Pharmacokinetics and efficiency of brain targeting of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 given as Nao-Qing microemulsion.

PubMed

Li, Tao; Shu, Ya-Jun; Cheng, Jia-Yin; Liang, Run-Cheng; Dian, Shao-Na; Lv, Xiao-Xun; Yang, Meng-Qi; Huang, Shu-Ling; Chen, Gang; Yang, Fan

2015-02-01

Nao-Qing solution has been shown to be clinically effective in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The purpose of this study was to improve the pharmacokinetics and brain uptake of Nao-Qing, administered as an oil-in-water microemulsion. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given Nao-Qing microemulsion by intranasal or intragastric routes. Samples of blood, brain, heart, liver, lung and kidney were collected at pre-determined time intervals, and the contents of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 (active ingredients of the Nao-Qing microemulsion) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that contents of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 in Nao-Qing microemulsion was 8475.13 ± 54.61 μg/ml and 6633.42 ± 527.27 μg/ml, respectively, and that the particle size, pH and viscosity of the microemulsion were 19.9 ± 5.07 nm, 6.1 and 3.056 × 10(-3 )Pas, respectively. Absorption of ginsenoside Rg1 was higher than that of ginsenoside Rb1, which was barely detectable after intragastric administration; furthermore, the concentration of ginsenoside Rg1 in blood and other tissues at each time point was lower for intragastric than for intranasal administration. Compared with intragastric administration, intranasal administration resulted in a shorter tmax (0.08 versus 1 h), a higher Cmax (16.65 versus 11.29 μg/ml), and a higher area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) (592.91 versus 101.70 μgċh/ml) in the brain. The relative rates of uptake (Re) and the ratio of peak concentration (Ce) in the brain were 126.31% and 147.48% for ginsenoside Rg1, respectively. These data illustrate that intranasal administration can promote the absorption of drugs in Nao-Qing microemulsion and achieve fast effect.

The Characters of Leap Years in Qing Calendars (1644-1911)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Dalong

In Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) three different calendars had been put into use which titles are Xiyang Xinfa Lishu (Treatise on Astronomy and Calendrical Science according to the New Method in West 1645-1666) Yuzhi Lixiang Kaocheng (Compendium of Calendrical Science and Astronomy compiled by Imperial Order 1725-1742) and Yuzhi Lixiang Kaocheng Houbian (Sequel Compendium of Calendrical Science and Astronomy compiled by Imperial Order 1742-1911). The characters of leap years in the three calendars are different for the last one which is selected the year of 1723 as it epoch and named as Guimao Yuan Li. This calendar is based on the 33-year pattern of leap years (there is a rather exact accord between days and years over this interval with eight days being intercalated per 33 years) and is slightly different from the former two calendars. Therefore the calendars of Qing Dynasty complied by Western Jesuits and Chinese astronomers can be regarded as the remarkable achievements in the history of calendar in the world.

"To Feel at Home in the Wonderful World of Modern Science": New Chinese Historiography and Qing Intellectual History.

PubMed

Sela, Ori

2017-09-01

Argument In recent decades a large body of scholarship on the first half of twentieth-century China has successfully shown the ways in which history and historiography had been constructed at the time, as well as the links between history, national identity, education, and politics that was forged during this period. In this paper, I examine Qing intellectual history, in particular that of the mid or "High Qing." I discuss the development of the historiography of this field in the early twentieth century by drawing on the larger developments in historiography; by demonstrating how these developments had shaped Qing intellectual history for later times; by focusing on the historical actors' sense of the importance of "science," being "scientific," and "modernization"; and, by unraveling the intimate connections to older historiographical narratives going back all the way to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Heinrich Dieter Holland (1927-2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turekian, Karl K.

2012-08-01

Heinrich Dieter "Dick" Holland, who died on 21 May 2012, was responsible for major advances across several fields of geochemistry. He was born on 27 May 1927 and died just short of his 85th birthday. How Dick became a geochemist is an interesting story in itself. I first met Dick when we shared an office as graduate students at Columbia University in New York. He had attended Princeton University in New Jersey and graduated in 1946 with a chemistry major. He had arrived in the United States with his family from Germany in 1940. The family was of Jewish origin, and although Dick and his relatives were not strict practitioners, their fate in Hitler's Germany, dictated by the family's ancestry, would have been undesirable. Dick and his brother first went to England in 1939 to escape the future horrors that were sure to await them if they had remained in Germany. After their parents escaped to the Dominican Republic, Dick and his brother joined them there. With the help of friends, the family came to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 1940 (it was not unusual for immigrants to first come to a landing spot in the western hemisphere prior to admission to the United States).

Healthy dining. Subtle diet reminders at the point of purchase increase low-calorie food choices among both chronic and current dieters.

PubMed

Papies, Esther K; Veling, Harm

2013-02-01

There is a growing consensus that our food-rich living environment contributes to rising numbers of people with overweight and obesity. Low-cost, effective intervention tools are needed to facilitate healthy eating behavior, especially when eating away from home. Therefore, we present a field experiment in a restaurant that tested whether providing subtle environmental diet reminders increases low-calorie food choices among both chronic and current dieters. For half of the participants, the menu was supplemented with diet-related words, as reminders of healthy eating and dieting. We recorded customers' choices of low-calorie or high-calorie items from the menu, and we assessed chronic and current dieting. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that diet reminders increased choices for low-calorie foods, among both chronic and current dieters. After a diet reminder, around half of dieters made a healthy menu choice. This study demonstrates the efficacy of providing subtle diet reminders as a low-cost practical intervention to increase low-calorie food choices among weight-concerned individuals, who are motivated to regulate their eating behavior but have been found to often fail in food-rich environments. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Colitis with wall thickening and edematous changes during oral administration of the powdered form of Qing-dai in patients with ulcerative colitis: a report of two cases.

PubMed

Kondo, Satoru; Araki, Toshimitsu; Okita, Yoshiki; Yamamoto, Akira; Hamada, Yasuhiko; Katsurahara, Masaki; Horiki, Noriyuki; Nakamura, Misaki; Shimoyama, Takahiro; Yamamoto, Takayuki; Takei, Yoshiyuki; Kusunoki, Masato

2018-03-16

Orally administered Qing-dai, called indigo naturalis in Latin, is reportedly useful for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. We herein describe two patients with ulcerative colitis who developed colitis with wall thickening and edematous changes during oral administration of the powdered form of Qing-dai. In Case 1, a 35-year-old man developed colitis similar to ischemic colitis with bloody stool that recurred each time he ingested Qing-dai. He had no signs of recurrence upon withdrawal of Qing-dai. In Case 2, a 43-year-old woman underwent ileocecal resection for treatment of an intussusception 2 months after beginning oral administration of Qing-dai. Edema and congestion but no ulceration were present in the mucosa of the resected specimen. Both patients exhibited abdominal pain with bloody diarrhea, and abdominal computed tomography showed marked wall edema affecting an extensive portion of the large bowel.

[Contention on the theory of processing techniques of Chinese materia medica in the Ming-Qing period].

PubMed

Chen, Bin; Jia, Tianzhu

2015-03-01

On the basis of the golden stage of development of processing techniques of medicinals in the Song dynasty, the theory and techniques of processing in the Ming-Qing dynasties developed and accomplished further. The knowledge of some physicians on the processing of common medicinal, such as Radix rehmannia and Radixophiopogonis, was questioned, with new idea of processing methods put forward and argued against those insisting traditional ones, marking the progress of the art of processing. By reviewing the contention of technical theory of medicinal processing in the Ming-Qing period, useful references can be provided for the inheritance and development of the traditional art of processing medicinals.

The Rise of Women's Modern Schooling in Late Qing China (1840-1911)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xiaoyi

2009-01-01

The rise of women's modern schooling in late Qing China was deemed to be, by the historical trend of modern China, a progress that coincided with China's modernization and national self-strengthening movement after the humiliating defeat of the Opium War. This article is an examination of this process from 1840 to 1911, which had undergone three…

[A brief investigation on Gu Dehua, a female healer from Wuzhong in the Qing Dynasty].

PubMed

Lin, Z K; Song, W J

2016-09-28

The female healer is a special community in traditional Chinese medical professionals. Since the Song-Yuan Dynasties, although the literati class holding the social voices and the male healers acting as medical orthodoxy were always suspicious of the female healers' behaviors and their medical morality, and tarnished their images through all kinds of media. Meanwhile, the female healers were still badly needed on the account of recognition of distinction between sexes between both sexes due to the rising of neo-Confucianism. An excellent female healer could still earn wide respect from the society. Gu Dehua was a famous female healer from Wuzhong in the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang-Xianfeng period. By investigating Gu Delua's family conditions, deeds and works, and her career, the community of the female healers in the Ming-Qing Dynasties can be thus understood.

Wulff Dieter Heintz (1930-2006)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augensen, Harry J.; Mason, Brian D.; Hartkopf, William I.

2007-08-01

Wulff Dieter Heintz, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Swarthmore College, passed away at his home on 10 June 2006, following a two-year battle with lung cancer. He had just turned 76 a week earlier. Wulff was one of the leading authorities on visual double stars, and was also a chess master. A prominent educator, researcher, and scholar, Wulff was noted for being both succinct and meticulous in everything he did. Wulff Heintz was born on 3 June 1930 in Wcorrectly” using his right hand, and so he became ambidextrous. During the 1930s, Wulff's family saw the rise of Adolph Hitler and lived under the repressive Nazi regime. Conditions were austere, and it was often difficult to find fuel to keep the house warm. As a teenager during World War II, Wulff listened to his family radio for any news from the outside world. He used to say that he loved the blackouts during the bombing runs because it made it much easier to see the stars. One night, an incendiary bomb landed on the roof of his family home, and Wulff climbed up to the roof and extinguished it. The next morning, he saw that his high school had been completely leveled by Allied bombs. As Germany continued to suffer massive losses on the Russian Front, primarily due to unexpectedly severe winters, teenage boys were inducted into the military and sent off to replenish the troops. To avoid an uncertain fate, Wulff hid out in a farmhouse in the countryside outside Munich. When the Allied troops invaded Germany in 1945, the young Wulff volunteered to translate information from the American and British soldiers to the local villagers. During this time, the soldiers taught Wulff how to smoke cigarettes, a habit which he continued until his final days, even after having been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Eating disturbances in white and minority female dieters.

PubMed

le Grange, D; Stone, A A; Brownell, K D

1998-12-01

This study examined disordered eating, attitudes about weight and appearance, self-esteem, weight loss, and reasons for weight regain in a sample of white, black, Asian, and Hispanic female dieters. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, we scrutinized survey responses of a large number of households subscribing to Consumer Reports magazine. Females (N = 9,971) between 21 and 65 years old (M = 42.9, SD = 10.4) with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 27.2 (SD = 6.2) were selected for comparisons. Ethnic groups were different in terms of age, BMI, household income, and marital status. Therefore, these variables were used as covariates in the analyses. More black women were overweight and purged compared to the other groups. Asian women valued the beneficial role of exercise in weight control more, while black women were more inclined to attribute weight gain to cravings and slow metabolism. The groups did not differ in terms of binge eating, attitudes about weight and appearance, self-esteem, the number of attempts to lose weight, and the reasons for their failures. This study suggests that unhealthy eating attitudes and practices may be similar for women who diet, irrespective of ethnic background. However, the generalizability of these findings is limited by the inherent sampling bias.

A Primary Study on the Recording Method of Interior Decoration in Qing Dynasty - A Case Study of Interior Decoration of Jingfu Palace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rong, X.; He, B.; Zhuang, L.

2017-08-01

The existing interior decoration of Qing Dynasty is the master of that of each dynasty, with its diversified forms and complicated functions. As early as 1920s, the Rehabilitation Committee of Qing court recorded the interior furnishing in the Forbidden City by using Chinese traditional documentary method. Today, along with the constantly updated techniques, the recording method for the current situation of interior decoration has gradually developed from two-dimensional drawings into digital and comprehensive record. However, the current research results are mostly limited to a single field. This paper takes the digital record and reproduction about the current situation of interior decoration in Jingfu Palace in the Forbidden City as an example. Through the use of photogrammetry, 3D laser scanning, virtual display and other technology and equipment at the forefront of architectural field, it makes qualitative and quantitative record about the interior decoration inside Jingfu Palace. By combing with the interpretation of historical documents, it restores the original design ideas hidden behind the current situation of interior decoration, so as to summarize the best recording and reproducing method of interior decoration of Qing Dynasty.

Renewable Energy in China: Xiao Qing Dao Village Power Wind/Diesel Hybrid Pilot Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2006-01-01

In 2000, DOE/NREL and the State Power Corporation of China (SPCC) developed a pilot project to electrify Xiao Qing Dao, a small island located in China's Yellow Sea. The project demonstrates the practicality of renewable energy systems for medium-scale, off-grid applications. It consists of four 10 k-W wind turbines connected to a 30-kW diesel generator, a 40-kW inverter and a battery bank.

Introduction: Paving the Old-New Way from Qing to China.

PubMed

Sela, Ori

2017-09-01

The funeral procession of Sheng Xuanhuai (, 1844-1916) - the renowned Qing scholar-official, financier, and "father of Chinese industrialism" - meandered through the streets of Shanghai on 18 November 1917. The funeral was a grand event, one that was purportedly documented in film, later to be distributed as the first "news short-film" () in China. The North China Herald reported on the event in some detail, at times in rather florid language, and suggested that "the cortege was splendid and impressive, bringing back the days of the Manchu emperors. The ceremonial costumes, the musical instruments and much more of the accoutrements dated back to the days of the Empire" ("Sheng Kung-pao's Funeral," 1917, 467-68). And indeed, the procession included a variety of ritual customs and insignia from Qing (1644-1911) times: imperial banners, ancestral tablets, Buddhist and Daoist priests, paper artifacts, and much more. Simultaneously, nonetheless, other kinds of participants and objects - new and not of imperial pedigree - were part of and intermixed with the older materials: certificates of rank were carried on cars; boy scouts and college students marched alongside the priests; many of the participants arrived by train (mainly from Sheng's hometown, Suzhou); and as the Shanghai portion of the procession ended, it continued by steamer to Suzhou. The conclusion of the North China Herald account, however, seems to have emphasized a dichotomy of old and new rather than a joyful mix of the two: Hundreds of men, dressed in the ancient costume of the old dynasties, bore a strong contrast to the eight behind them, sons of intimate friends of the deceased. They were on horseback and wore high silk hats, frock coats and white breeches tucked in riding boots. Truly the passing of the old and the entering of the new. (Ibid.; emphasis added) This view - the old giving way to the new - was not just an off-hand (Western) journalistic analysis; it was part of a larger discourse about

[Chinese books on human anatomy published in the late Qing dynasty].

PubMed

Matsumoto, Hideshi

2007-12-01

Quanti-chanwei (1881) is the first technical book on human anatomy written in Chinese and brought to Modern China. It was compiled and translated on the basis of Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical (first edition in 1858) by Henry Gray. Quanti-chanwei was published with intent to establish Chinese translations for terms referring to anatomy, and it gained broad support from medical missionaries who mainly served in Guangdong, Shanghai, and Fuzhou at that time. Quanti-tongkao (1886) was also complied and translated on the basis of Gray' Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical. It was published from Jingshi Tongwen Guan, The Academy of Foreign Languages in the Qing dynasty, and they selected different words for the translation into Chinese from Quanti-chanwei. Thus, although Gray' Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical played a great role in the introduction of Western Medicine into Modern China, there was no accordance between the national government and the provinces regarding Chinese translations for terms referring to anatomy.

Protective effect of a Chinese Medicine formula He-Ying-Qing-Re Formula on diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Wang, Leilei; Wang, Ning; Tan, Hor-yue; Zhang, Yinjian; Feng, Yibin

2015-07-01

He-Ying-Qing-Re Formula (HF) is a formula modified from "Si-Miao-Yong-An Decoction", a traditional Chinese medical classic emerged in the Qing dynasty and has been reported for treatment of vascular diseases. HF, containing 8 herbs, has been used in local hospital for decades as a complementary method for diabetic retinopathy (DR) with retinal vascular dysfunction. Clinical reports revealed HF could ameliorate vision defects, microaneurysms, hemorrhages and macular edema. The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-DR action of HF and its underlying mechanism experimentally. Chromatographic fingerprinting of HF and rodent model of DR were established; hypoglycemic effect of HF was measured by fasting, random blood glucose and glucose tolerance test; vascular degeneration was measured by retinal digestion; blood-retina-barrier (BRB) permeability was assessed with Evans Blue leakage assay. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were measured in vitro and in vivo level; Migration of retinal vascular endothelial cells were determined by wound healing and transwell chamber assays; permeability of endothelial monolayer was monitored with dextran transport. AGEs-related proteins and signaling were measured with immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid and arctin were identified as major components in HF; HF suppresses retinal vasculature degeneration and BRB permeability damage without significant inhibition on hyperglycemia; HF reduces in vitro and in vivo formation of AGEs and AGEs-induced migration as well as permeability of retinal vascular endothelial cells. Expression of tight junction proteins Zo-1 and Claudin-1 was increased while activation of AGEs receptor and downstream signaling Akt were suppressed upon HF treatment. HF exhibits protective effect against diabetic retinopathy, which may be associated with inhibition on AGEs and recovery on endothelial dysfunction via modulation of tight junction and AGEs downstream signaling

Comparative pharmacokinetics of swertiamarin in rats after oral administration of swertiamarin alone, Qing Ye Dan tablets and co-administration of swertiamarin and oleanolic acid.

PubMed

Xu, Gui-li; Li, Hong-liang; He, Jian-chang; Feng, En-fu; Shi, Pan-pan; Liu, Yue-qiong; Liu, Chang-xiao

2013-08-26

Qing Ye Dan is a well-known herbal drug that is widely used to treat viral hepatitis in the Yi and Hani minority regions in the Yunnan province of China. An LC-MS/MS method was developed to determine the levels of swertiamarin in rat plasma. Swertiamarin and naringin (internal standard, IS) were extracted from rat plasma using solid-phase extraction (SPE) to purify the samples. The pharmacokinetics of the following different administration methods of swertiamarin in rats were studied: oral administration of swertiamarin alone, a Qing Ye Dan tablet (QYDT) and co-administration of swertiamarin and oleanolic acid, with each method delivering approximately 20mg/kg of swertiamarin. Non-compartmental pharmacokinetic profiles were constructed by using the software DAS (version 2.1.1), and the pharmacokinetic parameters were compared using an unpaired Student's t-test. The results showed that the pharmacokinetic parameters Cmax, AUC0-∞, Vz/F and CLz/F were significantly different (P<0.05) among the three types of swertiamarin administration. The data indicate that oleanolic acid and the other ingredients present in QYDT could affect the pharmacokinetic behaviour of swertiamarin in rats. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Between the Living and the Dead: Trauma Medicine and Forensic Medicine in the Mid-Qing

PubMed Central

Wu, Yi-Li

2015-01-01

This paper analyzes the influence of forensic medicine on therapeutic medicine through a case study of Qian Xiuchang and Hu Tingguang, two Chinese doctors who specialized in treating traumatic injuries. During the early nineteenth century, both men compiled medical treatises that sought to improve on a scholarly model of “rectifying bones” articulated in 1742 by the Imperially-Compiled Golden Mirror of the Medical Lineage. Both texts also incorporated information from forensic medicine, including official inquest diagrams and checklists promulgated by the Qing government. I show that they drew on these forensic materials to help address two interlinked medical issues: understanding the effects of injury on different parts of the body, and clarifying the location and form of the body’s bones. Overall, I suggest that the exchange of ideas between the realm of therapeutic medicine and forensic medicine was an important epistemological strategy that doctors and officials alike employed to improve their knowledge of the material body. PMID:26512255

Between the Living and the Dead: Trauma Medicine and Forensic Medicine in the Mid-Qing.

