The Empirical Study on the Different Effects on Urban and Rural Consumption by Urbanization in China

Consumption and urbanization mainly by transferring labor force are important variables in China. The article puts the two into analysis to consider the quality of the urbanization, selecting the data of urbanization rate, average consumption of urban and rural residents, using econometric tools of co-integration analysis, ECM and Granger causality test, and after that the paper finds the effects on urban and rural consumption by urbanization are extremely different: The urbanization rate has a long-term equilibrium relationship with urban residents’ consumption, but does not have this relationship with rural one. The dynamic relationship between the urban consumption and urbanization is that the former makes the latter rise up, then the two promote each other, and finally the latter makes the former go up remarkably. Further more, although urbanization influences urban residents’ consumption obviously, yet there is a delayed effect. So we should shift the production-factor-oriented urbanization model to people-oriented one, boost the supply of public goods, focus on the development of agricultural sector, increase the income of rural households to expand the consumption of rural residents and improve their qualities of lives

Remedial Instructions for C-level ESL College Students with Severe Listening Disabilities

This paper suggested two strategies to improve the listening capacity for C-level ESL College Students with Severe Listening Disabilities: boosting self-confidence and providing pre-listening vocabulary support. Special instructions shall be adopted for C-level ESL College Students, for they encounter severe listening problems that are vital for their second language acquisition

E-commerce, Warehousing and Distribution Facilities in California: A Dynamic Landscape and the Impacts on Disadvantaged Communities

This work addresses the distribution of warehouses and distribution centers (W&DCs) influenced by e-commerce, through spatial analysis and econometric modelling. Specifically, this work analyzes the concentration of W&DCs in various metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in California between 1989 and 2016-18; and studies the spatial relationships between W&DC distribution and other demographic and environmental factors through econometric modeling techniques. The work conducts analyses to uncover common trends in W&DC distribution. The analyses used aggregate establishment, employment, and other socio-economic information, complemented with transportation related variables. The results: 1) confirm that the weighted geometric centers of W&DCs have shifted slightly towards city central areas in all five MPOs; 2) W&DCs show a non-decreasing trend between 2008 and 2016; and 3) areas with more serious environmental problems are more likely to have W&DCs. A disaggregate analyses of properties sold and leased in one of the study regions shows a trend where businesses are buying or leasing smaller facilities, closer to the core of consumer demand. Among other factors, the growth of e-commerce sales, and expedited delivery services, which require proximity to the customers, may explain these trends. The study results provide insights for planners and policy decision makers, and will be of interest to practitioners, public and private entities, and academia. Caltrans, MPOs, and affiliated institutions of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation will directly benefit from the results as they want to avoid equity issues brought by the fast development of e-commerce, and its potential impact on W&DC distribution

Conflicting Neo-colonialist Narratives in the Representation of Africa in Ngugi and Naipaul\u27s Novels

In their article Conflicting Neo-colonialist Narratives in the Representation of Africa in Ngugi and Naipaul\u27s Novels Weiping Li and Xiuli Zhang analyze the conflicting neo-colonialist narratives by comparing the different representations of the post-independent Africa between Ngugi\u27s Petals of Blood and Naipaul\u27s A Bend in the River. The multiple narrators in Petals of Blood expose imperialists\u27 continuing domination of Africa, while the limited third person narrator in A Bend in the River blames the African people for the deterioration and chaos of the African society. One from an insider\u27s perspective, the other from the outsider\u27s, Ngugi and Naipaul thus form conflicting narratives on neo-colonialism. With their diverse perspectives, the two writers provide not only clashing representations of African women but also opposing visions of the African future

A comparison of gait biomechanics of flip-flops, sandals, barefoot and shoes

Background Flip-flops and sandals are popular choices of footwear due to their convenience. However, the effects of these types of footwear on lower extremity biomechanics are still poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate differences in ground reaction force (GRF), center of pressure (COP) and lower extremity joint kinematic and kinetic variables during level-walking in flip-flops, sandals and barefoot compared to running shoes. Methods Ten healthy males performed five walking trials in the four footwear conditions at 1.3?m/s. Three-dimensional GRF and kinematic data were simultaneously collected. Results A smaller loading rate of the 1st peak vertical GRF and peak propulsive GRF and greater peak dorsiflexion moment in early stance were found in shoes compared to barefoot, flip-flops and sandals. Barefoot walking yielded greater mediolateral COP displacement, flatter foot contact angle, increased ankle plantarflexion contact angle, and smaller knee flexion contact angle and range of motion compared to all other footwear. Conclusions The results from this study indicate that barefoot, flip-flops and sandals produced different peak GRF variables and ankle moment compared to shoes while all footwear yield different COP and ankle and knee kinematics compared to barefoot. The findings may be helpful to researchers and clinicians in understanding lower extremity mechanics of open-toe footwear. doi:10.1186/1757-1146-6-4

Skin Ageing and Cancer

Human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) belong to the M10 family of the MA clan of endopeptidases. They are ubiquitarian enzymes, structurally characterized by an active site where a Zn2+ atom, coordinated by three histidines, plays the catalytic role, assisted by a glutamic acid as a general base. Based on their structure and substrate specificity, they can be categorized into five main subgroups, namely (1) collagenases (MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-13); (2) gelatinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9); (3) stromelysins (MMP-3, MMP-10 and MMP-11); (4) matrilysins (MMP-7 and MMP-26) and (5) membrane-type (MT) MMPs (MMP-14, MMP-15, MMP-16, MMP-17, MMP-24 and MMP-25). MMPs can act on extracellular matrix (ECM) and non-ECM components affecting degradation and modulation of the ECM, growth-factor activation and cell-cell and cell-matrix signalling. In skin, MMPs are secreted by different cell types such as fibroblasts, keratinocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells, mast cells, and eosinophils. This chapter reviews the role of MMPs in maintaining skin homeostasis, skin ageing and skin cancer

Self-Management in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Despite the effective pharmacological management of the disease over the last two decades, many individuals with RA continue to have psychological distress, and this is associated with poor outcomes. Addressing psychological issues hand in hand with pharmacological treatment will help to maximize outcomes for people with RA. Self-management (SM) is of utmost importance for people with rheumatoid arthritis to minimize their complaints, reduce clinic visits, and reduce disability. Considering the continuous update on the guidelines for disease management, non-pharmacological management remains a poorly addressed need of importance. In this chapter, we will introduce the current and progress of self-management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis