ENDORSING SENSE OF IDENTITY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE

Triggered by the lack of students’ sense of identity in English regular class effects their language achievement, this research aimed at developing a kind of teaching mode for building students’ sense of identity with a series of teaching activities. Targeted at 55 non-English major students for one semester, the experiment was to explain the effectiveness of this kind of mode in endorsing student’s sense of identity. Here, the researcher used teaching observation and students’ feedback to collect the data. It revealed that the kind of mode can help improve students’ sense of identity, intrigue their interest, and improve their English learning efficiency.Keywords: sense of identity, college English, regular class, English class, teaching researc

Evaluating soil nitrate dynamics in an intercropping dripped ecosystem using HYDRUS-2D.

The competition mechanisms between crop species for water and nutrients, especially nitrate (NO3-N), in intercropping ecosystems are still poorly understood. Therefore, an experiment involving high (300 kg ha-1 for corn and 250 kg ha-1 for tomato), medium (210 kg ha-1 for corn and 175 kg ha-1 for tomato), and low (150 kg ha-1 for corn and 125 kg ha-1 for tomato) N-fertilizer applications (HF, MF, LF, respectively) was conducted in the corn and tomato intercropping ecosystem during 2014 (a calibration period for modeling) and 2015 (a validation period for modeling). The modified HYDRUS-2D code was used to analyze soil NO3-N concentrations (SNC) in the middle between corn rows (Pc), between corn and tomato rows (Pb), and between tomato rows (Pt), NO3-N exchange in the horizontal direction between different regions, NO3-N leaching from the corn, the bare, and the tomato region, and N uptake by crops. Simulated SNCs were in good agreement with measurements, with RMSE, NSE, and MRE of 0.01-0.06 mg cm-3, 0.75-0.98, and 8.7-19.1%, respectively, during the validation period (2015). Average SNCs in the 0-40 cm soil layer were different between Pc, Pt, and Pb. Intensive NO3-N exchange in the horizontal direction occurred during the second stage (Day After Sowing [DAS] 37-113 in 2014; DAS 29-120 in 2015). NO3-N exchange between the corn and bare regions was lower than between the tomato and bare regions due to smaller concentration gradients. However, in the vertical direction, NO3-N leaching from the corn region in both years was 4.1 and 8.8 times larger, respectively, than from the tomato region under HF since NO3-N mainly moved from the tomato region to the corn region. Our results reveal the competition between corn and tomato for N and provide a rationale for formulating and optimizing different fertilizer regimes for different crops in the intercropping ecosystem

N-(Naphthalen-1-yl)benzamide

In the title compound, C17H13NO, the N—H and C=O bonds are anti with respect to each other. The dihedral angle between the naphthalene ring system and the phenyl ring is 86.63 (5)°. In the crystal, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link mol­ecules into chains along [010]

High Glucose Decreases Expression and Activity of p-glycoprotein in Cultured Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Possibly through iNOS Induction

Inhibition of p-glycoprotein under hyperglycemic conditions has been reported in various barrier tissues including blood-brain barrier, intestine, and kidney, and has been linked to significant clinical complications. However, whether this is also true for the outer blood-retinal barrier constituted by retinal pigment epithelium, or has a role in pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy is not yet clear. In this study, using cultured human retinal pigment epithelium cell line D407, we found that high glucose exposure induced a significant decrease in p-glycoprotein expression both at mRNA and at protein levels, accompanied by an attenuated p-glycoprotein activity determined by intracellular rhodamine 123 retention. In marked contrast, the expressions of both mRNA and protein levels of inducible nitrate oxide synthase (iNOS) increased, and were accompanied by increased extracellular nitrate/nitrite production by Griess reaction. In addition, mRNA levels of nuclear receptors revealed a decreased expression of pregnane X receptor after the exposure of high glucose. However, the subsequent alterations in production of nitrate/nitrite, functional expression of p-glycoprotein, and mRNA levels of pregnane X receptor were partially blocked when pretreated with S,S′-1,3-phenylene-bis(1,2-ethanediyl)-bis-isothiourea•2HBr (PBITU), a selective iNOS inhibitor. Moreover, the effects of PBITU were antagonized with the addition of L-arginine, a substrate for NO synthesis. Our in vitro results suggest for the first time that iNOS induction plays a novel role in decreased p-glycoprotein expression and transport function at the human outer blood-retinal barrier under hyperglycemic conditions and further support the concept of inhibiting iNOS pathway as a therapeutic strategy for diabetic retinopathy

Improved Coinfection with Amphotropic Pseudotyped Retroviral Vectors

Amphotropic pseudotyped retroviral vectors have typically been used to infect target cells without prior concentration. Although this can yield high rates of infection, higher rates may be needed where highly efficient coinfection of two or more vectors is needed. In this investigation we used amphotropic retroviral vectors produced by the Plat-A cell line and studied coinfection rates using green and red fluorescent proteins (EGFP and dsRed2). Target cells were primary human fibroblasts (PHF) and 3T3 cells. Unconcentrated vector preparations produced a coinfection rate of ∼4% (defined as cells that are both red and green as a percentage of all cells infected). Optimized spinoculation, comprising centrifugation at 1200 g for 2 hours at 15°C, increased the coinfection rate to ∼10%. Concentration by centrifugation at 10,000 g or by flocculation using Polybrene increased the coinfection rate to ∼25%. Combining the two processes, concentration by Polybrene flocculation and optimized spinoculation, increased the coinfection rate to 35% (3T3) or >50% (PHF). Improved coinfection should be valuable in protocols that require high transduction by combinations of two or more retroviral vectors