PubMed

Wu, Yi-Li

2015-03-01

This paper analyzes the influence of forensic medicine on therapeutic medicine through a case study of Qian Xiuchang and Hu Tingguang, two Chinese doctors who specialized in treating traumatic injuries. During the early nineteenth century, both men compiled medical treatises that sought to improve on a scholarly model of "rectifying bones" articulated in 1742 by the Imperially-Compiled Golden Mirror of the Medical Lineage . Both texts also incorporated information from forensic medicine, including official inquest diagrams and checklists promulgated by the Qing government. I show that they drew on these forensic materials to help address two interlinked medical issues: understanding the effects of injury on different parts of the body, and clarifying the location and form of the body's bones. Overall, I suggest that the exchange of ideas between the realm of therapeutic medicine and forensic medicine was an important epistemological strategy that doctors and officials alike employed to improve their knowledge of the material body.

The Dangers of ‘Warming and Replenishing’ (wenbu 溫補) during the Ming to Qing Epistemic Transition

PubMed Central

de Vries, Leslie

2016-01-01

Through a case study of Zhao Xianke’s 趙獻可 One Principle through Medicine (Yiguan 醫貫) (1617?) and Xu Dachun’s 徐大椿 (1693–1771) denouncements of this text, my article zooms in on divergent discourses on the safety and efficacy of medicinal substances and compounds in late imperial China. Although Xu Dachun’s fierce attacks on the popular ‘warming and replenishing’ (wenbu 溫補) therapies can be situated in an epistemic shift from the cosmology of ‘Song learning’ (songxue 宋學) towards the philology of ‘Han learning’ (hanxue 漢學) and ‘evidential research’ (kaozheng 考證), I argue that more complex issues were at stake as well. Changed political, social, ethical, and economic realities shaped new and multifaceted perceptions of the nature of medicine, the medical profession, and the usage of medicinals in the aftermath of the Ming to Qing transition. PMID:27818620

The organic materials in the Five Northern Provinces' Assembly Hall: disclosing the painting technique of the Qing dynasty painters in civil buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lluveras-Tenorio, A.; Bonaduce, I.; Sabatini, F.; Degano, I.; Blaensdorf, C.; Pouyet, E.; Cotte, M.; Ma, L.; Colombini, M. P.

2015-11-01

The beiwusheng huiguan (`Meeting hall of the Five Northern Dynasties') is a building complex from the Qing dynasty (1636-1912 ad) located in Wafangdian, near Ziyang, in the south of the Chinese Province of Shaanxi. Two of the preserved halls are richly decorated with wall paintings dated probably in 1848 ad and representing scenes of the `Romance of the Three Kingdoms' and Confucian moral tales. They are a rare example of well-preserved mural paintings of high artistic value inside civil buildings. The aims of this paper are the chemical characterization and localization of organic materials used as binders and colorants in the wall paintings. A multi-analytical approach, consisting in the combined use of gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric techniques (GC/MS and Py-GC/MS) and high-pressure liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), was chosen for these purposes. Proteinaceous materials (animal glue and egg), saccharide material (fruit tree gum) and a siccative oil were identified in different paint layers supplying invaluable information about the painting technique used. Moreover, the analyses of organic dyes allowed identifying indigo and gallic acid in more than one sample adding fundamental information about Chinese artists' techniques in mural paintings, missing from the previous studies. To shed light on the gilding technique, the distribution of the painting materials was achieved by means of synchrotron radiation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (SR micro-FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence (SR micro-XRF). The results obtained from the multi-analytical approach enabled us to determine the organic materials both binders and organic colorants used by Chinese artisans, highlighting the high technical level achieved in nineteenth century. The binding media and the organic colorants identified, as well as their distribution, allowed the discussion on the painting technique used by the artists of the Qing dynasty giving information for the

The reasoned/reactive model: A new approach to examining eating decisions among female college dieters and nondieters.

PubMed

Ruhl, Holly; Holub, Shayla C; Dolan, Elaine A

2016-12-01

Female college students are prone to unhealthy eating patterns that can impact long-term health. This study examined female students' healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors with three decision-making models. Specifically, the theory of reasoned action, prototype/willingness model, and new reasoned/reactive model were compared to determine how reasoned (logical) and reactive (impulsive) factors relate to dietary decisions. Females (N=583, M age =20.89years) completed measures on reasoned cognitions about foods (attitudes, subjective norms, nutrition knowledge, intentions to eat foods), reactive cognitions about foods (prototypes, affect, willingness to eat foods), dieting, and food consumption. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed the new reasoned/reactive model to be the preeminent model for examining eating behaviors. This model showed that attitudes were related to intentions and willingness to eat healthy and unhealthy foods. Affect was related to willingness to eat healthy and unhealthy foods, whereas nutrition knowledge was related to intentions and willingness to eat healthy foods only. Intentions and willingness were related to healthy and unhealthy food consumption. Dieting status played a moderating role in the model and revealed mean-level differences between dieters and nondieters. This study highlights the importance of specific factors in relation to female students' eating decisions and unveils a comprehensive model for examining health behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epidemics in Ming and Qing China: Impacts of changes of climate and economic well-being.

PubMed

Pei, Qing; Zhang, David D; Li, Guodong; Winterhalder, Bruce; Lee, Harry F

2015-07-01

We investigated the mechanism of epidemics with the impacts of climate change and socio-economic fluctuations in the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China (AD 1368-1901). Using long-term and high-quality datasets, this study is the first quantitative research that verifies the 'climate change → economy → epidemics' mechanism in historical China by statistical methods that include correlation analysis, Granger causality analysis, ARX, and Poisson-ARX modeling. The analysis provides the evidences that climate change could only fundamentally lead to the epidemics spread and occurrence, but the depressed economic well-being is the direct trigger of epidemics spread and occurrence at the national and long term scale in historical China. Moreover, statistical modeling shows that economic well-being is more important than population pressure in the mechanism of epidemics. However, population pressure remains a key element in determining the social vulnerability of the epidemics occurrence under climate change. Notably, the findings not only support adaptation theories but also enhance our confidence to address climatic shocks if economic buffering capacity can be promoted steadily. The findings can be a basis for scientists and policymakers in addressing global and regional environmental changes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NiaoDuQing granules relieve chronic kidney disease symptoms by decreasing renal fibrosis and anemia

PubMed Central

Wang, Xu; Yu, Suyun; Jia, Qi; Chen, Lichuan; Zhong, Jinqiu; Pan, Yanhong; Shen, Peiliang; Shen, Yin; Wang, Siliang; Wei, Zhonghong; Cao, Yuzhu; Lu, Yin

2017-01-01

NiaoDuQing (NDQ) granules, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been clinically used in China for over fourteen years to treat chronic kidney disease (CKD). To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic benefits of NDQ, we designed an approach incorporating chemoinformatics, bioinformatics, network biology methods, and cellular and molecular biology experiments. A total of 182 active compounds were identified in NDQ granules, and 397 putative targets associated with different diseases were derived through ADME modelling and target prediction tools. Protein-protein interaction networks of CKD-related and putative NDQ targets were constructed, and 219 candidate targets were identified based on topological features. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the candidate targets were mostly related to the TGF-β, the p38MAPK, and the erythropoietin (EPO) receptor signaling pathways, which are known contributors to renal fibrosis and/or renal anemia. A rat model of CKD was established to validate the drug-target mechanisms predicted by the systems pharmacology analysis. Experimental results confirmed that NDQ granules exerted therapeutic effects on CKD and its comorbidities, including renal anemia, mainly by modulating the TGF-β and EPO signaling pathways. Thus, the pharmacological actions of NDQ on CKD symptoms correlated well with in silico predictions. PMID:28915563

An Integrative Platform of TCM Network Pharmacology and Its Application on a Herbal Formula, Qing-Luo-Yin

PubMed Central

Zhang, Bo; Wang, Xu; Li, Shao

2013-01-01

The scientific understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been hindered by the lack of methods that can explore the complex nature and combinatorial rules of herbal formulae. On the assumption that herbal ingredients mainly target a molecular network to adjust the imbalance of human body, here we present a-self-developed TCM network pharmacology platform for discovering herbal formulae in a systematic manner. This platform integrates a set of network-based methods that we established previously to catch the network regulation mechanism and to identify active ingredients as well as synergistic combinations for a given herbal formula. We then provided a case study on an antirheumatoid arthritis (RA) formula, Qing-Luo-Yin (QLY), to demonstrate the usability of the platform. We revealed the target network of QLY against RA-related key processes including angiogenesis, inflammatory response, and immune response, based on which we not only predicted active and synergistic ingredients from QLY but also interpreted the combinatorial rule of this formula. These findings are either verified by the literature evidence or have the potential to guide further experiments. Therefore, such a network pharmacology strategy and platform is expected to make the systematical study of herbal formulae achievable and to make the TCM drug discovery predictable. PMID:23653662

Subclinical Eating Disorders in Adolescent Women: A Test of the Continuity Hypothesis and Its Psychological Correlates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franko, Debra L.; Omori, Mika

1999-01-01

Investigates the severity of disturbed eating and its psychological correlates in college freshman women. Reports that 9% fell into the problem bulimic or dieter at-risk categories, 23% were classified as intensive dieters, 17% as casual dieters, and over half were non-dieters. Depression, dysfunctional thinking, and disturbed eating attitudes…

[Comprehension and explanation of meridians and collaterals theory in the background of the spread of western medicine into the East in the Ming and Qing Dynasties].

PubMed

Li, Su-Yun

2010-06-01

In the background of the spread of western medicine into the East in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chinese doctors who had accepted western medicine referred to western medical knowledge and began to use the methods of anatomical observation and demonstrating to explain the objective structure of meridians and collaterals. They tried to adopt the artery and vessel explaining the shape of meridian and the blood circle and pulmonary respiration explaining the circulation of Ying-Wei. When the anatomy structures could not perfectly equal to meridians and collaterals, some doctors put forward the gasification feature of meridian to explain the reason. These results suggest that there are difference between meridians and collaterals and pure anatomy concepts, which serves as significant reference and edification for later generations.

Body composition and eating behaviours in relation to dieting involvement in a sample of urban Greek adolescents from the TEENAGE (TEENs of Attica: Genes & Environment) study.

PubMed

Ntalla, Ioanna; Giannakopoulou, Margarita; Vlachou, Panagiota; Giannitsopoulou, Kalliope; Gkesou, Vasiliki; Makridi, Chrysoula; Marougka, Maria; Mikou, Georgia; Ntaoutidou, Kyriaki; Prountzou, Eirini; Tsekoura, Alexandra; Dedoussis, George V

2014-03-01

To document the prevalence of dieting and to compare body composition markers, dietary intakes and eating behaviours across dieting categories. Prospective, cross-sectional study. Twenty-four randomly selected secondary public schools located in Attica, Greece. Anthropometric, medical and dietary information was obtained from 857 (54·9 % females) adolescents (mean age 13·4 (sd 0·9) years). Meal patterns, eating behaviours and eating style score, reflecting conditions around eating, were assessed. Adolescents were asked about their dieting involvement and were categorised as 'never dieters', 'current dieters' or 'past dieters'. Overall, 20·1 % of the adolescents were currently dieting and 15·2 % reported past dieting. Mean BMI and body fat percentage of never dieters were significantly lower than those of both groups of dieters (P < 0·001). Breakfast skipping (χ 2 = 10·92, P = 0·004) and eating large quantities of food (χ 2 = 7·18, P = 0·028) differed significantly across dieting groups in females. Significant differences in dinner skipping were observed in both males (χ 2 = 10·55, P = 0·005) and females (χ 2 = 20·91, P < 0·001). Female past dieters had significantly higher eating style scores than never dieters (P = 0·010) and current dieters (P = 0·042), indicating less well-structured feeding practices and food intake for reasons other than hunger. The present study showed a high prevalence of dieting among adolescents. Current dieters and past dieters had higher BMI and body fat percentage than never dieters. Eating behaviours differed significantly depending on dieting involvement, especially in females; while an apparently healthier, ordered eating style adopted by dieters during the dieting period seemed not to be maintained in the long term.

Family, friend, and media factors are associated with patterns of weight-control behavior among adolescent girls.

PubMed

Balantekin, Katherine N; Birch, Leann L; Savage, Jennifer S

2018-04-01

To examine the relationship of family, friend, and media factors on weight-control group membership at 15 years separately and in a combined model. Subjects included 166 15 year girls. Latent class analysis identified four patterns of weight-control behaviors: non-dieters, lifestyle, dieters, and extreme dieters. Family (family functioning, priority of the family meals, maternal/paternal weight-teasing, and mother's/father's dieting), friend (weight-teasing and dieting), and media variables (media sensitivity and weekly TV time) were included as predictors of weight-control group membership. Family functioning and priority of family meals predicted membership in the Extreme Dieters group, and maternal weight-teasing predicted membership in both dieters and extreme dieters. Friend's dieting and weight-teasing predicted membership in both dieters and extreme dieters. Media sensitivity was significantly associated with membership in lifestyle, dieters, and extreme dieters. In a combined influence model with family, friend, and media factors included, the following remained significantly associated with weight-control group membership: family functioning, friends' dieting, and media sensitivity. Family, friends, and the media are three sources of sociocultural influence, which play a role in adolescent girls' use of patterns of weight-control behaviors; family functioning was a protective factor, whereas friend's dieting and media sensitivity were risk factors. These findings emphasize the need for multidimensional interventions, addressing risk factors for dieting and use of unhealthy weight-control behaviors at the family, peer, and community (e.g., media) levels.

Working harder to obtain more snack foods when wanting to eat less.

PubMed

Giesen, Janneke C A H; Havermans, Remco C; Nederkoorn, Chantal; Strafaci, Silvana; Jansen, Anita

2009-01-01

This study investigates individual differences in the reinforcing value of snack food. More specifically, it was investigated whether differences in restraint status are associated with differences in working for high-caloric snack food. Thirty-six unrestrained non-dieters, twenty restrained non-dieters and fifteen current dieters performed a concurrent schedules task in which they had the option to work for points for either snack food or fruit and vegetables. By progressively increasing the "price" of the snack foods (i.e., the amount of work required to obtain extra snack points) the relative reinforcing value of snack food was determined. As hypothesized, restrained non-dieters worked harder and current dieters worked less hard to obtain snack food as compared to unrestrained non-dieters.

Determinants of Dieting Behavior and Eating Disorders in High School Students.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emmons, Lillian Miller

This study examines the prevalence and intensity of dieting behavior and the development of eating disorders in a sample of 1269 high school students from ten schools in the Greater Cleveland area. The sample includes four race-sex groups: black and white male and female students. Differences in dieting behavior between these groups are examined and, within each race-sex group, dieters and non-dieters are compared to see whether they differ in such factors as current weight and personal weight history, parental weights, socioeconomic class, religion, birth order, exercise and personality factors such as self-esteem and eating disorder measures. Data were collected using both self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews with a subsample of students. The study documents a higher prevalence of dieting and purging behavior than has been reported in other research. Forty-one percent of both black and white males, 61 percent of black females, and 77 percent of white females dieted and many purged, particularly black females who tended to use laxatives and diuretics and white females and males who tended to use vomiting. Dieters and non -dieters differed significantly in past experience with being overweight and in their current weights. At the time of the study 20 to 30 percent of the dieters were classifiable as overweight. While black and white male dieters and non-dieters were in agreement about ideal body weight, white female dieters and non-dieters wanted considerably lower weights than black female dieters and non-dieters. Ethnicity, as determined by socioeconomic class and religion, was not significantly related to dieting behavior, nor was birth order, a familial factor. It appeared that pervasive cultural pressures to attain an ideal figure affected all race-sex groups and led large percentages of the students to diet, even many who were already underweight.

Genetic trail for the early migrations of Aisin Gioro, the imperial house of the Qing dynasty.

PubMed

Wei, Lan-Hai; Yan, Shi; Yu, Ge; Huang, Yun-Zhi; Yao, Da-Li; Li, Shi-Lin; Jin, Li; Li, Hui

2017-03-01

The House of Aisin Gioro, the imperial clan of Qing dynasty (1644-1911), affected the history of China and the formation of Manchu ethnicity greatly. However, owing to the lack of historical records and archeological evidences, the origin of the House of Aisin Gioro remains ambiguous. To clarify the origin of Aisin Gioro clan, we conducted whole Y-chromosome sequencing on three samples and Y-single-nucleotide polymorphism (Y-SNP) genotyping on other four samples beside those reported in previous work. We confirmed that the paternal lineage of the Aisin Gioro clan belongs to haplogroup C3b1a3a2-F8951, a brother branch of C3*-Star Cluster (currently named as C3b1a3a1-F3796, once linked to Genghis Khan), which is quite different from the predominant lineage C3c-M48 in other Tungusic-speaking populations. We also determined a series of unique Y-SNP markers for the Aisin Gioro clan. Diversity analyses of haplogroup C3b1a3a2-F8951 revealed the early migration of the ancestors of the Aisin Gioro clan from the middle reaches of Amur River to their later settlement in southeastern Manchuria. Hence, our results suggest that the Aisin Gioro clan may be descendants of ancient populations in Transbaikal region and closely related to origin of current Daur populations. Our research indicated that detailed research of stemma and deep sequencing of Y chromosomes are helpful to explore the prehistoric activities of populations lacking historical records and archeological evidences.

Patterns of Weight Control Behavior among 15 year old Girls

PubMed Central

Balantekin, Katherine N.; Birch, Leann L.; Savage, Jennifer S.

