Application framework of urban morphology in planning practice : a case study of Beijing

Although it is generally recognized that a connection exists between urban form and urban planning practice, there is still a long way to go before the theories, concepts and methods of urban morphology can be widely applied to daily planning practice. Firstly, the paper makes a theoretical thinking. It is concluded that: 1. Urban form and urban planning practice are dynamic processes of space-time interaction; 2. Urban morphology research and urban planning are the relationship between knowledge and practice;3. Urban morphology research needs to be combined with urban planning business. Secondly, the paper puts forward an application framework of urban morphology in planning practice, including four aspects: knowledge base, analytical dimension, technical support and planning practice. The framework focuses on the space geometry, industrial economy, traffic organization, residential space, urban design, land use and policies in the research of urban morphology under different scales, more closely related to the main focuses in the discipline and practice of urban planning. Thirdly, this paper describes the application of the framework in Beijing planning practice in recent years and illustrates it plays a role and value in the actual planning business

The final step effect

Suppose you need to complete a task of 5 steps, each of which has equal difficulty and pass rate. You somehow have a privilege that can ensure you pass one of the steps, but you need to decide which step to be privileged before you start the task. Which step do you want to privilege? Mathematically speaking, the effect of each step on the final outcome is identical, and so there seems to be no prima facie reason for a preference. Five studies were conducted to explore this issue. In Study 1, participants could place the privilege on any of steps 1–5. Participants were most inclined to privilege step 5. In Study 2, participants needed to pay some money to purchase the privilege for steps 1–5, respectively. Participants would pay most money for step 5. Study 3 directly reminded participants that the probability of success of the whole task is mathematically the same, no matter on which step the privilege is placed, but most of the participants still prefer to privilege the final step. Study 4 supposed that the outcomes of all steps were not announced until all steps were finished, and asked how painful participants would feel if they passed all steps but one. People thought they would feel most painful when they failed at the final step. In Study 5, an implicit association test showed that people associated the first step with easy and the final step with hard. These results demonstrated the phenomenon of the final step effect and suggested that both anticipated painfulness and stereotype may play a role in this phenomenon

Germline-Encoded TCR-MHC Contacts Promote TCR V Gene Bias in Umbilical Cord Blood T Cell Repertoire.

T cells recognize antigens as peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins through T cell receptors (TCRs) on their surface. To recognize a wide range of pathogens, each individual possesses a substantial number of TCRs with an extremely high degree of variability. It remains controversial whether germline-encoded TCR repertoire is shaped by MHC polymorphism and, if so, what is the preference between MHC genetic variants and TCR V gene compatibility. To investigate the "net" genetic association between MHC variations and TRBV genes, we applied quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping to test the associations between MHC polymorphism and TCR β chain V (TRBV) genes usage using umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples of 201 Chinese newborns. We found TRBV gene and MHC loci that are predisposed to interact with one another differ from previous conclusions. The majority of MHC amino acid residues associated with the TRBV gene usage show spatial proximities in known structures of TCR-pMHC complexes. These results show for the first time that MHC variants bias TRBV gene usage in UCB of Chinese ancestry and indicate that germline-encoded contacts influence TCR-MHC interactions in intact T cell repertoires

Mediating effect of successful aging on the relationship between psychological resilience and death anxiety among middle-aged and older adults with hypertension

ObjectiveThe aging trend of China's population is severe and successful aging (SA) is imminent. Aging can lead to various chronic diseases, with hypertension being the most common. Due to this lifelong disease, patients suffer from many anxieties, as death anxiety (DA) can be the most prevalent. Studies have exhibited that middle-aged adults approaching the transition to an older state show more pronounced DA than the more senior. It has been suggested that psychological resilience (PR) can reduce DA. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the mediating effect of SA between PR and DA in middle-aged and older adults with hypertension.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was designed. From August to December 2021, 298 middle-aged and older adults with hypertension were selected by multistage cluster random sampling in three districts (Ling he District, Gu ta District, and Tai He District) of Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province. They were surveyed using the demographic questionnaires, the Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Successful Aging Inventory, and the Chinese version of a Likert-type Templer-Death Anxiety Scale. Descriptive analyses, independent sample T-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to describe demographic characteristics among hypertensive patients with different characteristics, respectively. Statistics were considered significant when P < 0.05. Pearson correlation coefficients describe the relationship between PR, SA, and DA. The research model was shaped through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). SPSS PROCESS macro was used to verify the mediation model. A binary logistic regression model was used with DA as the dependent variable.ResultsThe scores for PR, SA, and DA in hypertensive patients are (49.52 ± 14.38) points, (51.22 ± 7.63) points, and (46.67 ± 9.03) points. PR was negatively correlated with DA (r = −0.307, P < 0.01). Moreover, incorporating SA as a mediating variable in PR and DA, SA was positively correlated with PR (r = 0.335, P < 0.01) and DA (r = 0.085, P > 0.05). The direct effect is opposite to the sign of the indirect effect. There is a suppression between PR and DA with a percentage of 20.7%. Good self-assessed health status [0.057 (0.018, 0.183)] may be a protective factor for DA.ConclusionHealthcare providers should improve the PR of middle-aged and older adults with hypertension through interventions that reduce DA and increase the likelihood of SA

