Correlative Analysis of TOEFL IBT Scores of Listening Skill Versus Scores of Business English Speaking Skill Among Binus University Sophomores

Article found out whether BINUS university sophomore\u27s TOEFL iBT scores of Listening skill are correlated with those of speaking skill. The research project was expected to result in the best teaching technique of delivering conversational tasks at BINUS University by using alternative approaches of integrated, isolated, or mixed skills. The research project applied the descriptive approach of quantitative method, and thus depends on numerical data. The research project examined the set of data under two skills of the same class groups, which were to compare the listening scores with the speaking ones. Then, the degree of correlation of the two skills was tested so as to find its significance. Interpretation and explanation of data was made based on the statistical results by using correlation research analysis. Based on the statistical results, the listening scores significantly correlated with those of the speaking skill, and there is a moderately linear relationship between these paired scores

PSR J1926-0652: A Pulsar with Interesting Emission Properties Discovered at FAST

We describe PSR J1926-0652, a pulsar recently discovered with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). Using sensitive single-pulse detections from FAST and long-term timing observations from the Parkes 64-m radio telescope, we probed phenomena on both long and short time scales. The FAST observations covered a wide frequency range from 270 to 800 MHz, enabling individual pulses to be studied in detail. The pulsar exhibits at least four profile components, short-term nulling lasting from 4 to 450 pulses, complex subpulse drifting behaviours and intermittency on scales of tens of minutes. While the average band spacing P3 is relatively constant across different bursts and components, significant variations in the separation of adjacent bands are seen, especially near the beginning and end of a burst. Band shapes and slopes are quite variable, especially for the trailing components and for the shorter bursts. We show that for each burst the last detectable pulse prior to emission ceasing has different properties compared to other pulses. These complexities pose challenges for the classic carousel-type models.Comment: 13pages with 12 figure

Matrine Reverses the Warburg Effect and Suppresses Colon Cancer Cell Growth via Negatively Regulating HIF-1α.

The Warburg effect is a peculiar feature of cancer’s metabolism, which is an attractive therapeutic target that could aim tumor cells while sparing normal tissue. Matrine is an alkaloid extracted from the herb root of a traditional Chinese medicine, Sophora flavescens Ait. Matrine has been reported to have selective cytotoxicity toward cancer cells but with elusive mechanisms. Here, we reported that matrine was able to reverse the Warburg effect (inhibiting glucose uptake and lactate production) and suppress the growth of human colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo . Mechanistically, we revealed that matrine significantly decreased the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of HIF-1α, a critical transcription factor in reprogramming cancer metabolism toward the Warburg effect. As a result, the expression levels of GLUT1, HK2, and LDHA, the downstream targets of HIF-1α in regulating glucose metabolism, were dramatically inhibited by matrine. Moreover, this inhibitory effect of matrine was significantly attenuated when HIF-1α was knocked down or exogenous overexpressed in colon cancer cells. Together, our results revealed that matrine inhibits colon cancer cell growth via suppression of HIF-1α expression and its downstream regulation of Warburg effect. Matrine could be further developed as an antitumor agent targeting the HIF-1α-mediated Warburg effect for colon cancer treatment

Isolation and identification of an isoflavone reducing bacterium from feces from a pregnant horse.

The aim of this research was to isolate bacteria capable of biotransforming daidzein from fresh feces from pregnant horses. A Hungate anaerobic roller tube was used for anaerobic culture. Single colonies were picked at random and incubated with daidzein. High performance liquid chromatography was used to detect whether the isolated bacteria were able to biotransform the substrate. A strain capable of reducing daidzein was selected and characterized using sequence analysis of 16S rDNA, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. The morphological physiological and biochemical characteristics of the strain were investigated. A facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium capable of converting daidzein to dihydrodaidzein was isolated and named HXBM408 (MF992210). A BLAST search of HXBM408's 16S rDNA sequence against the GenBank database suggested that the strain has 99% similarity with Pediococcus acidilactici strain DSM (NR042057). The morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics of HXBM408 are very similar to those of Pediococcus. Based on these characteristics, the strain was identified as Pediococcus acidilactici. The bacterial strain HXBM408 isolated from the feces of pregnant horses was able to reduce the isoflavone daidzein to dihydrodaidzein

Effect of carbon addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of a typical hard-to-deform Ni-base superalloy

In this paper, the as-cast microstructure, microsegregation, and mechanical properties of GH4151 superalloys with a carbon addition were studied by scanner electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), differential thermal analyzer (DSC), and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The results show that the solid solution effect of carbon in alloys is limited, the addition of C from 0.01 to 0.08 ​wt% significantly refines the secondary dendrite spacing(SDAS) from 61.7 to 57.4 and 51.8 ​μm. Due to the influence of thermal solutal convection, the most severe segregation is found in the C-0.04 alloy, and the solidification ranges of C-0.01, C-0.04, and C-0.08 alloys are 87 ​°C, 96 ​°C, and 83 ​°C, respectively. Owing to the reduced solidification pores and formed finely dispersed carbides, C-0.04 shows excellent ultimate tensile strength (442 ​MPa) and superior total elongation (1.368%) at 1100 ​°C much better than that of C-0.01(130.7 ​MPa, 0.085%) and C-0.08(248 ​MPa, 1.026%)