2015-01-01

Objective The objectives were to identify and predict patterns of weight control behavior in 15 year old (yo) girls and to examine weight control group differences in energy intake. Method Subjects included 166 girls assessed every 2 years (ys) from age 5 to 15. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of weight control behaviors. Antecedent variables (e.g. inhibitory control at 7ys), and concurrent variables (e.g. BMI and dietary intake at 15ys) were included as predictors. Assessments were a combination of survey, interview, and laboratory measures. Results LCA identified four classes of weight control behaviors, Non-dieters (26%), and three dieting groups: Lifestyle (16%), Dieters (43%), and Extreme Dieters (17%). Levels of restraint, weight concerns, and dieting frequency increased across groups, from Non-dieters to Extreme Dieters. BMI at 5ys and inhibitory control at 7ys predicted weight control group at 15ys; e.g. with every one-point decrease in inhibitory control, girls were twice as likely to be Extreme Dieters than Non-dieters. Girls in the Extreme Dieters group were mostly classified as under-reporters, and had the lowest self-reported intake, but ate significantly more in the laboratory. Discussion Among 15yo girls, “dieting” includes a range of both healthy and unhealthy behaviors. Risk factors for membership in a weight control groups are present as early as 5ys. Patterns of intake in the laboratory support the view that lower reported energy intake by Extreme Dieters is likely due under-reporting as an intent to decrease intake, not actual decreased intake. PMID:26284953

Restaurant eating in nonpurge binge-eating women.

PubMed

Timmerman, Gayle M

2006-11-01

This study describes restaurant-eating behaviors for nonpurge binge-eating women in comparison to dieters. Restaurant-eating behaviors were determined from a content analysis of 14-day food diaries using a convenience sample of 71 women who reported binging without purging and 46 dieters without a recent binge history. Comparing bingers to dieters, there were no significant differences in frequency of eating out, dessert consumption at restaurants, or fast food eating. Bingers more often perceived restaurant eating to be uncontrolled and excessive. Both bingers and dieters consumed significantly more calories (226-253 kcal) and fat (10.4-16.0 gm) on restaurant days. Extra calories consumed on restaurant-eating days may contribute to weight gain over time, especially with frequent restaurant eating. Restaurants may present a high-risk food environment for bingers and dieters, contributing to loss of control and excess consumption.

Dieting and food craving. A descriptive, quasi-prospective study.

PubMed

Massey, Anna; Hill, Andrew J

2012-06-01

Evidence linking food restriction and food craving is equivocal. This study investigated whether dieting was associated with a greater frequency of food craving. Dieting to lose weight was distinguished from watching so as not to gain weight. Participants were 129 women (mean age=41 yrs): 52 were currently dieting to lose weight, 40 were watching their weight, and 37 were non-dieters. They completed a food craving record after every food craving, a food diary, and a daily mood assessment over 7-days. Of the 393 craving incidents recorded, dieters experienced significantly more food cravings than non-dieters, with watchers intermediate. Chocolate was the most craved food (37% of cravings) but neither the types of food, the proportion of cravings leading to eating (∼70%), the situations in which cravings occurred, nor the time since the last eating episode differed between groups. Compared with non-dieters, dieters experienced stronger cravings that were more difficult to resist, and for foods they were restricting eating. Watchers showed similarities in experience both to dieters (low hunger) and non-dieters (lower craving intensity). These results support an association between dieting and food craving, the usefulness of distinguishing dieting to lose weight and watching, and suggest a need for further experimental investigation of actual food restriction on food craving experiences. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of calorie information on food selection and intake.

PubMed

Girz, L; Polivy, J; Herman, C P; Lee, H

2012-10-01

To examine the effects of calorie labeling on food selection and intake in dieters and non-dieters, and to explore whether expectations about food healthfulness moderate these effects. Participants were presented with a menu containing two items, a salad and a pasta dish. The menu had (a) no calorie information, (b) information that the salad was low in calories and the pasta was high in calories, (c) information that the salad was high in calories and the pasta was low in calories or (d) information that both were high in calories (study 2 only). Calorie labels influenced food selection for dieters, but not for non-dieters. Dieters were more likely to order salad when the salad was labeled as low in calories and more likely to order pasta, even high-calorie pasta, when the salad was labeled as high in calories. Participants who chose high-calorie foods over low-calorie foods did not eat less in response to calorie information, although non-dieters reduced their intake somewhat when calorie labels were put in the context of recommended daily calories. The results suggest that the rush to provide calorie information may not prove to be the best approach to fighting the obesity epidemic.

Qing-dai powder promotes recovery of colitis by inhibiting inflammatory responses of colonic macrophages in dextran sulfate sodium-treated mice.

PubMed

Xiao, Hai-Tao; Peng, Jiao; Hu, Dong-Dong; Lin, Cheng-Yuan; Du, Bin; Tsang, Siu-Wai; Lin, Ze-Si; Zhang, Xiao-Jun; Lueng, Feng-Ping; Han, Quan-Bin; Bian, Zhao-Xiang

2015-01-01

Qing-dai powder (QDP), comprising Indigo naturalis (Qing-dai) and dried alum (Ku-fan), was used in Chinese medicine to treat the conditions associated with mucosal hemorrhage, such as ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aims to investigate the effects and potential mechanism of QDP on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis in mice and to examine the regulatory effects of QDP on macrophages. Seven- to eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were challenged with 2.0 % DSS in drinking water for 5 days and then the colitic mice were arbitrarily allocated into five groups (n = 10 for each group). QDP (0.77, 1.54 and 3.08 g/kg) and sulfasalazine (SASP) (0.20 g/kg) were orally administered for 7 days. The disease activity index was determined by scores of body weight loss, diarrhea and rectal bleeding; histological signs of damage was analyzed by H&E staining; myeloperoxidase activity was measured by colorimetric method, levels of proinflammatory cytokines were determined by ELISA; changes in macrophages in the colon were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and flow cytometry. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells were treated with or without QDP, then the production of TNF-α and IL-6 were measured by ELISA; and protein molecules such as COX-2, iNOS, IкB-α were determined by Western blot. Oral administration of QDP at dosages of 1.54 and 3.08 g/kg significantly reduced disease activity index on day 12 (P < 0.001 for 1.54 g/kg and P < 0.0008 for 3.08 g/kg), colon shortening (P = 0.012 for 1.54 g/kg, P = 0.001 for 3.08 g/kg), histological damage (P < 0.001 for 1.54 g/kg, P < 0.001 for 3.08 g/kg) and colonic myeloperoxidase activity (P = 0.002 for 1.54 g/kg, P < 0.001 for 3.08 g/kg) of DSS-treated mice. Moreover, QDP treatment (1.54 and 3.08 g/kg) significantly decreased DSS-induced infiltration of macrophages, and production of TNF-α (P = 0.005 for 1.54 g/kg, P = 0.002 for 3.08 g/kg), IL-1β (P = 0.008 for 1.54�

Obituary: Wulff-Dieter Heintz, 1930-2006

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augensen, Harry John; Geyer, Edward Heinrich

2006-12-01

Wulff Dieter Heintz, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Swarthmore College, passed away at his home on 10 June 2006, following a two-year battle with lung cancer. He had turned seventy-six just one week earlier. Wulff was a leading authority on visual double stars and also a chess master. A prominent educator, researcher, and scholar, Wulff was noted for being both succinct and meticulous in everything he did. Wulff Heintz was born on 3 June 1930 in Würzburg (Bavaria), Germany. Naturally left-handed, his elementary school teachers forced him to learn to write "correctly" using his right hand, and so he became ambidextrous. During the 1930s, Wulff's family saw the rise of Adolf Hitler and lived under the repressive Nazi regime. As a teenager during World War II, Wulff listened to his family radio for any news from the outside world. He used to say that he loved the blackouts during the bombing runs because it made it much easier to see the stars. On the night of 16 March 1945, Wulff's home town of Würzburg was heavily bombed, resulting in the destruction of eighty-five percent of the city and the deaths of several thousand civilians. One incendiary bomb landed on the roof of his family home, but Wulff climbed up to the roof and extinguished it before the flames could spread. The next morning, he discovered (with some delight) that his high school had burned to the ground. As Germany continued to suffer massive losses, teenage boys as young as fifteen were inducted into the military and sent off to replenish the troops. To avoid an uncertain fate, Wulff hid out in a farmhouse in the countryside outside of Munich. When the allied troops invaded Germany in 1945, Wulff volunteered to be a translator between the American and British soldiers and the local villagers. In return for his valuable service, the soldiers taught Wulff how to smoke cigarettes, a habit that he continued until his final days even after having been diagnosed with lung cancer. Shortly after the war

Network pharmacology-based identification of key pharmacological pathways of Yin-Huang-Qing-Fei capsule acting on chronic bronchitis.

PubMed

Yu, Guohua; Zhang, Yanqiong; Ren, Weiqiong; Dong, Ling; Li, Junfang; Geng, Ya; Zhang, Yi; Li, Defeng; Xu, Haiyu; Yang, Hongjun

2017-01-01

For decades in China, the Yin-Huang-Qing-Fei capsule (YHQFC) has been widely used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, with good curative effects. Owing to the complexity of traditional Chinese herbal formulas, the pharmacological mechanism of YHQFC remains unclear. To address this problem, a network pharmacology-based strategy was proposed in this study. At first, the putative target profile of YHQFC was predicted using MedChem Studio, based on structural and functional similarities of all available YHQFC components to the known drugs obtained from the DrugBank database. Then, an interaction network was constructed using links between putative YHQFC targets and known therapeutic targets of chronic bronchitis. Following the calculation of four topological features (degree, betweenness, closeness, and coreness) of each node in the network, 475 major putative targets of YHQFC and their topological importance were identified. In addition, a pathway enrichment analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database indicated that the major putative targets of YHQFC are significantly associated with various pathways involved in anti-inflammation processes, immune responses, and pathological changes caused by asthma. More interestingly, eight major putative targets of YHQFC (interleukin [IL]-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, FCER1G, CCL11, and EPX) were demonstrated to be associated with the inflammatory process that occurs during the progression of asthma. Finally, a molecular docking simulation was performed and the results exhibited that 17 pairs of chemical components and candidate YHQFC targets involved in asthma pathway had strong binding efficiencies. In conclusion, this network pharmacology-based investigation revealed that YHQFC may attenuate the inflammatory reaction of chronic bronchitis by regulating its candidate targets, which may be implicated in the major pathological processes of the asthma pathway.

Qing Gan Zi Shen Tang alleviates adipose tissue dysfunction with up-regulation of SIRT1 in spontaneously hypertensive rat.

PubMed

Zhu, Yao; Huang, Jing Jing; Zhang, Xiao Xiao; Yan, Yu; Yin, Xiao Wei; Ping, Gu; Jiang, Wei Ming

2018-05-30

Qing Gan Zi Shen Tang (QGZST) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula in the Jiangsu Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for its efficacy in treating hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance. The current study further evaluated the effects and possible mechanisms of QGZST on epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) dysfunction in a high-fat-diet (HFD)-fed-spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model. Results showed that QGZST significantly decreased the systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), body weights and adipocyte size of HFD-fed SHRs. Moreover, QGZST remarkably reduced the serum levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR index, increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and improved glucose intolerance in HFD-fed SHRs. Furthermore, QGZST dramatically attenuated HFD-fed-induced hypersecretion of proinflammatory cytokines and hypoproduction of adiponectin in SHRs. Mechanistically, QGZST stimulated the activity of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and suppress the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins-α(C/EBP-α), fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), acetylated nuclear factor-kappa-B-p65 (acetyl-NF-кB-p65) and protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). More than that, QGZST also prevented acetyl-NF-кB-p65 nuclear accumulation. Collectively, our research demonstrated for the first time that QGZST is able to alleviate eWAT dysfunction with up-regulation of SIRT1 in HFD-fed SHRs, which might supply further insight into QGZST-mediated anti-hypertension and anti-obesity effects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Effect of depressed mood in eating among obese and nonobese dieting and nondieting persons.

PubMed

Baucom, D H; Aiken, P A

1981-09-01

This study explored the relationship among obesity, depressed mood, current dieting habits, and eating. Depressed or nondepressed mood was induced in obese are nonobese dieters and nondieters. As predicted, dieters ate more when depressed than when nondepressed, and nondieters ate less when depressed than when nondepressed. That is, both groups reversed their typical eating patterns when depressed. Also as predicted, among depressed students, dieters ate more than nondieters; among nondepressed students, dieters at less than nondieters. The above pattern of results was found both for obese students and for nonobese students. Dieting habits were highlighted as a more salient variable than obesity in predicting eating responses to depressed mood. These findings are discussed with respect to the psychosomatic theory of obesity, Schachter's stimulus-binding theory of obesity, previous investigations of clinical depression, and Herman and Polivy's theory of restrained eating.

The anti-hyperplasia, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of Qing Ye Dan and swertiamarin in testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats.

PubMed

Wu, Xinying; Gu, Ye; Li, Lun

2017-01-04

Qing Ye Dan (QYD) is the whole plant of Swertia mileensis and used in Chinese folk medicine for the treatment of prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and so on. This study was to investigate the effects of QYD and its main component swertiamarin on BPH induced by testosterone in rats. The prostatic expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (βFGF) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were detected by immunohistochemistry assay. Prostatic levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory-related factors were also analyzed. Additionally, the prostatic expressions of androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor (ER)-α, ER-β, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, B-cell CLL/lymphoma (Bcl)-2 and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were measured by western blot. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) associated factors were evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. It showed that QYD and swertiamarin ameliorated the testosterone-induced prostatic hyperplasia and collagen deposition, attenuated the over-expressions of HIF-1α, VEGF, EGF, βFGF, PCNA, AR and ER-α, reduced the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, enhanced the expression of ER-β, inhibited the oxidative stress and local inflammation, as well as relieved prostatic EMT. It suggested that QYD and swertiamarin had prostatic protective potential against BPH. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dieting in bulimia nervosa is associated with increased food restriction and psychopathology but decreased binge eating.

PubMed

Lowe, Michael R; Witt, Ashley A; Grossman, Stephanie L

2013-08-01

The cognitive behavioral model of bulimia nervosa (BN) suggests that dieting is central to the maintenance of binge eating. However, correlational and experimental studies suggest that additional clarification is needed about the nature of this relationship. Dieting, weight, eating disorder psychopathology, and depression were assessed at admission among 166 patients with BN presenting for residential treatment. As in past research, a significant fraction (43%) of patients with BN reported not currently dieting. A comparison of weight loss dieters and non-dieters found greater food restriction and eating disorder psychopathology among weight loss dieters. However, dieters reported less frequent binge eating. There were no significant group differences in depression. Results suggest that 1) while many individuals with BN are attempting to restrict their food intake, the goal of losing weight fundamentally alters the effect of such restriction on binge eating, and 2) treatment may benefit from helping patients to establish a healthier approach to achieving long-term weight stability. © 2013.

Covariations of adolescent weight-control, health-risk and health-promoting behaviors.

PubMed

Rafiroiu, Codruta; Sargent, Roger G; Parra-Medina, Deborah; Drane, Wanzer J; Valois, Robert F

2003-01-01

To assess the prevalence of dieting and investigate clusters of risk behaviors among adolescents. Data were secured from a random sample of adolescents (4,636) and analyzed using bivariate methods and logistic regression. From the survey sample, 19.2% adolescents were classified as extreme, 43.2% as moderate dieters, 37.2% as nondieters. Extreme dieters were more likely to use alcohol, cigarettes, and/or marijuana and to attempt suicide and less likely to practice vigorous exercise. Moderate dieters were less likely to use cigarettes, marijuana and more likely to engage in vigorous exercise, with differences across gender-race categories. Results have relevance for developing multicomponent programs for adolescents.

Eating Order: A 13-Week Trust Model Class for Dieting Casualties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Elizabeth G.

2008-01-01

Chronic dieting distorts eating behaviors and causes weight escalation. Desperation about losing weight results in pursuit of extreme weight loss measures. Instead of offering yet another diet, nutrition educators can teach chronic dieters (dieting casualties) to develop eating competence. Eating Order, a 13-week class for chronic dieters based on…

Prevalence and correlates of chronic dieting in a multi-ethnic U.S. community sample.

PubMed

Cachelin, F M; Regan, P C

2006-06-01

Despite the increasing rates of obesity in the U.S. and corresponding rise in weight-related concerns among men and women in all ethnic groups, most research in the U.S. has been conducted using white female samples. This study explored the prevalence and correlates of chronic dieting (high levels of dietary restraint) among a U.S. communitybased sample of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and White women and men (N=1257). Chronic dieting was more common among women than men, and less common among Asians than other ethnic groups. Across the total sample, dietary restraint was positively correlated with weight history, disordered eating attitudes, distorted body experiences, and depression, and was negatively correlated with self-esteem. Female chronic dieters showed the highest degree of disturbance; compared with female non-dieters (and male chronic dieters), they reported lower self-esteem, higher depression, and more disordered eating attitudes. As hypothesized, they also exhibited a higher degree of acculturation to Anglo-American society. Male chronic dieters had more disordered eating attitudes and experienced greater body distortion than male non-dieters. Interestingly, these results were not moderated by ethnicity. Although the prevalence of chronic dieting differs among ethnic groups living in the U.S., the psychological characteristics related to eating and weight appear similar for individuals who diet, irrespective of ethnicity.

Dieting in Spanish adolescent girls.