Definition and Design of Zero Energy Buildings

The wide application of renewable energy system (RES) in buildings combined with numerous financial incentives on RES paves the way for future zero energy buildings (ZEB). Although the definition of ZEB still lacks a national building code and international standards, the number of ZEB projects is still increasing worldwide which seems to be the pioneer ZEB buildings. However, due to the intermittency of the renewable resources, various uncertain parameters, and dynamic electricity price from the grid, how to select the renewable energy system for buildings is one of the challenges and therefore becomes an extensive concern for both researchers and designers. In addition, questions like how to achieve the target of zero energy for different types of buildings, should the building be designed as an independent ZEB or a group of buildings to be a ZEB cluster, and how to make building owners actively involved in installing enough RES for the building are still on the air. This chapter will present a comprehensive view on several key issues related with ZEB, that is, definition, evaluation criteria, design method, and uncertainty analysis, and the penalty cost scheme is also proposed for consideration as one policy to assist the promotion of ZEB

An evaluation study of miniature dielectric crossed compound parabolic concentrator (dCCPC) panel as skylights in building energy simulation

The potential of miniature dielectric crossed compound parabolic concentrator (dCCPC) panel as skylights for daylighting control has drawn a considerable research attention in the recent years, owing to its feature of variable transmittance according to the sun position, but the viability of using it as skylights in buildings has not been explored yet comprehensively. This paper aims to study the feasibility of utilizing miniature dCCPC panel as skylight in different locations under various climates in terms of energy saving potential besides its daylighting control function. The transmittance of dCCPC panel varies at every moment according to the sky condition and sun position. Due to this specific property, this study novelly implemented a polynomial formula of the dCCPC transmittance in the Grasshopper platform, from which EnergyPlus weather data can be called to calculate the hourly transmittance data of dCCPC skylight panel throughout the whole year. An hourly schedule of transmittance is generated according to the hourly sky condition determined by the daylight simulation through Radiance and Daysim, and is then input to EnergyPlus simulation to predict the energy consumption of a building with dCCPC skylight. Fourteen locations around the world are therefore compared to find the most appropriate place for using miniature dCCPC panel as skylights. The energy saving in cooling, heating and lighting with use of dCCPC skylight panel are investigated and compared with low-E and normal double glazing. The results show that the dCCPC skylight panel can reduce cooling load by mitigating solar heat gain effectively although its performance is affected by several criteria such as sky conditions and local climates. It is generally more suitable for the locations with longer hot seasons, e.g., Log Angeles, Miami, Bangkok and Manila, in which dCCPC could provide up to 13% reduction in annual energy consumption of building. For the locations having temperate and continental climates like Beijing, Rome, Istanbul and Hong Kong, a small annual energy saving from 1% to 5% could be obtained by using dCCPC skylight panel

Application of the shear wave elastography in the assessment of carotid body tumors: A preliminary study

ObjectivesTo evaluate the elasticity of carotid body tumors (CBTs) by two-dimensional shear wave elastography (SWE).Methods22 pathologically or clinically confirmed CBTs in 16 patients were scanned by SWE. The maximum elasticity value (Emax) and its standard deviation (SDmax) in kPa and m/s for CBTs were obtained by placing a round ROI (2-3 mm) on the stiffest region of the CBTs. Elasticity value was compared between hard and soft groups at manual palpation, benign and malignant groups and among three Shamblin types. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of SWE in the malignancy prediction of CBTs. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were calculated. The cut-off value was obtained by using the Youden index.ResultsThere were 19 benign CBTs and 3 malignant CBTs. Emax (kPa and m/s) and SDmax (kPa) were significantly higher in the hard group than in the soft group at manual palpation (P<0.05); The distribution of Emax in kPa and m/s and SDmax in kPa were different in the three Shamblin types (P<0.05), Emax (kPa and m/s)increased from shambling I to Shambling II and Shambling III; Emax (kPa and m/s) were significantly higher in the malignant CBTs than in the benign ones (P<0.05). Emax in kPa and m/s had the similar AUC value (AUC=0.947, P=1.0000) for the prediction of malignant CBTs. Emax in kPa with the cut-off 124.9kPa showed a sensitivity of 100.0%, specificity of 94.7%, and an accuracy of 95.5% (Z=8.500, P<0.0001); Emax in m/s with the cut-off 5.9m/s showed a sensitivity of 100.0%, specificity of 89.5% and an accuracy of 90.9% for the prediction of malignant CBTs (Z=9.143, P<0.0001).ConclusionsQuantitative analysis of SWE obtained the good performance in the elasticity assessment of CBTs

Dynamic analysis of fractional-order neural networks with inertia

The existence and the S-asymptotic ω-periodic of the solution in fractional-order Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with inertia are studied in this paper. Based on the properties of the Riemann-Liouville (R-L) fractional-order derivative and integral, the contraction mapping principle, and the Arzela-Ascoli theorem, sufficient conditions for the existence and the S-asymptotic ω-period of the system are achieved. In addition, an example is simulated to testify the theorem

N-(4-Chloro­benzyl­idene)-1-naphthyl­amine

The title compound, C17H12ClN, represents a trans isomer with respect to the C=N bond; the dihedral angle between the planes of the naphthyl and benzene groups is 66.53 (5)°