Identification and investigation of depression-related molecular subtypes in inflammatory bowel disease and the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of paroxetine

BackgroundUp to 40 per cent of people with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) also suffer from mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Notwithstanding, the fundamental biological pathways driving depression in IBD remain unknown.MethodsWe identified 33 core genes that drive depression in IBD patients and performed consensus molecular subtyping with the NMF algorithm in IBD. The CIBERSORT were employed to quantify the immune cells. Metabolic signature was characterized using the “IOBR” R package. The scoring system (D. score) based on PCA. Pre-clinical models are constructed using DSS.ResultsUsing transcriptome data from the GEO database of 630 IBD patients, we performed a thorough analysis of the correlation between IBD and depression in this research. Firstly, the samples were separated into two different molecular subtypes (D. cluster1 and D. cluster2) based on their biological signatures. Moreover, the immunological and metabolic differences between them were evaluated, and we discovered that D. cluster2 most closely resembled IBD patients concomitant with depression. We also developed a scoring system to assess the IBD-related depression and predict clinical response to anti-TNF- therapy, with a higher D. score suggesting more inflammation and worse reaction to biological therapies. Ultimately, we also identified through animal experiments an antidepressant, paroxetine, has the added benefit of lowering intestinal inflammation by controlling microorganisms in the digestive tract.ConclusionsThis study highlights that IBD patients with or without depression show significant variations and antidepressant paroxetine may help reduce intestinal inflammation

The role of networks in SMEs' internationalization : A perception from the emerging Asian market under the trend of deglobalization

Background: Due to a series of financial crisis and political turbulence, a share of international economic activities has been decreased which results in the emergence of deglobalization trend. For those emerging Asian market SMEs, they are more likely to be influenced by this context because of the left impact of bureaucracy in Asian markets and lack of sufficient resources to overcome the challenges compared with MNCs. Purpose: The purpose of this research is investigating the specific challenges appearing in the deglobalization trend and importance and impacts of networks in the internationalization process of emerging Asian market SMEs under this specific trend. Method: This research follows the philosophy of interpretivism, correspondingly, the inductive research approach is appropriate for this paper to apply to refine existing theory. Qualitative research strategy approach is adapted to understand the meaning and impact of network for SMEs under deglobalization trend through multiple case study. Conclusion: The following four impacts networks have on Asian SMEs become more prominent and pivotal to assist SMEs overcome deglobalization challenges: 1) information communication, 2) access to new customer, 3) cost reduction and 4) reliable support

Multiple Deep Muscle Abscesses in Type 2 Diabetes in the Elderly: Report of One Case and Literature Review

Older adults with diabetes often have comorbidities, and are prone to acute infection. Abscess is a serious infectious disease, and untimely treatment of which may lead to sepsis and septic shock, endangering the life. Most studies on abscesses in diabetes focus on visceral abscess, among which the commonly seen are liver abscess and lung abscess, while multiple muscle abscesses have been rarely reported. We reported the diagnosis and treatment process of an older case of type 2 diabetes complicated with multiple deep muscle abscesses, and investigated the pathogenesis characteristics by referring to relevant literature, providing insights into clinical practice

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 4Al Alumina-Forming Austenitic Steel after Cold-Rolling Deformation and Annealing

Microstructural evolutions of the 4Al alumina-forming austenitic steel after cold rolling with different reductions from 5% to 30% and then annealing were investigated using electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Tensile properties and hardness were also measured. The results show that the average grain size gradually decreases with an increase in the cold-rolling reduction. The low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) are dominant in the cold-rolled samples, but high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) form in the annealed samples, indicating that the grains are refined under the action of dislocations. During cold rolling, high-density dislocations are initially introduced in the samples, which contributes to a large number of dislocations remaining after annealing. With the sustaining increase in cold-rolled deformation, the samples exhibit more excellent tensile strength and hardness due to the decrease in grain size and increase in dislocation density, especially for the samples subjected to 30% cold-rolling reduction. The contribution of dislocations on yield strength is more than 60%