PubMed

López-Guimerà, Gemma; Fauquet, Jordi; Portell, Mariona; Sánchez-Carracedo, David; Raich, Rosa M

2008-05-01

This article examines the relation between dieting and non-dieting adolescent girls and body mass index (BMI), eating attitudes and the influence of the aesthetic body shape model. Three hundred forty-nine Spanish adolescent girls in their second year of secondary education were selected. The research design was a cross-sectional ex post facto study and validated measures were used to assess the main variables. Fourteen per cent of the sample was on a diet. Of this group, 69% were overweight, 70% had disordered eating attitudes and 70% were influenced by the current aesthetic body shape model. In all situations, the scores for dieters were significantly higher than those for non-dieters. Although there is not yet any clear consensus with regards to how adolescents interpret the term 'diet', the results indicate major differences between dieters and non-dieters and that those who self-report that they are on a diet present elements of the risk of developing eating and weight disorders. (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association

Social Moderation and Dynamic Elements in Crowdsourced Geospatial Data: A Report on Quality Assessment, Dynamic Extensions and Mobile Device Engagement in the George Mason University Geocrowdsourcing Testbed

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

GMU) Associate Professor Dieter Pfoser describes an explosion of user generated content (UGC) available over the Internet (Pfoser 2011, Crooks et al...Crowdsourced and User - Generated Geospatial Data,” Annual (Fairfax, VA: George Mason University, November 29, 2012), http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2...area include GPS-enabled geosocial and 34 Dieter Pfoser, “On User - Generated

Comittees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-10-01

Fritz Caspers (CERN, Switzerland), Michel Chanel (CERN, Switzerland), Håkan Danared (MSL, Sweden), Bernhard Franzke (GSI, Germany), Manfred Grieser (MPI für Kernphysik, Germany), Dieter Habs (LMU München, Germany), Jeffrey Hangst (University of Aarhus, Denmark), Takeshi Katayama (RIKEN/Univ. Tokyo, Japan), H.-Jürgen Kluge (GSI, Germany), Shyh-Yuan Lee (Indiana University, USA), Rudolf Maier (FZ Jülich, Germany), John Marriner (FNAL, USA), Igor Meshkov (JINR, Russia), Dieter Möhl (CERN, Switzerland), Vasily Parkhomchuk (BINP, Russia), Robert Pollock (Indiana University), Dieter Prasuhn (FZ Jülich, Germany), Dag Reistad (TSL, Sweden), John Schiffer (ANL, USA), Andrew Sessler (LBNL, USA), Alexander Skrinsky (BINP, Russia), Markus Steck (GSI, Germany), Jie Wei (BNL, USA), Andreas Wolf (MPI für Kernphysik, Germany), Hongwei Zhao (IMP, People's Rep. of China).

Pleasure, pursuit of health or negotiation of identity? Personality correlates of food choice motives among young and middle-aged women.

PubMed

Lindeman, M; Stark, K

1999-08-01

The clustering of four food choice motives (health, weight concern, pleasure and ideological reasons) and the relationship between personality and the food choice motives were analysed among young and middle-aged women in two studies. The personality variables included personal strivings, magical beliefs about food, awareness and internalization of thinness pressures, appearance and weight dissatisfaction, depression, self-esteem and symptoms of eating disorders. Study 1 was done with 171 young and middle-aged women. In Study 2, with data provided by 118 senior high-school girls, one cluster of girls who did not regard any of the food choice motives as important was found, otherwise the food choice clusters were fairly similar in both studies. They were labelled as health fosterers, gourmets, ideological eaters, health dieters and distressed dieters. Only the second dieter group, distressed dieters, showed low psychological well-being and symptoms of disordered eating. The results also indicated that ideological food choice motives (i.e. expression of one's identity via food) were best predicted by vegetarianism, magical beliefs about food and health, and personal strivings for ecological welfare and for understanding self and the world. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Potential Ameliorative Effects of Qing Ye Dan Against Cadmium Induced Prostatic Deficits via Regulating Nrf-2/HO-1 and TGF-β1/Smad Pathways.

PubMed

Du, Lifen; Lei, Yongfang; Chen, Jinglou; Song, Hongping; Wu, Xinying

2017-01-01

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant with reproductive toxicity. Swertia mileensis is used in Chinese medicine for the treatment of prostatic deficits and named as Qing Ye Dan (QYD). This study was undertaken to investigate the potential protective effects of QYD against Cd-induced prostatic deficits. Rat model of prostatic deficits was induced by 0.2 mg/kg/d CdCl2 subcutaneous injection for 15 days. The prostatic oxidative stress was evaluated by detecting the levels of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, reduced/ oxidized glutathione, total sulfhydryl groups and enzymatic antioxidant status. The prostatic inflammation was estimated by testing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers E-cadherin, fibronectin, vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin were measured by qPCR analysis. Additionally, the prostatic expressions of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), type I TGF-β receptor (TGF-βRI), Smad2, phosphorylation-Smad2 (p-Smad2), Smad3, p-Smad3, Smad7, nuclear related factor-2 (Nrf-2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), B-cell CLL/lymphoma (Bcl)-2 and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were measured by western blot assay. It was found that QYD ameliorated the Cd-induced prostatic oxidative stress and inflammation, attenuated prostatic EMT, inhibited the TGF-β1/Smad pathway, increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio and enhanced the activity of Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway. These results showed that QYD could ameliorate Cd-induced prostatic deficits via modulating Nrf-2/HO-1 and TGF-β1/Smad pathways. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Anti-Reflection Characteristics of Si Nanowires for Enhanced Photoluminescence from CdTe/CdS Quantum Dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hong-Yu; Shan, Dan; Xu, Ling

2018-05-01

Not Available Supported by the Qing Lan Project of the Higher Education Institutions of Jiangsu Province, Qing Lan Project of Yangzhou Polytechnic Institute, the Natural Science Foundation of Yangzhou City under Grant No YZ2016123, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 61376004.

Dieting attempts modify the association between quality of diet and obesity.

PubMed

Sares-Jäske, Laura; Knekt, Paul; Lundqvist, Annamari; Heliövaara, Markku; Männistö, Satu

2017-09-01

Evidence on the nature of the relationship between obesity and the quality of diet remains controversial. Likewise, the possible effect of dieting attempts on this association is poorly understood. This study investigates the possible modifying effect of dieting attempts on the association between the quality of diet and obesity. The authors hypothesize that among dieters the association may be biased. The study was based on a Finnish cohort, including 5910 men and women aged 30 to 99 years, with information on diet and body mass index (BMI). Using data from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), an Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) applicable to the Finnish regimen was formed. Obesity was defined as a BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 . Information on dieting attempts was collected using a questionnaire. The statistical analyses were based on linear and logistic regression. We found a positive association between the quality of the diet and obesity, the relative odds of obesity between the highest and lowest quintiles of AHEI being 1.48 (95% CI, 1.20-1.82) after adjustment for confounding factors. However, in the interaction analysis of dieting attempts and AHEI, no association was observed in non-dieters (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.69-1.24) but among dieters a slightly elevated risk was found (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 0.98-1.98). We found no association between a high quality diet and obesity among non-dieters, but a tendency for a positive association in dieters. Dieting thus seems to modify the association between diet and obesity, which should be further studied using a longitudinal design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang shows preventive effect of asthma in an allergic asthma mouse model through neurotrophin regulation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background This study investigates the effect of Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang (XQLT) on neurotrophin in an established mouse model of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p)-induced acute allergic asthma and in a LA4 cell line model of lung adenoma. The effects of XQLT on the regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and immunoglobulin E were measured. Methods LA4 cells were stimulated with 100 μg/ml Der p 24 h and the supernatant was collected for ELISA analysis. Der p-stimulated LA4 cells with either XQLT pre-treatment or XQLT co-treatment were used to evaluate the XQLT effect on neurotrophin. Balb/c mice were sensitized on days 0 and 7 with a base-tail injection of 50 μg Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) that was emulsified in 50 μl incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (IFA). On day 14, mice received an intra-tracheal challenge of 50 μl Der p (2 mg/ml). XQLT (1g/Kg) was administered orally to mice either on days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 as a preventive strategy or on day 15 as a therapeutic strategy. Results XQLT inhibited expression of those NGF, BDNF and thymus-and activation-regulated cytokine (TARC) in LA4 cells that were subjected to a Der p allergen. Both preventive and therapeutic treatments with XQLT in mice reduced AHR. Preventive treatment with XQLT markedly decreased NGF in broncho-alveolar lavage fluids (BALF) and BDNF in serum, whereas therapeutic treatment reduced only serum BDNF level. The reduced NGF levels corresponded to a decrease in AHR by XQLT treatment. Reduced BALF NGF and TARC and serum BDNF levels may have been responsible for decreased eosinophil infiltration into lung tissue. Immunohistochemistry showed that p75NTR and TrkA levels were reduced in the lungs of mice under both XQLT treatment protocols, and this reduction may have been correlated with the prevention of the asthmatic reaction by XQLT. Conclusion XQLT alleviated allergic inflammation including AHR, Ig

A comparison of functional brain changes associated with surgical versus behavioral weight loss

PubMed Central

Bruce, Amanda S.; Bruce, Jared M.; Ness, Abigail R.; Lepping, Rebecca J.; Malley, Stephen; Hancock, Laura; Powell, Josh; Patrician, Trisha M.; Breslin, Florence J.; Martin, Laura E.; Donnelly, Joseph E.; Brooks, William M.; Savage, Cary R.

2013-01-01

Objective Few studies have examined brain changes in response to effective weight loss; none have compared different methods of weight-loss intervention. We compared functional brain changes associated with a behavioral weight loss intervention to those associated with bariatric surgery. Methods 15 obese participants were recruited prior to adjustable gastric banding surgery and 16 obese participants were recruited prior to a behavioral diet intervention. Groups were matched for demographics and amount of weight lost. fMRI scans (visual food motivation paradigm while hungry and following a meal) were conducted before, and 12 weeks after surgery/behavioral intervention. Results When compared to bariatric patients in the pre-meal analyses, behavioral dieters showed increased activation to food images in right medial PFC and left precuneus following weight loss. When compared to behavioral dieters, bariatric patients showed increased activation in in bilateral temporal cortex following the weight loss. Conclusions Behavioral dieters showed increased responses to food cues in medial PFC – a region associated with valuation and processing of self-referent information – when compared to bariatric patients. Bariatric patients showed increased responses to food cues in brain regions associated with higher level perception—when compared to behavioral dieters. The method of weight loss determines unique changes in brain function. PMID:24115765

Dietary intakes, attitudes toward carbohydrates of postmenopausal women following low carbohydrate diets.

PubMed

Winham, Donna M; Collins, Courtney B; Hutchins, Andrea M

2009-01-01

Middle-aged women have the highest levels of obesity and comprise the largest group of dieters. Few investigators have examined how women apply weight-loss diet principles in an unsupervised setting. Dietary intakes and attitudes toward carbohydrates were examined in women who were self-reported low carbohydrate dieters (SRLCDs); these intakes and attitudes were compared with those of women who were following their normal diet (non-dieters [NDs]). A convenience sample of 29 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 65 was recruited. Data were obtained by interview, questionnaire, and direct anthropometric measurement. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and analysis of variance were used to compare groups. Although total energy and protein intakes were similar, SRLCDs consumed significantly more fat and less carbohydrate (expressed as a percentage of total energy) and more cholesterol and less fibre than did NDs. Both groups had unfavourable attitudes toward carbohydrates. The SRLCDs ate more fat than recommended. Women who are considering following a low carbohydrate diet need to know the nutritional risks of unbalanced self-designed low carbohydrate diets. Negative attitudes toward carbohydrates were not confined to dieters. Nutrition education is necessary to help consumers understand basic nutrition principles and to be more skeptical of fad diets.

On Contributing to the Progress of Medical Informatics as Publisher.

PubMed

Haux, R; Geissbuhler, A; Holmes, J; Jaulent, M-C; Koch, S; Kulikowski, C A; Lehmann, C U; McCray, A T; Séroussi, B; Soualmia, L F; van Bemmel, J H

2017-08-01

May 1st, 2017, will mark Dieter Bergemann's 80th birthday. As Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Schattauer Publishers from 1983 to 2016, the biomedical and health informatics community owes him a great debt of gratitude. The past and present editors of Methods of Information in Medicine, the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics, and Applied Clinical Informatics want to honour and thank Dieter Bergemann by providing a brief biography that emphasizes his contributions, by reviewing his critical role as an exceptionally supportive publisher for Schattauer's three biomedical and health informatics periodicals, and by sharing some personal anecdotes. Over the past 40 years, Dieter Bergemann has been an influential, if behind-the-scenes, driving force in biomedical and health informatics publications, helping to ensure success in the dissemination of our field's research and practice. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.

Dieting and the self-control of eating in everyday environments: An experience sampling study

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Wilhelm; Adriaanse, Marieke; Vohs, Kathleen D.; Baumeister, Roy F.

2013-01-01

Objective The literature on dieting has sparked several debates over how restrained eaters differ from unrestrained eaters in their self-regulation of healthy and unhealthy food desires and what distinguishes successful from unsuccessful dieters. We addressed these debates using a four-component model of self-control that was tested using ecological momentary assessment, long-term weight change, and a laboratory measure of inhibitory control. Design A large sample of adults varying in dietary restraint and inhibitory control (as measured by a Stroop task) were equipped with smartphones for a week. They were beeped on random occasions and provided information on their experience and control of healthy and unhealthy food desires in everyday environments. Main Outcome Measures Desire strength, experienced conflict, resistance, enactment of desire, and weight change after a four-month follow-up. Results and Conclusions Dietary restraint was unrelated to desire frequency and strength, but associated with higher conflict experiences and motivation to use self-control with regard to food desires. Most importantly, relationships between and among dietary restraint and resistance, enactment of desire, and long-term weight change were moderated by inhibitory control: Compared to dieters low in response inhibition, dieters high in response inhibition were more likely to attempt to resist food desires, not consume desired food (especially unhealthy food), and objectively lost more weight over the ensuing four months. These results highlight the combinatory effects of aspects of the self-control process in dieters and highlight the value in linking theoretical process frameworks, experience sampling, and laboratory-based assessment in health science. PMID:23751109

Dieting and Food Cue-Related Working Memory Performance.

PubMed

Meule, Adrian

2016-01-01

Executive functioning (e.g., working memory) is tightly intertwined with self-regulation. For example, food cue-elicited craving has been found to impair working memory performance. Furthermore, current dieters have been found to show lower working memory performance than non-dieters. Recent research, however, suggests that it is crucial to consider dieting success in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating in order to reveal cognitive mechanisms that are associated with successful eating-related self-regulation. The current study investigated food cue-related working memory performance as a function of dieting status and dieting success in female students. Participants performed an n -back task with pictures of food and neutral objects. Reaction time in response to food pictures was slower than in response to neutral pictures, whereas omission errors did not differ between picture types. Current food craving was increased after performing the food block, but not after the neutral block. There was an indirect effect of current dieting status on higher food craving after the food block, which was mediated by slower reaction time to food vs. neutral pictures. Furthermore, higher dieting success was associated with fewer omission errors in the food vs. neutral block in current dieters. There were no relationships of restrained eating with current food craving and task performance. Results further highlight the need to differentiate between successful and unsuccessful dieting in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating when examining possible mechanisms of overeating or successful restraint. Although palatable food cues induce food craving regardless of dieting success, they may boost executive functioning in successful dieters, which helps them to overcome these temptations.

Embodied free will beliefs: some effects of physical states on metaphysical opinions.

PubMed

Ent, Michael R; Baumeister, Roy F

2014-07-01

The present research suggests that people's bodily states affect their beliefs about free will. People with epilepsy and people with panic disorder, which are disorders characterized by a lack of control over one's body, reported less belief in free will compared to people without such disorders (Study 1). The more intensely people felt sexual desire, physical tiredness, and the urge to urinate, the less they believed in free will (Study 2). Among non-dieters, the more intensely they felt hunger, the less they believed in free will. However, dieters showed a trend in the opposite direction (Study 3). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatial-temporal analysis on climate variation in early Qing dynasty (17th -18th century) using China's chronological records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Kuan-Hui Elaine; Wang, Pao-Kuan; Fan, I.-Chun; Liao, Yi-Chun; Liao, Hsiung-Ming; Pai, Pi-Ling

2016-04-01

Global climate change in the form of extreme, variation, and short- or mid-term fluctuation is now widely conceived to challenge the survival of the human beings and the societies. Meanwhile, improving present and future climate modeling needs a comprehensive understanding of the past climate patterns. Although historical climate modeling has gained substantive progress in recent years based on the new findings from dynamical meteorology, phenology, or paleobiology, less known are the mid- to short-term variations or lower-frequency variabilities at different temporal scale and their regional expressions. Enabling accurate historical climate modeling would heavily rely on the robustness of the dataset that could carry specific time, location, and meteorological information in the continuous temporal and spatial chains. This study thus presents an important methodological innovation to reconstruct historical climate modeling at multiple temporal and spatial scales through building a historical climate dataset, based on the Chinese chronicles compiled in a Zhang (2004) edited Compendium of Chinese Meteorological Records of the Last 3,000 Years since Zhou Dynasty (1100BC). The dataset reserves the most delicate meteorological data with accurate time, location, meteorological event, duration, and other phonological, social and economic impact information, and is carefully digitalized, coded, and geo-referenced on the Geographical Information System based maps according to Tan's (1982) historical atlas in China. The research project, beginning in January 2015, is a collaborative work among scholars across meteorology, geography, and historical linguistics disciplines. The present research findings derived from the early 100+ years of the Qing dynasty include the following. First, the analysis is based on the sampling size, denoted as cities/counties, n=1398 across the Mainland China in the observation period. Second, the frequencies of precipitation, cold

Inhibition of eating behavior: negative cognitive effects of dieting.

PubMed

Hart, K E; Chiovari, P

1998-06-01

This study tested the hypothesis that dieters would score higher than nondieters in terms of food rumination. Two hundred and thirty one college undergraduates completed the Eating Obsessive-Compulsiveness Scale (EOCS) and responded to a questionnaire that inquired about dieting status. Subjects also completed measures that tapped neuroticism and social desirability. Results showed that current dieters were significantly more obsessed with thoughts of eating and food than were nondieters. Neither dieting status nor EOCS scale scores were related to neuroticism or social desirability. These results are consistent with previous theory and research suggesting that inhibition of appetitive behaviors can have negative cognitive effects. Moreover, they indicate a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Non-destructive analysis and appraisal of ancient Chinese porcelain by PIXE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, H. S.; Zhang, Z. Q.; Xia, H. N.; Jiang, J. C.; Yang, F. J.

2002-05-01

This paper reports the results of the PIXE analysis on ancient Chinese blue and white porcelain fired at Kuan Kiln (Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province) during 13-19th century. The major, minor and trace element of porcelain body, white glaze and blue glaze were determined by PIXE. In this paper the chemical compositions of porcelain body, white glaze and blue glaze measured from Yuan (AD 1206-1368), Ming (AD 1368-1644) and Qing (AD 1616-1911) blue and white porcelain are present. The cobalt blue pigment used in Yuan, Ming and Qing are also discussed.

The Biggest Loser Thinks Long-Term: Recency as a Predictor of Success in Weight Management.

PubMed

Koritzky, Gilly; Rice, Chantelle; Dieterle, Camille; Bechara, Antoine

2015-01-01

Only a minority of participants in behavioral weight management lose weight significantly. The ability to predict who is likely to benefit from weight management can improve the efficiency of obesity treatment. Identifying predictors of weight loss can also reveal potential ways to improve existing treatments. We propose a neuro-psychological model that is focused on recency: the reliance on recent information at the expense of time-distant information. Forty-four weight-management patients completed a decision-making task and their recency level was estimated by a mathematical model. Impulsivity and risk-taking were also measured for comparison. Weight loss was measured in the end of the 16-week intervention. Consistent with our hypothesis, successful dieters (n = 12) had lower recency scores than unsuccessful ones (n = 32; p = 0.006). Successful and unsuccessful dieters were similar in their demographics, intelligence, risk taking, impulsivity, and delay of gratification. We conclude that dieters who process time-distant information in their decision making are more likely to lose weight than those who are high in recency. We argue that having low recency facilitates future-oriented thinking, and thereby contributes to behavior change treatment adherence. Our findings underline the importance of choosing the right treatment for every individual, and outline a way to improve weight-management processes for more patients.