Hot deformation behavior and flow stress modeling of coarse-grain nickel-base GH4151 superalloy ingot materials in cogging

Due to the high deformation resistance and poor thermal ductility of the new cast GH4151 alloy ingots, cracks are easy to occur during cogging process. For clarifying the effects of deformation parameters on microstructural evolution and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) nucleation mechanisms. In this work, the causes of crack formation and extension were first investigated using SEM and EBSD. The study revealed that the reasons for crack formation and propagation are the MC carbides at the original grain boundaries, large-size γ′ phase, residual eutectic phases, and tiny pores near the grain boundaries. Subsequently, a series of hot compression tests were performed using a Thermecamastor-Z thermo-mechanical simulator at temperatures ranging from 1080 °C to 1160 °C and a strain rate range of 0.01–10 s−1. The constitutive equation of the Arrhenius model and the hot working map was established, determining activation energy(Q) of 1086.58 kJ·mol−1. Large-size γ′ is coherent with the matrix. For the γ+γ′ dual-phase region, heterogeneous strain-induced dynamic recrystallization (HDRX) occurs, and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) is the main nucleation mechanism for DRX. However, for γ single-phase region, DDRX plays a more significant role. Furthermore, the MC phase (>1 μm) has different crystal orientations with the γ matrix and acts as sites for recrystallization through particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN). Finally, a fine and uniform grain structure can be obtained in the temperature range of 1120–1135 °C and the strain rate range of 0.1 s−1 to 1 s−1

Additional file 2: Figure S2. of A study to compare the efficacy of polyether ether ketone rod device with titanium devices in posterior spinal fusion in a canine model

Schematic diagram of the novel posterior spinal arthrodesis demonstrates the position of split bone and the site of bone graft. (Adapted from [12]). (TIF 912 kb

The Contribution of Local Wind and Ocean Circulation to the Interannual Variability in Coastal Upwelling Intensity in the Northern South China Sea

Plain Language Summary Using in situ data, satellite observations, and model outputs, we analyzed the interannual variability in coastal upwelling intensity in the northern South China Sea. Comparing coastal upwelling observed from three cruises during the summers of 2008 and 2016, we found that coastal upwelling was stronger during 2016 compared to 2008, although the local upwelling favorable wind was stronger in 2008. The stronger near-bottom cross-shelf current and shallower thermocline in the slope resulted in stronger upwelling intensity during the summer of 2016. The topographic position index (TPI), which is defined by the sea surface temperature difference between one center cell and its neighbors, was used to quantify the interannual variability in upwelling. Stronger (weaker) upwelling intensity occurred during the summers of 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2016 (2004, 2009, 2012, and 2014) when the local wind was more favorable (less favorable) to coastal upwelling. The correlation coefficient between the area-weighted TPI and alongshore wind speed was -0.60, thereby confirming that local wind is the primary dynamical factor controlling the interannual variability in upwelling intensity. The correlation coefficient between the area-weighted TPI and the eastward boundary current transport averaged between the 75- and 100-m isobaths on the shelf was -0.42, indicating that the interannual variability in large-scale circulation in the northern South China Sea also contributes to the interannual variability in upwelling intensity. The anomalously shallow thermocline in the summer of 2016 was likely associated with the strong 2015-2016 El Nino event through planetary wave propagations. Coastal upwelling, transporting deep, cold, saline, and nutrient-rich water to the surface result in high levels of primary production and fishery production. The coast of the northern South China Sea (NSCS) features seasonal coastal upwelling during the boreal summer. The summer southwesterly wind is widely regarded as the main driving mechanism for coastal upwelling in the NSCS. Previous studies have shown that the interannual variability in coastal upwelling intensity is largely controlled by the interannual variability in local winds in the NSCS, which is closely related to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation. Based on in situ data, we found that the upwelling was much stronger during 2016 than during 2008, though the local wind was more favorable to upwelling during 2008, which indicated that local wind is not the sole factor controlling the interannual variability in upwelling intensity in the NSCS. Further studies showed that, beside the locale wind, the interannual variability in shelf circulation could also contribute to the interannual variability in coastal upwelling intensity due to the topographically induced upwelling (induced by the interaction between northeastward large-scale current and alongshore variable topography) in the NSCS. In addition, thermocline depth variation on interannual time scale likely influences the coastal upwelling intensity in the NSCS