in their attitudes toward animals. Specifically, the study investigates whether the college students are in favor of better treatment of animals, objects of unprecedented exploitation on the Chinese mainland. With the help of two surveys conducted in selected Chinese universities, this study concludes that the college students, a majority of whom belong to the single-child generation, are not morally compromised. A high percentage of the surveyed expressed empathy toward animals and opposed animal cruelty. This finding suggests that upbringing in families with better material conditions has not undercut the moral development of the students. Importantly, the study supports the view that China is philosophically ready for legislation on animal welfare despite the remaining ideological, cultural, and economic factors that discourage societal activism for animal protection
T-PickSeer: Visual Analysis of Taxi Pick-up Point Selection Behavior
Taxi drivers often take much time to navigate the streets to look for
passengers, which leads to high vacancy rates and wasted resources. Empty taxi
cruising remains a big concern for taxi companies. Analyzing the pick-up point
selection behavior can solve this problem effectively, providing suggestions
for taxi management and dispatch. Many studies have been devoted to analyzing
and recommending hot-spot regions of pick-up points, which can make it easier
for drivers to pick up passengers. However, the selection of pick-up points is
complex and affected by multiple factors, such as convenience and traffic
management. Most existing approaches cannot produce satisfactory results in
real-world applications because of the changing travel demands and the lack of
interpretability. In this paper, we introduce a visual analytics system,
T-PickSeer, for taxi company analysts to better explore and understand the
pick-up point selection behavior of passengers. We explore massive taxi GPS
data and employ an overview-to-detail approach to enable effective analysis of
pick-up point selection. Our system provides coordinated views to compare
different regularities and characteristics in different regions. Also, our
system assists in identifying potential pick-up points and checking the
performance of each pick-up point. Three case studies based on a real-world
dataset and interviews with experts have demonstrated the effectiveness of our
system.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures; The 10th China Visualization and Visual
Analytics Conferenc
The biological function of type I receptors of bone morphogenetic protein in bone
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have multiple roles in skeletal development, homeostasis and regeneration. BMPs signal via type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors (BMPRI and BMPRII). In recent decades, genetic studies in humans and mice have demonstrated that perturbations in BMP signaling via BMPRI resulted in various diseases in bone, cartilage, and muscles. In this review, we focus on all three types of BMPRI, which consist of activin-like kinase 2 (ALK2, also called type IA activin receptor), activin-like kinase 3 (ALK3, also called BMPRIA), and activin-like kinase 6 (ALK6, also called BMPRIB). The research areas covered include the current progress regarding the roles of these receptors during myogenesis, chondrogenesis, and osteogenesis. Understanding the physiological and pathological functions of these receptors at the cellular and molecular levels will advance drug development and tissue regeneration for treating musculoskeletal diseases and bone defects in the future
Varied Signature Splitting Phenomena in Odd Proton Nuclei
Varied signature splitting phenomena in odd proton rare earth nuclei are
investigated. Signature splitting as functions of and in the angular
momentum projection theory is explicitly shown and compared with those of the
particle rotor model. The observed deviations from these rules are due to the
band mixings. The recently measured Ta high spin data are taken as a
typical example where fruitful information about signature effects can be
extracted. Six bands, two of which have not yet been observed, were calculated
and discussed in detail in this paper. The experimentally unknown band head
energies are given
Anomalous Crossing Frequency in Odd Proton Nuclei
A generic explanation for the recently observed anomalous crossing
frequencies in odd proton rare earth nuclei is given. As an example, the proton
band in Ta is discussed in detail by using the
angular momentum projection theory. It is shown that the quadrupole pairing
interaction is decisive in delaying the crossing point and the changes in
crossing frequency along the isotope chain are due to the different neutron
shell fillings
The Perturbation of Infant Gut Microbiota Caused by Cesarean Delivery Is Partially Restored by Exclusive Breastfeeding
Early establishment of the infant gut microbiome has been attributed to various environmental factors that may influence long-term health. The aim of this study was to determine the single and combined impacts of the delivery mode, feeding pattern and postnatal antibiotic exposure on the initial establishment of infant gut microbiome at 6 weeks postpartum. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a single center in China. Fecal samples were collected from 120 infants at 6 weeks postpartum. The V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene were analyzed by Illumina sequencing, and clinical information was obtained from medical records and questionnaire survey. Compared with vaginally delivered infants, the gut microbial community structure of cesarean delivered infants were significantly different (P = 0.044), in parallel with the decreased relative abundance of Bifidobacterium (P = 0.028), which contrasts with the normal gut microbial establishment. Using the vaginally delivered and exclusively breastfed (VB) infants as a reference, the comparative analysis of cesarean delivered and exclusively breastfed (CB) infants with cesarean delivered and mixed-fed (CM) infants showed that both within- and between-group UniFrac distance were significantly smaller in CB infants (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). LEfSe analysis showed that the relative abundances of Enterococcus, Veillonella, and Faecalibacterium were significantly different between CB and CM infants, whereas the relative abundances of those genera in VB infants were close to those of CB infants, and distinct from those of CM infants. Additionally, no significant difference of microbial composition, alpha diversity, or community structure was observed between postnatal antibiotics exposed infants and unexposed infants. In summary, delivery mode had a significant impact on the infant gut microbial community structure and composition, and the gut microbiota was disturbed in infants delivered by cesarean section. However, our study showed that this disturbance of gut microbiota in cesarean delivered infants was partially restored by exclusive breastfeeding in comparison with mixed feeding. No distinct impact of postnatal antibiotic exposure on infant gut microbiome was found at 6 weeks of age
Prevalence of Childhood Atopic Dermatitis: An Urban and Rural Community-Based Study in Shanghai, China
Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory and chronically relapsing disorder with increasing prevalence. However, little is known about its prevalence in Shanghai, the top metropolitan of China. This study will estimate and compare the prevalence of AD in urban and rural areas in representative samples of 3 to 6-year-old children in Shanghai. Methodology/Principal Findings: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed. Pre-school children were obtained by cluster sampling from 8 communities in different districts in Shanghai. The main instrument was the core questionnaire module for AD used in the U.K. Working Party’s study. All the data were statistically analyzed by EpiData 3.1 and SPSS16.0. A total of 10436 children completed the study satisfactorily, with a response rate of 95.8%. The prevalence of AD in 3 to 6-year-old children was 8.3 % (Male: 8.5%, Female: 8.2%). The prevalence in urban areas of Shanghai was gradiently and significantly higher than that in rural areas. The highest prevalence was in the core urban area (10.2 % in Xuhui Tianping) vs. the lowest far from the urban areas (4.6 % in Chongming Baozhen). Conclusions/Significance: The prevalence of AD was 8.3 % (95%CI: 7.6%–9.1%) in children aged 3 to 6 in Shanghai. Th
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