Purifying capability, enzyme activity, and nitrification potentials in December in integrated vertical flow constructed wetland with earthworms and different substrates.

PubMed

Xu, Defu; Gu, Jiaru; Li, Yingxue; Zhang, Yu; Howard, Alan; Guan, Yidong; Li, Jiuhai; Xu, Hui

2016-01-01

The response of purifying capability, enzyme activity, nitrification potentials, and total number of bacteria in the rhizosphere in December to wetland plants, substrates, and earthworms was investigated in integrated vertical flow constructed wetlands (IVFCW). The removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN), NH4-N, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total phosphorus (TP) was increased when earthworms were added into IVFCW. A significantly average removal efficiency of N in IVFCW that employed river sand as substrate and in IVFCW that employed a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate was not found. However, the average removal efficiency of P was higher in IVFCW with a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate than in IVFCW with river sand as substrate. Invertase activity in December was higher in IVFCW that used a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate than in IVFCW which used only river sand as substrate. However, urease activity, nitrification potential, and total number of bacteria in December was higher in IVFCW that employed river sand as substrate than in IVFCW with a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate. The addition of earthworms into the integrated vertical flow constructed wetland increased the above-ground biomass, enzyme activity (catalase, urease, and invertase), nitrification potentials, and total number of bacteria in December. The above-ground biomass of wetland plants was significantly positively correlated with urease and nitrification potentials (p < 0.01). The addition of earthworms into IVFCW increased enzyme activity and nitrification potentials in December, which resulted in improving purifying capability.

YangXue QingNao Wan and Silibinin Capsules, the Two Chinese Medicines, Attenuate Cognitive Impairment in Aged LDLR (+/-) Golden Syrian Hamsters Involving Protection of Blood Brain Barrier

PubMed Central

Gu, You-Yu; Huang, Ping; Li, Quan; Liu, Yu-Ying; Liu, George; Wang, Yu-Hui; Yi, Ming; Yan, Li; Wei, Xiao-Hong; Yang, Lei; Hu, Bai-He; Zhao, Xin-Rong; Chang, Xin; Sun, Kai; Pan, Chun-Shui; Cui, Yuan-Chen; Chen, Qing-Fang; Wang, Chuan-She; Fan, Jing-Yu; Ma, Zhi-Zhong; Han, Jing-Yan

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the effect and the underlying mechanism of YangXue QingNao Wan (YXQNW) and Silibinin Capsules (SC), the two Chinese medicines, on cognitive impairment in older people with familial hyperlipidaemia. Fourteen month-old female LDLR (+/-) golden Syrian hamsters were used with their wild type as control. YXQNW (0.5 g/kg/day), SC (0.1 g/kg/day), or YXQNW (0.5 g/kg/day) + SC (0.1 g/kg/day) were administrated orally for 30 days. To assess the effects of the two drugs on plasma lipid content and cognitive ability, plasma TC, TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C were measured, and Y maze task was carried out both before and after administration. After administering of the drugs for 30 days, to evaluate the effect of the two drugs on disturbed blood flow caused by hyperlipidemia, the cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured. To assess blood–brain barrier integrity, albumin leakage in middle cerebral artery (MCA) area was determined. To evaluate the effect of the drugs on impaired microvessels, the number and morphology of microvessels were assessed in hippocampus area. To further evaluate the ultrastructure of microvessels in hippocampus, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out. To assess the profiles of claudin-5 and occludin in hippocampus, we performed immunofluorescence. Finally, to assess the expression of claudin-5, JAM-1, occludin and ZO-1 in hippocampus, western blot was carried out. The results showed that YXQNW, SC, and YXQNW + SC improved cognitive impairment of aged LDLR (+/-) golden Syrian hamsters without lowering plasma TC and LDL-C. YXQNW, SC, and YXQNW + SC attenuated albumin leakage in MCA area and neuronal damage in hippocampus, concomitant with an increase in CBF, a decrease of perivascular edema and an up-regulated expression of claudin-5, occludin and ZO-1. In conclusion, YXQNW, SC, and YXQNW + SC are able to improve cognitive ability in aged LDLR (+/-) golden Syrian hamsters

Reactivity to smoking- and food-related cues in currently dieting and non-dieting young women smokers.

PubMed

Jenks, Rebecca A; Higgs, Suzanne

2011-04-01

There is some evidence to suggest that young women dieters who smoke experience greater cigarette cravings in the presence of food-related related cues. The aim of this experiment was to examine reactivity to both smoking-related and water cues by dieting and non-dieting women smokers in the presence or absence of food cues. Eighteen female undergraduates attended two sessions (food present and food absent). At each session, participants were presented with a cigarette and water cue in a counterbalanced order. Pre- and post-cue measures included the brief version of the Questionnaire for Smoking Urges, heart rate and self-reported mood. All smokers showed enhanced reactivity (increased craving and heart rate) to smoking versus water cues. For dieters there was a larger increase in cigarette craving and heart rate in response to the smoking-related cues in the presence of food compared with the absence of food, whereas for non-dieters there was a smaller increase in cigarette craving and heart rate in response to the smoking-related cues in the presence of food compared with the absence of food. Mood and appetite ratings were not significantly affected by either cue type or session. The results suggest that cue reactivity to smoking-related cues is modulated by the presence of incentive stimuli relevant to the individual.

The Biggest Loser Thinks Long-Term: Recency as a Predictor of Success in Weight Management

PubMed Central

Koritzky, Gilly; Rice, Chantelle; Dieterle, Camille; Bechara, Antoine

2015-01-01

Only a minority of participants in behavioral weight management lose weight significantly. The ability to predict who is likely to benefit from weight management can improve the efficiency of obesity treatment. Identifying predictors of weight loss can also reveal potential ways to improve existing treatments. We propose a neuro-psychological model that is focused on recency: the reliance on recent information at the expense of time-distant information. Forty-four weight-management patients completed a decision-making task and their recency level was estimated by a mathematical model. Impulsivity and risk-taking were also measured for comparison. Weight loss was measured in the end of the 16-week intervention. Consistent with our hypothesis, successful dieters (n = 12) had lower recency scores than unsuccessful ones (n = 32; p = 0.006). Successful and unsuccessful dieters were similar in their demographics, intelligence, risk taking, impulsivity, and delay of gratification. We conclude that dieters who process time-distant information in their decision making are more likely to lose weight than those who are high in recency. We argue that having low recency facilitates future-oriented thinking, and thereby contributes to behavior change treatment adherence. Our findings underline the importance of choosing the right treatment for every individual, and outline a way to improve weight-management processes for more patients. PMID:26696930

Comparison of the effects of temperature and water potential on seed germination of Fabaceae species from desert and subalpine grassland.

PubMed

Hu, Xiao Wen; Fan, Yan; Baskin, Carol C; Baskin, Jerry M; Wang, Yan Rong

2015-05-01

Temperature and water potential for germination based on the thermal and hydrotime models have been successfully applied in predicting germination requirements of physiologically dormant seeds as well as nondormant seeds. However, comparative studies of the germination requirements of physically dormant seeds from different ecosystems have not been done. Germination of scarified seeds of four legume species collected from the Qing-Tibetan Plateau and of four collected in the Alax Desert in China was compared over a range of temperatures and water potentials based on thermal time and hydrotime models. Seeds of species from the Qing-Tibetan Plateau had a lower base temperature (T b) and optimal temperature (T o) for germination than those from the Alax Desert. Seeds of the four species from the Qing-Tibetan Plateau germinated to high percentages at 5°C, whereas none of the four desert species did so. Seeds of species from the Alax Desert germinated to a high percentage at 35°C or 40°C, while no seeds of species from the Qing-Tibetan Plateau germinated at 35°C or 40°C. The base median water potential [Ψ b(50)] differed among species but not between the two habitats. The thermal time and hydrotime models accurately predicted the germination time course of scarified seeds of most of the eight species in response to temperature and water potential; thus, they can be useful tools in comparative studies on germination of seeds with physical dormancy. Habitat temperatures but not rainfall is closely related to germination requirements of these species. © 2015 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Hunger-induced finickiness in humans.

PubMed

Kauffman, N A; Herman, C P; Polivy, J

1995-06-01

Two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of hunger on finickiness in humans. Subjects (a total of 157 undergraduate female dieters and non-dieters) were food-deprived and then subsequently either given a snack (not-hungry group) or left food-deprived (hungry group) before being given ad libitum access to either good-tasting or bad-tasting (quinine-adultered) milkshake. Common sense predicted that hungry subjects would drink more milkshake than would not-hungry subjects, regardless of milkshake palatability. Hungry subjects did in fact drink more of the good-tasting milkshake than did not-hungry subjects, but they also drank less of the bad-tasting milkshake. We discuss possible reasons why hunger might increase rejection of bad-tasting food, as well as the limiting conditions of the effect.

76 FR 40338 - Marine Mammals; Photography Permit No. 16360

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-08

...Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Oceanic Nature Film Productions (Responsible Party: Dieter Paulmann), P.O. Box 301 722, Albany 0752, Auckland, New Zealand to conduct commercial/educational photography of cetaceans off Hawaii.

Artemisinins from folklore to modern medicine--transforming an herbal extract to life-saving drugs.

PubMed

Weina, P J

2008-06-01

The history of the artemisinins from Ge Hong in China during the 4th century, to the re-discovery of the qing hao derivatives in the 1970s, to the explosion of artemisinin derivatives and combinations throughout the world today is a fascinating story. The central and underappreciated role of the United States Army's 'drug company' known as the Division of Experimental Therapeutics at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is a story worth relating. From being the first group outside China to extract the active component of qing hao, to leading the work on neurotoxicity of the class in animals, to bringing a Good Manufacturing Practices intravenous formulation to the worldwide market is traced.

[The research on the edition of Daquanbencao (Complete Collection of Materia Medica)].

PubMed

Li, Jian; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Rui-xian

2009-07-01

Zhengleibencao (Classified Materia Medica) had been formed into several kinds of edition systems during its dissemination, among which there was the edition system of Daquanbencao (Complete Collection of Materia Medica). Daquanbencao was originally carved in the Jin dynasty, thereafter it was re-carved in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties so as to form a series of editions such as the edition of Zhenyou in the second year of the Jin dynasty; the edition of the Zongwenshuyuan college in Dade renyan year of the Yuan dynasty; the WANG Qiu's carved edition of Shangyitang hall in the Ming dynasty; the carved edition of Jishanshuyuan, the Jishang mountain college in the Ming dynasty, the reprinted edition of PENG Duan-wu in the Ming dynasty, the supplementary edition of YANG Bi-da in the Qing dynasty;, and the carved edition of KE Feng-shi in the Qing dynasty. Among all the editions, Chongkanjingshizhengleidaquanbencao (Reprinted Classified Daquan Materia Medica from Historical Classics) was the representative one. As a representative of the above editions, the carved edition of WANG took the edition of the Zongwenshuyuan college of the Yuan dynasty as the original edition, but the images picture of materia medica adopted from the edition of Zhenghebencao (Materia Medica of the Zhenghe era).

News & Views Evaluation of Projects for Basic Research of Scientific Instruments in 2008 Completed NSFC Former President Tang Ao-qing Passed Away Professor Tang Aoqing and NSFC Carbon Nanotube Film-Based Speaker Developed in Tsinghua University Dinosaur Footprint Fossils Discovered in Xinjiang New Method for Early Cancer Diagnosis New Progress Achieved by NSFC Project in Basic Research of Black Hole Physics New progress in Organic FET 67 NSFC-RFBR Cooperative Projects Approved for 2008 Spin Configuration and Super-exchange Mechanism in Molecular Magnets Observed NSFC Strengthens its Funding in Wenchuan Concerns Go to Disaster's Impact on Economy and Emergency Response Thirty-seven NSFC-KOSEF Cooperative Projects Approved

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-01-01

Evaluation of Projects for Basic Research of Scientific Instruments in 2008 Completed NSFC Former President Tang Ao-qing Passed Away Professor Tang Aoqing and NSFC Carbon Nanotube Film-Based Speaker Developed in Tsinghua University Dinosaur Footprint Fossils Discovered in Xinjiang New Method for Early Cancer Diagnosis New Progress Achieved by NSFC Project in Basic Research of Black Hole Physics New progress in Organic FET 67 NSFC-RFBR Cooperative Projects Approved for 2008 Spin Configuration and Super-exchange Mechanism in Molecular Magnets Observed NSFC Strengthens its Funding in Wenchuan Concerns Go to Disaster's Impact on Economy and Emergency Response Thirty-seven NSFC-KOSEF Cooperative Projects Approved

Weight Control: Attitudes of Dieters and Change Agents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parham, Ellen S.; And Others

1991-01-01

Survey explores attitudes toward weight loss/weight control among 2 groups of change agents--40 dietitians and 42 fitness instructors--and among 96 people trying to lose weight. Significant differences were found in terms of importance in weight control of diet, drugs, exercise, religion, and will power; in importance of being of normal weight;…

IFLA General Conference, 1985. Division on Special Libraries. Section on Science and Technology Libraries. Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Federation of Library Associations, The Hague (Netherlands).

Papers on science and technology libraries which were presented at the 1985 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "UAP (Universal Availability of Publications) and User Training for Categories of Grey Literature" (Dieter Schmidmaier, Mining Academy Freiberg, East Germany); (2) "Resource…

Does the sex ratio at sexual maturity affect men's later-life mortality risks? Evidence from historical China.

PubMed

Zang, Emma; Zheng, Hui

2018-04-01

This study examines the relationship between the male-to-female sex ratio (measured as the proportion male) at sexual maturity and later-life mortality risks in the context of pre-industrial northeast China, using registration data from the Qing Dynasty. We find that a higher male-to-female sex ratio at sexual maturity is associated with a higher later-life mortality risk among men. This association is likely due to the long-term adverse consequences of stress caused by low mate availability at sexual maturity. We further find that a high sex ratio at sexual maturity mitigates the health benefits of marriage and exacerbates the health disadvantages of holding an official position in Qing China. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Correlates of Bulimia Nervosa: Early Family Mealtime Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Debra A. F.; And Others

1993-01-01

Examined relationship of early mealtime experiences to later bulimia in 128 female college students. Found significant group differences among bulimics, nonbulimics, and repeat dieters on early meal experience questionnaire, with bulimic group reporting most negative and unusual experiences. Found significant differences among groups on depression…

IFLA General Conference, 1984. Special Libraries Division. Section on Science and Technology Libraries. Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Federation of Library Associations, The Hague (Netherlands).

Papers on scientific/technical information and libraries presented at the 1984 IFLA general conference include: (1) "Library Ethics and the Special Library Network in Science and Technology" (Dieter Schmidmaier, East Germany); (2) "The Dissemination of Patent Information by Libraries: An Example Demonstrating the Necessity of…

Sickly Americans, Kindly Portuguese, and Lithuanian Couch Potatoes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracey, Gerald W.

2000-01-01

Of 27 countries in a World Health Organization survey, American children report the most physical complaints, Portuguese children are most kind to one another, and Lithuanians watch more TV. U.S. and Czech teens are great dieters. Northern Irish, Scottish, and Finnish youngsters love computer games. (MLH)

Plenary Speech, Keynote Speeches, List of Attendees of Symposium on the Interaction of Non-Nuclear Munitions with Structures (2nd), Held at Panama City Beach, Florida on April 15-18, 1985

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-04-01

5urfacC ’.1eapons Certer Albert Heerman Cude RI5 Uetherlands Army Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Mauritskade 53, The Rague THE NETHERLANDS , Dieter...North Carolina 27609 University of Boulder Camu )s Box 428 Lawrence G. Ullyatt - Boulder, Cnloradc 80309 Denver Research Institute University of Denver

77 FR 5308 - Quarterly Publication of Individuals, Who Have Chosen To Expatriate, as Required by Section 6039G

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-02

............ GRIMM KATJA GROENEN FRANK GRONER ELIYAHU DAVID GRONING MARC E GUNNARSSON GUNNAR-THOR....... BJORNSSON... ARTHUR HANSSON KARL STEFAN HARPER-VANDAMME BRENDA CHRISTIAN HARVEY BRUCE E HARVEY RALPH DIETER HASLER... HILLIARD ELAINE GARDINER WELCH HO LESLIE SAI KIT HOCHHEIMER SUZANNE TRUDY HOLUB BARBARA RENE HRYNIUK LYNN E...

A rational eating model of binges, diets and obesity.

PubMed

Dragone, Davide

2009-07-01

This paper addresses the rapid diffusion of obesity and the existence of different individual patterns of food consumption between non-dieters and chronic dieters. I propose a rational eating model where a forward-looking agent optimizes the intertemporal satisfaction from eating, taking into account the cost of changing consumption habits and the negative health consequences of having a non-optimal body weight. Consistent with the evidence, I show that the intertemporal maximization problem leads to a condition of overweightness, and that heterogeneity in the individual relevance of habits in consumption can determine the observed differences in the individual intertemporal patterns of food consumption and body weight. Sufficient conditions for determining when the convergence to the steady state implies oscillations or is monotonic are given. In the former case, the agent optimally alternates diets and binges until the steady state is reached, in the latter a regular intertemporal pattern of food consumption is optimal.

Herbal Energizers: Speed By Any Other Name.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Andrew P.

This guide focuses on over-the-counter (OTC) stimulants sold to high school aged athletes and dieters as "herbal energizers," food supplements, and fatigue reducers. While advertising often makes them appear healthful and harmless, all of these stimulants belong in the class "sympathomimetic amines," so called because they…

Validation of a Weight Reduction Treatment Package for the Retarded.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotatori, Anthony F.; And Others

Five studies are reviewed which indicated the effectiveness on weight loss by mentally retarded persons of a treatment program stressing self control. The intervention included procedures which increased the dieter's self awareness of overeating behavior patterns and body weight, reduced food cues, reduced eating rates, increased activity level…

Aurora-A as a Modifier of Breast Cancer Risk in BRCA 1/2 Mutation Carriers

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

Dieter Schaefer, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Norbert Arnold, University of Schleswig- Holstein , Campus...Intron 2 Opossum Mouse Rat Cow Dog Intron 1 Figure 3 | The FGFR2 locus. a, Map of the whole FGFR2 gene, viewed relative to common SNPs on HapMap

Special Course on Unsteady Aerodynamics.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

Helicopters Ltd Yeovil, Somerset Tel: 935-5222 (434) BOHN Germany Engineer Dieter Kraftwerk Union AG Wiesenstrasse 25 433 Mfiheim Tel: 0208/456.1 BORLAND...Royce Ltd. P.O.B.31 Derby Tel: 42424- Ext.1594 JUDITH Germany Dipl.-Engineer Hans Kraftwerk Union Wiesenstr.35 4330 Mulheim-Ruhr HENSING Netherlands

A Scenario-Based Dieting Self-Efficacy Scale: The DIET-SE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stich, Christine; Knauper, Barbel; Tint, Ami

2009-01-01

The article discusses a scenario-based dieting self-efficacy scale, the DIET-SE, developed from dieter's inventory of eating temptations (DIET). The DIET-SE consists of items that describe scenarios of eating temptations for a range of dieting situations, including high-caloric food temptations. Four studies assessed the psychometric properties of…

A Life Cycle Assessment Framework for Pavement Maintenance and Rehabilitation Technologies : or An Integrated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) – Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) Framework for Pavement Maintenance and Rehabilitation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-02-01

Qing Lu (ORCID ID 0000-0002-9120-9218) Given a huge amount of annual investment and large inputs of energy and natural resources in pavement maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) activities, significant environmental improvement and budget saving can ...

Between state power and popular desire: tobacco in pre-conquest Manchuria, 1600-1644.

PubMed

Benedict, Carol

2011-01-01

Tobacco entered Manchuria on the same wave of early modern globalization that brought it from the Americas to other parts of Eurasia in the early seventeenth century. Introduced into northeast Asia sometime after 1600, it began to circulate widely in Manchuria precisely at a time when Hong Taiji (1592-1643) was building the early Qing state. This essay examines Hong Taiji's efforts to criminalize tobacco in the 1630s and 1640s, arguing that these prohibitions were largely directed at gaining state control over a valuable economic resource. However, within the commercialized milieu of seventeenth-century Liaodong, a region with ties to broader transregional circuits of trade, tobacco's lucrative profits and its pleasurable allure simply overpowered state efforts to monopolize it. As in most other early seventeenth-century Eurasian societies, the Qing tobacco bans quickly gave way to legalization and taxation.

Proceedings of the Ground Target Modeling and Validation Conference (13th) Held in Houghton, MI on 5-8 August 2002

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-08-01

excessively high aspect ratio, the forward region of the original model was removed. The final grid (rear half) had 383104 computational cells compared...45 Session III: Thermal Signature Modeling and Validation Session...Chair: Dr. Dieter Clement, FGAN-FOM " Modeling the Thermal Signature of Natural Backgrounds" Marius Gamborg, Norwegian Defence Research Establishm

Fad reducing diets: separating fads from facts.

PubMed

Blackburn, G L; Pavlou, K

1984-01-01

Generally, it is wise to stay away from any crash diet. All tend to be nutritionally unbalanced. Although all may cause great temporary weight losses in short periods of time, over the long term, the only thing they accomplish is the addition of another cycle of frustration and disappointment for the dieter.

Psychological Profiles of Purging Bulimics, Repeat Dieters, and Controls.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dykens, Elisabeth M.; Gerrard, Meg

1986-01-01

Results indicated psychopathic deviance, mania, and physical self-esteem separated bulimics from nonbulimics and accounted for 78 percent of the explained variance. In addition, bulimics engaged in sexual activities and in the adolescent acting-out behaviors of drug and alcohol use more frequently, and at an earlier age, than did the two…

An initial psychometric evaluation and exploratory cross-sectional study of the body checking questionnaire among Brazilian women.

PubMed

Campana, Angela Nogueira Neves Betanho; Swami, Viren; Onodera, Carolina Mie Kawagosi; da Silva, Dirceu; Tavares, Maria da Consolação Gomes Cunha Fernandes

2013-01-01

Body checking is considered an expression of an excessive preoccupation with appearance. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ). Additionally, we wanted to examine the questionnaire's associations with body avoidance behaviour, body mass index, dietary habits, and the intensity, frequency, and length of physical exercise. Finally, we also examined the differences between the total BCQ score and the individual BCQ factor scores. Differences between active and sedentary persons and between non-dieters and those on weight-loss diets were also analyzed. For the psychometric study, 546 female public university students from four different courses were surveyed. Two minor samples of university students and eating disorders women were also recruited. In the second part of the study, 403 women were recruited from weight-loss programs, gyms, and a university. All participants were verbally invited to participate in the research and voluntarily took part. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to the original model of the Brazilian BCQ that retained all 23 items. Satisfactory evidence of construct validity and internal consistency were also generated through analysis of factor loadings, t-values, Cronbach's alpha, and construct reliability tests. The results also showed associations among body checking and body avoidance, body satisfaction, social anxiety, body mass index, and the frequency and intensity of physical exercise. Significant differences were found between non-dieters and weight-loss dieters for all BCQ factors and the total BCQ score. For physically active and sedentary persons, a significant difference was only observed for idiosyncratic checking behaviour. In conclusion, the BCQ appears to be a valid and reliable scale for Brazilian research, and the associations and differences found in this study suggest that women at gyms and especially in

Functional Analysis and Treatment of Rumination Using Fixed-Time Delivery of a Flavor Spray

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilder, David A.; Register, Martisa; Register, Stanley; Bajagic, Vedrana; Neidert, Pamela L.

2009-01-01

A functional analysis suggested that rumination exhibited by an adult with autism was maintained by automatic reinforcement. Next, a preference assessment with three flavor sprays (i.e., flavored sprays used by dieters) showed that apple pie spray was most preferred. Finally, the effects of fixed-time delivery of the apple pie spray on levels of…

Weight Loss at a Cost: Implications of High-Protein, Low- Carbohydrate Diets.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabel, Kathe A.; Lund, Robin J.

2002-01-01

Addresses three claims of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets: weight loss is attributed to the composition of the diet; insulin promotes the storage of fat, thereby, by limiting carbohydrates, dieters will decrease levels of insulin and body fat; and weight loss is the result of fat loss. The paper examines relevant scientific reports and notes…

Effects of exposure to unrealistic promises about dieting: are unrealistic expectations about dieting inspirational?

PubMed

Trottier, Kathryn; Polivy, Janet; Herman, C Peter

2005-03-01

The false-hope syndrome suggests that unrealistic expectations about dieting set dieters up for failure and then promote renewed efforts at weight loss. Many dieters believe the inflated promises typical of diet advertisements, which may be the source of at least some of their unrealistic expectations. Diet advertisements promoting unrealistic expectations were expected to inspire restrained eaters to diet and lead to enhanced self-perceptions, relative to more circumspect advertisements. Female undergraduates rated their expectations in response to a control advertisement or to advertisements containing realistic, moderately unrealistic, or highly unrealistic promises of dieting. Participants then rated their self-perceptions and participated in an apparent "taste-test". Restrained eaters had higher expectations for themselves than did unrestrained eaters, and restrained and unrestrained eaters had similar expectations concerning dieting for others. Those who viewed the advertisements containing unrealistic expectations ate fewer cookies ad libitum than did those who viewed the realistic or control advertisements. This finding is consistent with the suggestion that unrealistic expectations contribute to the decision to change oneself. (c) 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Usage of Plant Food Supplements (PFS) for weight control in six European countries: results from the PlantLIBRA PFS Consumer Survey 2011-2012.

PubMed

Garcia-Alvarez, Alicia; Mila-Villarroel, Raimon; Ribas-Barba, Lourdes; Egan, Bernadette; Badea, Mihaela; Maggi, Franco M; Salmenhaara, Maija; Restani, Patrizia; Serra-Majem, Lluis

2016-07-28

Obesity is increasing worldwide and weight-control strategies, including the consumption of plant food supplements (PFS), are proliferating. This article identifies the herbal ingredients in PFS consumed for weight control and by overweight/obese dieters in six European countries, and explores the relationship between their consumption and their self-reported BMI. Data used were a subset from the PlantLIBRA PFS Consumer Survey 2011-2012, a retrospective survey of 2359 PFS consumers. The survey used a bespoke frequency-of-PFS-usage questionnaire. Analyses were performed in two consumer subsamples of 1) respondents taking the products for "body weight reasons", and 2) "dieters for overweight/obesity", to identify the herbal ingredients consumed for these reasons. The relationship between the 5 most consumed herbal ingredients and self-reported BMI in groups 1 and 2 is explored by comparing BMI proportions of consumers vs. non-consumers (using Chi-squared test). 252 PFS (8.8 %) were consumed for "body weight reasons" (by 240 PFS consumers); 112 PFS consumers (4.8 %) were "dieting for overweight/obesity". Spain is the country where consuming herbal ingredients for body weight control and dieting were most popular. Artichoke was the most consumed herbal ingredient. Considering only the 5 top products consumed by those who responded "body weight", when using the total survey sample, a greater proportion of BMI ≥ 25 was observed among consumers of PFS containing artichoke and green tea as compared to non-consumers (58.4 % vs. 49.1 % and 63.2 % vs. 49.7 % respectively). Considering only the 5 top products consumed by "dieters" and using only the "dieters" sample, a lower proportion of BMI ≥ 25 was observed among pineapple-containing PFS consumers (38.5 % vs. 81.5 %); however, when using the entire survey sample, a greater proportion of BMI ≥ 25 was observed among artichoke-containing PFS consumers (58.4 % vs. 49.1 %). A comparison of results

77 FR 76491 - Findings of Research Misconduct

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary Findings of Research Misconduct... Research Integrity (ORI) has taken final action in the following case: Shuang-Qing Zhang, Ph.D., Texas Tech... Sciences, TTUHSC, engaged in research misconduct in research supported by National Institute of General...

China Report, Red Flag, Number 9, 1 May 1986.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-10

Qing Dynasties also made use of its Lamaism sect and Islam as a spiritual mainstay to rule the minority nationalities concerned. In modern times...attaches importance to academic study and Lamaism pays attention to medicine. Buddhism and Taoism are noted for their martial arts and skills for

Resisting "Crash Diet" Staff Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dana, Nancy Fichtman; Yendol-Hoppey, Diane

2008-01-01

People often respond to the pressure of attending a high school reunion or their child's wedding by going on a crash diet to get quick results. In response, friends may marvel about how good they look on the outside. But what folks don't acknowledge is that, in the name of getting results, crash dieters have done some very unhealthy things to…

Inhibition of leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase by guava tea leaves prevents development of atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Takahashi, Yoshitaka; Otsuki, Akemi; Mori, Yoshiko; Kawakami, Yuki; Ito, Hideyuki

2015-11-01

Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is one of the crucial steps for atherosclerosis development, and an essential role of leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase expressed in macrophages in this process has been demonstrated. The biochemical mechanism of the oxidation of circulating LDL by leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase in macrophages has been proposed. The major ingredients in guava tea leaves which inhibited the catalytic activity of leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase were quercetin and ethyl gallate. Administration of extracts from guava tea leaves to apoE-deficient mice significantly attenuated atherogenic lesions in the aorta and aortic sinus. We recently showed that Qing Shan Lu Shui inhibited the catalytic activity of leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase. The major components inhibiting the enzyme contained in Qing Shan Lu Shui were identified to be novel monoterpene glycosides. The anti-atherogenic effect of the tea leaves might be attributed to the inhibition of leukocyte-type 12-lipoxygenase by these components. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping and validation of quantitative trait loci associated with concentrations of 16 elements in unmilled rice grain

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In this study, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting the concentrations of 16 elements in whole, unmilled rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain were identified. Two rice mapping populations, the ‘Lemont’ x ‘TeQing’ recombinant inbred lines (LT-RILs), and the TeQing-into-Lemont backcross introgression lin...

A NOVEL S-ADENOSYL-L-METHIONINE: ARSENIC (III) METHYLTRANSFERASE FROM RAT LIVER CYTOSOL

EPA Science Inventory

A Novel S-Adenosyl-L-methionine: Arsenic(III) Methyltransferase from Rat Liver Cytosol
Shan Lin, Qing Shi, F. Brent Nix, Miroslav Styblo, Melinda A. Beck, Karen M. Herbin-Davis, Larry L. Hall, Josef B. Simeonsson, and David J. Thomas
S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet): ar...

A balance of activity in brain control and reward systems predicts self-regulatory outcomes.

PubMed

Lopez, Richard B; Chen, Pin-Hao A; Huckins, Jeremy F; Hofmann, Wilhelm; Kelley, William M; Heatherton, Todd F

2017-05-01

Previous neuroimaging work has shown that increased reward-related activity following exposure to food cues is predictive of self-control failure. The balance model suggests that self-regulation failures result from an imbalance in reward and executive control mechanisms. However, an open question is whether the relative balance of activity in brain systems associated with executive control (vs reward) supports self-regulatory outcomes when people encounter tempting cues in daily life. Sixty-nine chronic dieters, a population known for frequent lapses in self-control, completed a food cue-reactivity task during an fMRI scanning session, followed by a weeklong sampling of daily eating behaviors via ecological momentary assessment. We related participants' food cue activity in brain systems associated with executive control and reward to real-world eating patterns. Specifically, a balance score representing the amount of activity in brain regions associated with self-regulatory control, relative to automatic reward-related activity, predicted dieters' control over their eating behavior during the following week. This balance measure may reflect individual self-control capacity and be useful for examining self-regulation success in other domains and populations. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Computer methods for sampling from the gamma distribution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, M.E.; Tadikamalla, P.R.

1978-01-01

Considerable attention has recently been directed at developing ever faster algorithms for generating gamma random variates on digital computers. This paper surveys the current state of the art including the leading algorithms of Ahrens and Dieter, Atkinson, Cheng, Fishman, Marsaglia, Tadikamalla, and Wallace. General random variate generation techniques are explained with reference to these gamma algorithms. Computer simulation experiments on IBM and CDC computers are reported.

Dealing with Actors and Compliance in Intervention Operations in a Non-permissive Hybrid Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Patton, (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (Vol. Third). California, London, New Delhi: Sage publications, Inc. 59 See these themes...non-compliant actors … … the study follows a question based approach with a general research question in the centre of interest:12 Which...1 Version 1.0 December 2009 Study authors: Col Dieter Muhr (AUT) Hon. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andrea Riemer, Ph.D. (AUT) Objective

Globalization and Chinese Education in the Early 20th Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Paul J.

2013-01-01

With China's growing significance in the global economy ever more evident, studies in recent years have highlighted multiple aspects of China's "Globalization" (or global connections) that predate the contemporary period. This article focuses on educational reform in the late Qing and early Republic as a way of illuminating a significant…

DETECTION OF K-RAS AND P53 MUTATIONS IN SPUTUM SAMPLES OF LUNG CANCER PATIENTS USING LASER CAPTURE MICRODISSECTION MICROSCOPE AND MUTATION ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

Detection of K-ras and p53 Mutations in Sputum Samples of Lung Cancer Patients Using Laser Capture Microdissection Microscope and Mutation Analysis

Phouthone Keohavong a,*, Wei-Min Gao a, Kui-Cheng Zheng a, Hussam Mady b, Qing Lan c, Mona Melhem b, and Judy Mumford d.
<...

State Succession in the Case of a Unified Korea Resulting from the Collapse of North Korea

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

East end of Doman River. “Nokdun-do” was included into ChoSun’s territory when the Great King Sejong rearranged the frontier. But, Russia included...American citizens. When he arrived in Korea, the king of Korea danced with joy because of his expectation of freedom from the Qing Dynasty. But United

Steel Sea-Going Ship Construction Standards (Kang-chih Hai-ch’uan Chien-tsao Kuei-fan).

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-03-06

decozh lessthn5, ehto-aerolnabeth deck may be 2.-,;e he deo)th. (2) Flushing T.o.sts s.o Ad binocrae -’tth fdlowin re: (1)Mei*htfro td te~in: sot o...dieter d z , 4bD -53 m, it shou!d not be exceeding 1.5 :mm; -,,ihen chain diameter d,: 57 :-.n, it should not exceed 2 . Th. welded chains and links and

A Controlled Trial of Topiramate Treatment for Alcohol Dependence in Veterans with PTSD

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

Dieter J. Meyerhoff, Dr.rer.nat., UCSF Rationale and Content: Civilian and military personnel with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently...patients with PTSD, and for some patients alcohol use may be an attempt to “self-medicate” or cope or to respond to symptoms such as insomnia , anxiety...model of stress -enhanced fear learning which mimics several PTSD features, including increased voluntary alcohol intake, and set it in context to other

Relationship between ancient bridges and population dynamics in the lower Yangtze River Basin, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Yang; Jia, Xin; Lee, Harry F; Zhao, Hongqiang; Cai, Shuliang; Huang, Xianjin

2017-01-01

It has been suggested that population growth dynamics may be revealed by the geographic distribution and the physical structure of ancient bridges. Yet, this relationship has not been empirically verified. In this study, we applied the archaeological records for ancient bridges to reveal the population growth dynamics in the lower Yangtze River Basin in late imperial China. We investigated 89 ancient bridges in Yixing that were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties (AD1368-1911). Global Position System information and structure (length, width, and span) of those bridges was measured during our field investigations. Their distribution density was calculated by ArcGIS. The historical socio-economic dynamics of Yixing was inferred from the distribution and structure of ancient bridges. Based on the above information, the population growth dynamics in Yixing was projected. Our results show that 77 bridges were built in Yixing during the Qing dynasty, which is 6.41 times more than the number built during the Ming dynasty. In the Ming dynasty, bridges were built on pivotal routes; in the Qing dynasty, bridges were scattered across various places. Over the period, the density distribution of bridges shifted northwestward, while the average length and width of bridges decreased. The increasing number of bridges corresponded to population growth, largely attributable to massive clan migration from northern China during the Little Ice Age. The shift in the density distribution of bridges corresponded to the formation of settlements of large clans and the blossoming of Yixing Teapot handicrafts. The scattering and the reduction in average length and width of bridges was due to the dispersal of population and the associated formation of small settlements in the latter period. Our approach is innovative and robust, and could be employed to recover long-term historical population growth dynamics in other parts of China.

Relationship between ancient bridges and population dynamics in the lower Yangtze River Basin, China

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yang; Lee, Harry F.; Zhao, Hongqiang; Cai, Shuliang; Huang, Xianjin

2017-01-01

It has been suggested that population growth dynamics may be revealed by the geographic distribution and the physical structure of ancient bridges. Yet, this relationship has not been empirically verified. In this study, we applied the archaeological records for ancient bridges to reveal the population growth dynamics in the lower Yangtze River Basin in late imperial China. We investigated 89 ancient bridges in Yixing that were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties (AD1368–1911). Global Position System information and structure (length, width, and span) of those bridges was measured during our field investigations. Their distribution density was calculated by ArcGIS. The historical socio-economic dynamics of Yixing was inferred from the distribution and structure of ancient bridges. Based on the above information, the population growth dynamics in Yixing was projected. Our results show that 77 bridges were built in Yixing during the Qing dynasty, which is 6.41 times more than the number built during the Ming dynasty. In the Ming dynasty, bridges were built on pivotal routes; in the Qing dynasty, bridges were scattered across various places. Over the period, the density distribution of bridges shifted northwestward, while the average length and width of bridges decreased. The increasing number of bridges corresponded to population growth, largely attributable to massive clan migration from northern China during the Little Ice Age. The shift in the density distribution of bridges corresponded to the formation of settlements of large clans and the blossoming of Yixing Teapot handicrafts. The scattering and the reduction in average length and width of bridges was due to the dispersal of population and the associated formation of small settlements in the latter period. Our approach is innovative and robust, and could be employed to recover long-term historical population growth dynamics in other parts of China. PMID:28792976

78 FR 55772 - Culturally Significant Object Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “Beauty Revealed: Images of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-11

..., 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation... Determinations: ``Beauty Revealed: Images of Women in Qing Dynasty Chinese Painting'' SUMMARY: Notice is hereby...

A School in Every Village: Educational Reform in a Northeast China County, 1904-31. Contemporary Chinese Studies Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanderVen, Elizabeth R.

2012-01-01

In the early 1900s, the Qing dynasty implemented a series of institutional reforms to shore up its power. The most important were a nationwide school system and the abolition of the centuries-old civil examinations. "A School in Every Village" recounts how villagers and local state officials in Haicheng County enacted orders to establish…

Towards Building Direct Educational Partnership: The Foundation of Shanxi University in 1902

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Aisi

2014-01-01

The foundation of Shanxi University is a prime example of the collaborative efforts in higher education between the Chinese and British in late Qing China (1842-1912). Both sides made compromises, with the Chinese adapting their ideas of educational sovereignty, and the British agreeing to work under the supervision of the local government. Such a…

A method of the up or down layer development of class II oil reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fulin; Zhao, Yunfei; Fang, Yanjun; Yang, Tao; Gui, Dongxu; Wang, Gang; Feng, Chengcheng

2018-06-01

During the 13th five-year period, class II reservoirs of DaQing Oilfield first layer series development will be fully completed, secondary up or down layer development is facing new well drilling or the use of old we ll pattern network method chosen, need to determine development mode of oil block. In this paper, the system economy model is established, the up and down oil layer of the block is considered as one system, and through the comparison of the two models that new well drilling or the use of old well pattern, we can determine the development mode of the block. And take b1ddd block as an example, determine the block need to use what method to develop in different oil prices. Result show when the oil price is 40/bbl, using exiting well to production, when oil price is 70/bbl., using new drilling development model. The method to fill the theory and methodology on selection about reservoir development mode, can provide technical support for DaQing Oilfield the 14th five-year planning and long-term planning.

Evaluating "Cat Country": The Humor within Satire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chung-chien Karen

2010-01-01

Satire, as a mode, is not frequently employed in Chinese narratives. "Cat Country," or "Mao Cheng Ji," written by Lao She (pen name of Shu Qing Chun, 1898--1966) has come under much attack of its literary values. Whereas most critics have no doubt that this work sets out to satirize China through the portrayal of a society of…

Mental Health Condition of the Only-Child: A Study of Urban and Rural High School Students in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chenying; Munakata, Tsunetsugu; Onuoha, Francis N.

2005-01-01

The mental health of the only-child continues to generate interest in research literature. The present study examines the issue in China, where the one-child phenomenon is highest due to deliberate government policy. Subjects are 299 and 333 students in two high-rank high schools in urban Harebin and rural Qing an Xian, respectively (mean age =…

The Education and Lifestyle of the Chinese Literati. Lesson Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

This teaching package describes the education and lifestyle of the Chinese literati, popular from the Ming to the Qing dynasties (1368-1911). It consists of four lesson plans and a teacher's guide to a slide set. The latter illustrates painting formats popular during the late Ming period (1573-1644), hanging scrolls, handscrolls, the album leaf,…

Role of food preoccupation and current dieting in the associations of parental feeding practices to emotional eating in young adults: A moderated mediation study.

PubMed

Williams, Natalie A; Dev, Dipti A; Hankey, Maren; Blitch, Kimberly

2017-04-01

Parental feeding practices reflecting coercive control are related to children's later eating behaviors, but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly understood. This study examined the relationships between recalled childhood experiences of parental pressure to eat and restriction and current food preoccupation, dieting, and emotional eating in a racially diverse sample of college students (N = 711). Results revealed that parental restriction, but not pressure to eat, was associated with more emotional eating (r = 0.18, p < 0.0001). Food preoccupation mediated the association between restriction and emotional eating (95% CI [3.6495-7.2231]); however, a moderated mediation model revealed that the strength of the indirect effect of restrictive feeding on emotional eating through food preoccupation was significantly different for dieters and non-dieters (index of moderated mediation = 1.79, Boot SE = 0.79; 95% bias-corrected bootstrap CI [-3.5490 to -0.4515]). These findings provide unique insight into the mechanisms linking parental feeding practices with emotional eating in young adulthood. Future studies attempting to clarify the processes through which child feeding practices impact later eating behaviors should consider the role of current dieting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying Electromagnetic Wave Propagation Environment Using Measurements From A Small Buoy

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE PROPAGATION ENVIRONMENT USING MEASUREMENTS FROM A SMALL BUOY by Andrew E. Sweeney June 2017 Thesis Advisor: Qing Wang...TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE QUANTIFYING ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE PROPAGATION ENVIRONMENT USING MEASUREMENTS FROM A...the Coupled Air Sea Processes and Electromagnetic (EM) ducting Research (CASPER), to understand air-sea interaction processes and their representation

Strain Engineering Defect Concentrations in Reduced Ceria for Improved Electro-Catalytic Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-30

coupling, curvature relaxation, lanthanum strontium ferrite, ceria. oxygen surface exchange 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LlMITATJON OF a. REPORT...Temperature Lanthanum Strontium Ferrite Oxygen Surface Exchange Coefficient Measurements by Curvature Relaxation. 225th Meeting of the Electrochemical...Manuscripts Received Paper TOTAL: Received Paper TOTAL: 06/30/2014 Received Paper 1.00 Qing Yang, Jason Nicholas. Porous Thick Film Lanthanum Strontium

Dual Mode Thin Film Bulk Acoustic Resonators (FBARs) Based on AlN, ZnO and GaN Films with Tilted c-Axis Orientation

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

TERMS MEMS , acoustic wave devices, acoustic wave sensors Qing-Ming Wang University of Pittsburgh 123 University Place University Club Pittsburgh, PA...resonators,” Proc. SPIE Vol. 6223, 62230I, Micro ( MEMS ) and Nanotechnologies for Space Applications; Thomas George, Zhong-Yang Cheng; Eds. (May...microelectromechanical resonators has been recognized as a technological challenge in the current microelectronics and MEMS development. The

The Quest for Relevant Air Power: Continental European Responses to the Air Power Challenges of the Post-Cold War Era

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

Air Power Centre]), Col (GS) Thomas Lorber, FüAk (Führungsakademie); Lt Col Dr. Wolfgang Schmidt, Military- Historical Research Office, Potsdam; Lt Gen...Col (GS) Dr. Michael Wolfgang Romba, Col (GS) Hans-Dieter Schön and his staff, Col (GS) Lothar Schmidt, and Lt Col (GS) Michael Trautermann. In the...Multinational Air Wing (DMAW) Project,” accessed 2 March 2007, http://www.euroairgroup.org/act_DMAW.htm. 75. Wolfgang Lange, “Lufttransport—Ansätze

[Deciphering the argots of the names of materia medica and its dosage in the Yi lin kou pu liu zhi mi shu (A Secret Medical Book of Six Therapies in Rhymes of Medical Professionals)].

PubMed

Zhou, Jian; Lin, Shiyi; Liu, Shijue

2014-11-01

Yi lin kou pu liu zhi mi shu (A Secret Medical Book of Six Therapies in Rhymes of Medical Professionals) was additionally compiled, supplemented and annotated by Zhou Sheng, a famous doctor of the Qing Dynasty, based on Yi lin kou pu (Rhymes of Medical Professionals) which was composed by Lu Qi. The book contains four volumes in total, dealing mainly with the miscellaneous diseases of internal medicine, as well as external medicine, gynecology, and pediatrics etc. The syndrome differentiation and treatment, prescriptions and medications in this book has its own characteristic with rather high academic value and practical significance. There were 20 drug names were deciphered by the argots, for instance, "you che" was the argot of golden thread, and "wu yue (May)" was the argot of medicinal evodia fruit, etc. In addition, the argots were often used to decipher numerals and quantifiers, for example, "su, qi, zi, qi, man" referring to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively, and "huo, pu, xiang, feng, lai" referring to 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 respectively, and "qing","zhong","xi" referring to qian, liang and fen respectively. Hence, deciphering of these argots could help to understand and apply these prescriptions correctly.

The role of hunger state and dieting history in neural response to food cues: An event-related potential study.

PubMed

Feig, Emily H; Winter, Samantha R; Kounios, John; Erickson, Brian; Berkowitz, Staci A; Lowe, Michael R

2017-10-01

A history of dieting to lose weight has been shown to be a robust predictor of future weight gain. A potential factor in propensity towards weight gain is the nature of people's reactions to the abundance of highly palatable food cues in the environment. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) have revealed differences in how the brain processes food cues between obese and normal weight individuals, as well as between restrained and unrestrained eaters. However, comparisons by weight status are not informative regarding whether differences predate or follow weight gain in obese individuals and restrained eating has not consistently been found to predict future weight gain. The present study compared ERP responses to food cues in non-obese historic dieters (HDs) to non-obese never dieters (NDs). HDs showed a blunted N1 component relative to NDs overall, and delayed N1 and P2 components compared to NDs in the hungry state, suggesting that early, perceptual processing of food cues differs between these groups, especially when food-deprived. HDs also showed a more hunger-dependent sustained ERP (LPP) compared to NDs. Future research should test ERP-based food cue responsivity as a mediator between dieting history and future weight gain to better identify those most at risk for weight gain as well as the nature of their vulnerability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dr. von Braun With Management Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1961-01-01

Dr. von Braun is shown in this photograph, which was probably taken in the early 1960s, with members of his management team. Pictured from left to right are, Werner Kuers, Director of the Manufacturing Engineering Division; Dr. Walter Haeussermarn, Director of the Astrionics Division; Dr. William Mrazek, Propulsion and Vehicle Engineering Division; Dr. von Braun; Dieter Grau, Director of the Quality Assurance Division; Dr. Oswald Lange, Director of the Saturn Systems Office; and Erich Neubert , Associate Deputy Director for Research and Development.

Ocean Mixed Layer Response to Gap Wind Scenarios

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

Kostas Rados for helpful discussions and MATLAB codes. • LT. Robin Corey Cherrett USN for advice and discussions. Professor Qing Wang, thank you...and the flow can extent for hundreds of miles (Clarke 1988, Cherrett 2006). The magnitude of these winds usually depends on the pressure gradient...was studied by Cherrett (2006) with the emphases on the atmospheric boundary layer and surface characteristics of the gap outflow region. Since our

FY08 In-House Laboratory Independent Research (ILIR) and Independent Applied Research (IAR) Annual Reports

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

body (SUBOFF) in rotation, NSWCCD-50- TR-2008/030. Carneal, J., S. Percival, A. Etebari, P. Atsavapranee, T. Farabee, M. Goody, Optical bubble...Coursekeeping Funding Year: Third Principal Investigator: Dr. Ray-Qing Lin, Code: 5500, NSWC Carderock Phone: 301-227-3945, E-mail Address...accepted for publications Lin, R-Q., and W. Kuang, , Solid- body motion in fully nonlinear ship motion model, submitted to J. Marine Science and

Accelerating Cogent Confabulation: An Exploration in the Architecture Design Space

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

DATES COVERED (From - To) 1-8 June 2008 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE ACCELERATING COGENT CONFABULATION: AN EXPLORATION IN THE ARCHITECTURE DESIGN SPACE 5a...spiking neural networks is proposed in reference [8]. Reference [9] investigates the architecture design of a Brain-state-in-a-box model. The...Richard Linderman2, Thomas Renz2, Qing Wu1 Accelerating Cogent Confabulation: an Exploration in the Architecture Design Space POSTPRINT complexity

Traditional Chinese Medicine Use among Patients with Psoriasis in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

PubMed Central

Weng, Shu-Wen; Chen, Bor-Chyuan; Wang, Yu-Chiao; Liu, Chun-Kai; Chang, Ching-Mao

2016-01-01

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has long been used for patients with psoriasis. This study aimed to investigate TCM usage in patients with psoriasis. We analyzed a cohort of one million individuals representing the 23 million enrollees randomly selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. We identified 28,510 patients newly diagnosed with psoriasis between 2000 and 2010. Among them, 20,084 (70.4%) patients were TCM users. Patients who were female, younger, white-collar workers and lived in urbanized area tended to be TCM users. The median interval between the initial diagnosis of psoriasis to the first TCM consultation was 12 months. More than half (N = 11,609; 57.8%) of the TCM users received only Chinese herbal medicine. Win-qing-yin and Bai-xian-pi were the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formula and single herb, respectively. The core prescription pattern comprised Mu-dan-pi, Wen-qing-yin, Zi-cao, Bai-xian-pi, and Di-fu-zi. Patients preferred TCM than Western medicine consultations when they had metabolic syndrome, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, alopecia areata, Crohn's disease, cancer, depression, fatty liver, chronic airway obstruction, sleep disorder, and allergic rhinitis. In conclusion, TCM use is popular among patients with psoriasis in Taiwan. Future clinical trials to investigate its efficacy are warranted. PMID:27822287

Establishment of uracil auxotrophic dikaryotic strains of Lentinula edodes by crossbreeding.

PubMed

Zhou, Chenli; Xi, Liping; Mao, Wenjun; Wan, Jianing; Li, Yan; Wang, Ying; Bao, Dapeng

2017-03-01

The uracil auxotrophic monokaryotic strain 423-9 of Lentinula edodes was crossed with nine monokaryons (cro2-2-9, W66-1, xd2-3-2, QingKe 20A, 241-1-1, 9015-1, L66-2, 241-1-2, and Qing 23A) derived from wild type strains of L. edodes . Nine dikaryotic hybrids were established from these crosses. These hybrids were fruited and 496 single spore isolates were obtained. Among these single spore isolates, 166 were identified as monokaryons under a microscope. We screened these monokaryons on selective medium and obtained 19 uracil auxotrophic monokaryons. By using the Monkaryon-monkaryon crossing method among the uracil auxotrophic monokaryons, 56 uracil auxotrophic dikaryotic strains were established on selective medium. These dikaryotic strains were unable to grow on minimal medium without uracil and exhibited slow growth rates on PDA plates compared to the wild type strain. The uracil auxotrophic dikaryotic strains also showed more vigorous growth on sawdust cultivation medium containing uracil than that without uracil. The fruiting tests showed that they formed normal fruiting bodies on the sawdust medium containing uracil. The results show that the uracil auxotrophic dikaryotic strain of L. edodes could be produced by mating, and will provide a valuable resource for future genetic studies and for spawn protection and identification.

Chronic restraint stress causes a delayed increase in responding for palatable food cues during forced abstinence via a dopamine D1-like receptor-mediated mechanism

PubMed Central

Ball, Kevin T.; Best, Olivia; Luo, Jonathan; Miller, Leah R.

2016-01-01

Relapse to unhealthy eating habits in dieters is often triggered by stress. Animal models, moreover, have confirmed a causal role for acute stress in relapse. The role of chronic stress in relapse vulnerability, however, has received relatively little attention. Therefore, in the present study, we used an abstinence-based relapse model in rats to test the hypothesis that exposure to chronic stress increases subsequent relapse vulnerability. Rats were trained to press a lever for highly palatable food reinforcers in daily 3-hr sessions and then tested for food seeking (i.e., responding for food associated cues) both before and after an acute or chronic restraint stress procedure (3 h/day × 1 day or 10 days, respectively) or control procedure (unstressed). The second food seeking test was conducted either 1 day or 7 days after the last restraint. Because chronic stress causes dopamine D1-like receptor-mediated alterations in prefrontal cortex (a relapse node), we also assessed dopaminergic involvement by administering either SCH-23390 (10.0 μg/kg; i.p.), a dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist, or vehicle prior to daily treatments. Results showed that chronically, but not acutely, stressed rats displayed increased food seeking 7 days, but not 1 day, after the last restraint. Importantly, SCH-23390 combined with chronic stress reversed this effect. These results suggest that drugs targeting D1-like receptors during chronic stress may help to prevent future relapse in dieters. PMID:27845229

Thermal Investigation of Three-Dimensional GaN-on-SiC High Electron Mobility Transistors

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

AFRL-RY-WP-TR-2017-0143 THERMAL INVESTIGATION OF THREE- DIMENSIONAL GaN-on-SiC HIGH ELECTRON MOBILITY TRANSISTORS Qing Hao The University of Arizona...To) July 2017 Final 08 April 2015 – 10 April 2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE THERMAL INVESTIGATION OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL GaN-on-SiC HIGH ELECTRON MOBILITY...used in many DoD applications, including integrated radio frequency (RF) amplifiers and power electronics . However, inherent inefficiencies in

Foreign Devils and God-Worshipers: Western Mercenaries and Cross-Cultural Realism During the Taiping Rebellion

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

government failed to get universal support from either the Chinese population or the Western powers . This is particularly so in the case of the foreign...ability to understand the underlying contexts of an interaction and adjusting behavior to avoid disruption when it fails to meet expectations and is...beginning of the break down in Manchu power and rising discontent of the Han people .76 The overall poor performance of the Qing military, both by Han

Wettability of Si and Al–12Si alloy on Pd-implanted 6H–SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ting-Ting; Liu, Gui-Wu; Huang, Zhi-Kun; Zhang, Xiang-Zhao; Xu, Zi-Wei; Qiao, Guan-Jun

2018-04-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51572112 and 51172177), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BK20151340), the Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant Nos. 2014-XCL-002 and TD-XCL-004), the Innovation/Entrepreneurship Program of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. [2015]26), and the Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. [2016]15).

The Gando Dispute and the Future of Northeast Asia’s Stability

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-24

Chinese main-land. 28 The first time Qing and Chosun discussed China-Korea border issues was in 1627 during peace negotiations following the...explaining the background of the Dongbei Project, stated that “after the Chinese economic reform, international relations in northeast border area...arrogance…But Chosun is obsessed by cultural toadyism toward Han Chinese …Chosun will certainly be collapsed.” See, 北厓 (BukAe), 揆園史話 (A History Written in

Full steam ahead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heuer, Rolf-Dieter

2008-03-01

When the Economist recently reported the news of Rolf-Dieter Heuer's appointment as the next directorgeneral of CERN, it depicted him sitting cross-legged in the middle of a circular track steering a model train around him - smiling. It was an apt cartoon for someone who is about to take charge of the world's most powerful particle accelerator: the 27 km-circumference Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is nearing completion at the European laboratory just outside Geneva. What the cartoonist did not known is that model railways are one of Heuer's passions.

Channel Evolution Following Avulsion: an Example from the Yellow River Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, S.

2017-12-01

Long-term field observation of morphological adjustments of rivers following avulsions is lacked when studying the evolution of avulsive channel on deltas. Avulsion at the Yellow River Delta (YRD) is frequent with average lifespan of channels of only about a decade. The Qing-shui-gou channel, the recent lobe on the YRD, provides a rare opportunity for investigating channel evolution following artificial avulsion. The reasons for its longer lifespan also needs investigation of the channel evolution. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the geomorphic adjustment of the channel based on filed survey data during 1976-2014. The evolution of the channel was impacted by anthropogenic activities, including artificial avulsion at the downstream channel reaches in 1996, alteration of runoff and sediment load through Water and Sediment Regulation Scheme (WSRS), construction of levees and dikes. Analysis on channel geometry showed that avulsions in 1976 and in 1996 both caused short-term (1 2 years) erosion at the upstream channel reaches. Following the avulsion in 1976, massive aggradation occurred at the channel reaches at the downstream of the avulsion point. A single-thread channel gradually formed, widened and enlarged as channel bed under-cut on the deposition material. As delta extended seaward and the longitudinal slope decreased with time, aggradation occurred and an alluvial ridge formed. The ratio of lateral slope to the longitudinal slope (i.e. gradient advantage) and the relative super-elevation of the channel were calculated to estimate the possibility of avulsion at the channel in the late 1990. Results showed that the slope ratio was greater than 20 locally and super-elevation near its critical value for avulsion. The fact, that natural avulsion did not occurred despite of high values of gradient advantage and super elevation, may indicate that they are not sufficient conditions for avulsion at highly human-controlled rivers, where channel boundaries are

Characterization of Terahertz Bi-Material Sensors with Integrated Metamaterial Absorbers

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Kumar, Qing Hu, and J. L. Reno, “Real-time imaging using a 4.3-THz quantum cascade laser and a 320x240 microbolometer focal-plane array ,” IEEE...responsivity, the speed of operation and the minimum detected incident power were measured using a quantum cascade laser (QCL), operating at 3.8 THz...of operation and the minimum detected incident power were measured using a quantum cascade laser (QCL), operating at 3.8 THz. The measured

A Collection of Selected Papers from the Third All-China Electroemissions Technology Conference 21-25 May 1990 (Selected Pages)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-21

FIM and Ni-Cr Alloy Microstructures (Ren 9:10 D3 Research on AP-FIM and Element Distribution in Ni-Al Alloy ( Sun Jia(unclear)yan and Ren Dagang...Accumulated Si02(unclear) Thin Membrane Research (Jing J h a sun Qing) ........................ 11:30 E9 Percolation Mechanisms of Electrical...Tunnel Structures ( Sun Chengjie, Liu Kelin, and Gao Zhonglin) ............. . 48 10:10 Break 10:30 F6 Research on a New Type of Noncry-taline Semiconductor

China Report, Political, Sociological and Military Affairs, No. 431.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-16

the continuously growing ample supply of grain, non-staple foodstuffs, faw ans other materials, in- cluding mine and forestry products. The supply...the commodities of the cities and a rapidly growing base for the supply of raw and other materials for industry; they are an expanding world which...hand, they will prove quite fit to be selected. 39 A poem by the Qing-era poet Zheng Banqiao reads: "The new bamboo branches grow above the old

[Research on evolution and transition of quality evaluation of Shihu].

PubMed

Zhao, Yu-Jiao; Han, Bang-Xing; Peng, Hua-Sheng; Peng, Dai-Yin

2016-04-01

Shihu is one of the most valuable Chinese medicines in China. The sources of Shihu are complex and the quality evaluation of it mainly depends on morphologic characteristics distinction. In order to understand the Shihu's quality evaluation concept of Chinese herbalists in the past dynasties. This paper summarizes the methods of quality evaluation in ancient bencao systematically. The ancient bencao records that the quality of Shihu is closely related to its germplasm, habitat, processing and character. The concept of germplasm about shihu includes generalized and narrow sense, besides, the clinical applications of Dendrobium huoshanenese, D. officinale and D. nobile are focused on different diseases. D. huoshanenese has been regarded as Dao-di herbs since Qing Dynasty. The main products of Shihu contain fresh goods and dry goods, their clinical applications are also treated differently. Fengdou is one of the commodity specifications in Shihu. Its processing method probably dated from the Qing Dynasty, but now, it has become the mainstream commodityform. There was a common sense that different kinds of Shihu owed different characters and curative effects in ancient bencao, and the quality would enhance with the increasing viscidity. Therefore, the "Germplasm", "Geoherbs", "processing", "characters" were integrated into traditional quality evaluation methods of Shihu. Meanwhile, we should pay attention to the clinical efficacy of shihu with different species and processing methods. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Chronic restraint stress causes a delayed increase in responding for palatable food cues during forced abstinence via a dopamine D1-like receptor-mediated mechanism.

PubMed

Ball, Kevin T; Best, Olivia; Luo, Jonathan; Miller, Leah R

2017-02-15

Relapse to unhealthy eating habits in dieters is often triggered by stress. Animal models, moreover, have confirmed a causal role for acute stress in relapse. The role of chronic stress in relapse vulnerability, however, has received relatively little attention. Therefore, in the present study, we used an abstinence-based relapse model in rats to test the hypothesis that exposure to chronic stress increases subsequent relapse vulnerability. Rats were trained to press a lever for highly palatable food reinforcers in daily 3-h sessions and then tested for food seeking (i.e., responding for food associated cues) both before and after an acute or chronic restraint stress procedure (3h/day×1day or 10days, respectively) or control procedure (unstressed). The second food seeking test was conducted either 1day or 7days after the last restraint. Because chronic stress causes dopamine D1-like receptor-mediated alterations in prefrontal cortex (a relapse node), we also assessed dopaminergic involvement by administering either SCH-23390 (10.0μg/kg; i.p.), a dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist, or vehicle prior to daily treatments. Results showed that chronically, but not acutely, stressed rats displayed increased food seeking 7days, but not 1day, after the last restraint. Importantly, SCH-23390 combined with chronic stress reversed this effect. These results suggest that drugs targeting D 1 -like receptors during chronic stress may help to prevent future relapse in dieters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

COMMITTEES: SQM2006 Organising and International Advisory Committees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-12-01

Organising Committee Kenneth Barish Huan Zhong Huang Joseph Kapusta Grazyna Odyniec Johann Rafelski Charles A Whitten Jr International Advisory Committee Jörg Aichelin Federico Antinori Tamas Biró Jean Cleymans Lazlo Csernai Tim Hallman Ulrich Heinz Sonja Kabana Rob Lacey Yu-Gang Ma Jes Madsen Yasuo Miake Berndt Mueller Grazyna Odyniec Helmut Oeschler Apostolos Panagiotou Johann Rafelski Hans Ritter Karel Safarik Jack Sandweiss Jürgen Schaffner-Bielich Wen-Qing Shen Georges Stephans Horst Stöcker Thomas Ullrich Bill Zajc

JPRS Report, China Red Flag No 15, 1 August 1987

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-10-07

9-13) (Xiao Ke) • • • • • 1* Consolidate and Develop a New Type of Army-Government and Army-People Relationship (pp 14-17) (Wang Fang, Li Qing...the Socialist Commodity Economy (pp 44-46) ( Li Guangyuan) 78 ’Emotional Investment’ Viewed From Various Angles (p 47) (Lei Ke) 85 Singing the...counted as a setback, but it was precisely during the setback of the great revolution that our Army was founded. During the 25,000- li Long March

Crystallization Process of Superlattice-Like Sb/SiO2 Thin Films for Phase Change Memory Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiao-Qin; Zhang, Rui; Hu, Yi-Feng; Lai, Tian-Shu; Zhang, Jian-Hao; Zou, Hua; Song, Zhi-Tang

2018-05-01

Not Available Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11774438, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province under Grant No BK20151172, the Changzhou Science and Technology Bureau under Grant No CJ20160028, the Qing Lan Project, the Opening Project of State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials under Grant No SKL2017-04, and the Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Microelectronic Devices and Integrated Technology of Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

From the Proton Synchroton to the Large Hadron Collider - 50 Years of Nobel Memories in High-Energy Physics

ScienceCinema

None

2018-06-19

The seminars will be held in the Main Auditorium with transmission to : Council Chamber, IT Auditorium, Prévessin BE Auditorium , Kjell Johnssen Auditorium in Building 30, Room 40-S2-A01, and via webcast. Confirmed Speakers include: Prof. Jack Steinberger, Dr. Guenther Plass, Prof. Emilio Picasso, Dr. Steve Myers, Prof. Carlo Rubbia, Prof. Burton Richter, Dr. Lyndon Evans, Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Prof. Leon Lederman, Prof. Jim Cronin, Prof. Sheldon Glashow, Prof. Jerome Friedman, Prof. Frank Wilczek, Prof. Martinus Veltman, Prof. Gerardus 't Hooft, Prof. David Gross, Prof. Samuel Ting, Prof. Steven Weinberg (via teleconference) --- Contact: Directorate.Office@cern.ch

From the Proton Synchroton to the Large Hadron Collider - 50 Years of Nobel Memories in High-Energy Physics

ScienceCinema

Friedman, Jerome

2018-06-15

The seminars will be held in the Main Auditorium with transmission to : Council Chamber, IT Auditorium, Prévessin BE Auditorium , Kjell Johnssen Auditorium in Building 30, Room 40-S2-A01, and via webcast. Confirmed Speakers include: Prof. Jack Steinberger, Dr. Guenther Plass, Prof. Emilio Picasso, Dr. Steve Myers, Prof. Carlo Rubbia, Prof. Burton Richter, Dr. Lyndon Evans, Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Prof. Leon Lederman, Prof. Jim Cronin, Prof. Sheldon Glashow, Prof. Jerome Friedman, Prof. Frank Wilczek, Prof. Martinus Veltman, Prof. Gerardus 't Hooft, Prof. David Gross, Prof. Samuel Ting, Prof. Steven Weinberg (via teleconference) --- Contact: Directorate.Office@cern.ch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The seminars will be held in the Main Auditorium with transmission to : Council Chamber, IT Auditorium, Prévessin BE Auditorium , Kjell Johnssen Auditorium in Building 30, Room 40-S2-A01, and via webcast. Confirmed Speakers include: Prof. Jack Steinberger, Dr. Guenther Plass, Prof. Emilio Picasso, Dr. Steve Myers, Prof. Carlo Rubbia, Prof. Burton Richter, Dr. Lyndon Evans, Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Prof. Leon Lederman, Prof. Jim Cronin, Prof. Sheldon Glashow, Prof. Jerome Friedman, Prof. Frank Wilczek, Prof. Martinus Veltman, Prof. Gerardus 't Hooft, Prof. David Gross, Prof. Samuel Ting, Prof. Steven Weinberg (via teleconference) --- Contact: Directorate.Office@cern.ch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

The seminars will be held in the Main Auditorium with transmission to: Council Chamber, IT Auditorium, Prévessin BE Auditorium , Kjell Johnssen Auditorium in Building 30, Room 40-S2-A01, and via webcast. Confirmed Speakers include: Prof. Jack Steinberger, Dr. Guenther Plass, Prof. Emilio Picasso, Dr. Steve Myers, Prof. Carlo Rubbia, Prof. Burton Richter, Dr. Lyndon Evans, Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Prof. Leon Lederman, Prof. Jim Cronin, Prof. Sheldon Glashow, Prof. Jerome Friedman, Prof. Frank Wilczek, Prof. Martinus Veltman, Prof. Gerardus 't Hooft, Prof. David Gross, Prof. Samuel Ting, Prof. Steven Weinberg (via teleconference) --- Contact: Directorate.Office@cern.ch

From the Proton Synchroton to the Large Hadron Collider - 50 Years of Nobel Memories in High-Energy Physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2009-12-07

The seminars will be held in the Main Auditorium with transmission to : Council Chamber, IT Auditorium, Prévessin BE Auditorium , Kjell Johnssen Auditorium in Building 30, Room 40-S2-A01, and via webcast. Confirmed Speakers include: Prof. Jack Steinberger, Dr. Guenther Plass, Prof. Emilio Picasso, Dr. Steve Myers, Prof. Carlo Rubbia, Prof. Burton Richter, Dr. Lyndon Evans, Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Prof. Leon Lederman, Prof. Jim Cronin, Prof. Sheldon Glashow, Prof. Jerome Friedman, Prof. Frank Wilczek, Prof. Martinus Veltman, Prof. Gerardus 't Hooft, Prof. David Gross, Prof. Samuel Ting, Prof. Steven Weinberg (via teleconference) --- Contact: Directorate.Office@cern.ch

From the Proton Synchroton to the Large Hadron Collider - 50 Years of Nobel Memories in High-Energy Physics

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

The seminars will be held in the Main Auditorium with transmission to : Council Chamber, IT Auditorium, Prévessin BE Auditorium , Kjell Johnssen Auditorium in Building 30, Room 40-S2-A01, and via webcast. Confirmed Speakers include: Prof. Jack Steinberger, Dr. Guenther Plass, Prof. Emilio Picasso, Dr. Steve Myers, Prof. Carlo Rubbia, Prof. Burton Richter, Dr. Lyndon Evans, Prof. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Prof. Leon Lederman, Prof. Jim Cronin, Prof. Sheldon Glashow, Prof. Jerome Friedman, Prof. Frank Wilczek, Prof. Martinus Veltman, Prof. Gerardus 't Hooft, Prof. David Gross, Prof. Samuel Ting, Prof. Steven Weinberg (via teleconference) --- Contact: Directorate.Office@cern.ch

A preliminary study of international migration of the Chinese people.

PubMed

Zhu, G

1994-01-01

International Chinese migration has spanned five periods: 1) an initial period of random and short-term migration dating back to the Qing and Han dynasties; 2) a spontaneous period since the Sui and Tang dynasties along trade routes; 3) a transition period during the Ming dynasty and the early Qing dynasty with war, poverty, and population growth as push factors; 4) peak migration during the Opium War period due to economic depression, population pressure, and the "coolie" trade; and 5) continuous development between the 1920s and 1949. Migration tended to occur between Guangdong and Fujian provinces and other southeast Asian countries. Four factors were identified as necessary for international migration to occur: the origin of migration, the destination factor, the middle link factor, and the immigrant characteristics. The origins of early Chinese migration appeared in a country of political corruption, population pressure, a backward economy, and social chaos. The pull factors at destination end were demand for labor. The middle link was the short distance between Guangdong and Fujian provinces and southeast Asian countries and longstanding nongovernmental exchanges. Other links were the similarity of climate, similar racial features, cultural lifestyle similarities, and convenient transportation. The people in these two provinces had a history of migration and a personality suitable for the spirit of adventure. Peak migration occurred during the late Qing dynasty and during the continuous development period. Between 1840 and 1911 there were about 10 million Chinese immigrants and during 1911 and 1949 there were about 6 million. In general, over 20 million immigrated prior to 1949, of which about 50% migrated during the peak period, 33% during the continuous period, and 20% before 1840. This amounted to about 33% of European migration and two times African migration. 60% were from Guangdong, and 30% were from Fujian province, of whom most were from counties

Comparative Transcriptome Analyses of Gene Expression Changes Triggered by Rhizoctonia solani AG1 IA Infection in Resistant and Susceptible Rice Varieties.

PubMed

Zhang, Jinfeng; Chen, Lei; Fu, Chenglin; Wang, Lingxia; Liu, Huainian; Cheng, Yuanzhi; Li, Shuangcheng; Deng, Qiming; Wang, Shiquan; Zhu, Jun; Liang, Yueyang; Li, Ping; Zheng, Aiping

2017-01-01

Rice sheath blight, caused by Rhizoctonia solani , is one of the most devastating diseases for stable rice production in most rice-growing regions of the world. Currently, studies of the molecular mechanism of rice sheath blight resistance are scarce. Here, we used an RNA-seq approach to analyze the gene expression changes induced by the AG1 IA strain of R. solani in rice at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h. By comparing the transcriptomes of TeQing (a moderately resistant cultivar) and Lemont (a susceptible cultivar) leaves, variable transcriptional responses under control and infection conditions were revealed. From these data, 4,802 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses suggested that most DEGs and related metabolic pathways in both rice genotypes were common and spanned most biological activities after AG1 IA inoculation. The main difference between the resistant and susceptible plants was a difference in the timing of the response to AG1 IA infection. Photosynthesis, photorespiration, and jasmonic acid and phenylpropanoid metabolism play important roles in disease resistance, and the relative response of disease resistance-related pathways in TeQing leaves was more rapid than that of Lemont leaves at 12 h. Here, the transcription data include the most comprehensive list of genes and pathway candidates induced by AG1 IA that is available for rice and will serve as a resource for future studies into the molecular mechanisms of the responses of rice to AG1 IA.

Three-year weight change in successful weight losers who lost weight on a low-carbohydrate diet.

PubMed

Phelan, Suzanne; Wyatt, Holly; Nassery, Shirine; Dibello, Julia; Fava, Joseph L; Hill, James O; Wing, Rena R

2007-10-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term weight loss and eating and exercise behaviors of successful weight losers who lost weight using a low-carbohydrate diet. This study examined 3-year changes in weight, diet, and physical activity in 891 subjects (96 low-carbohydrate dieters and 795 others) who enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry between 1998 and 2001 and reported >or=30-lb weight loss and >or=1 year weight loss maintenance. Only 10.8% of participants reported losing weight after a low-carbohydrate diet. At entry into the study, low-carbohydrate diet users reported consuming more kcal/d (mean +/- SD, 1,895 +/- 452 vs. 1,398 +/- 574); fewer calories in weekly physical activity (1,595 +/- 2,499 vs. 2,542 +/- 2,301); more calories from fat (64.0 +/- 7.9% vs. 30.9 +/- 13.1%), saturated fat (23.8 +/- 4.1 vs. 10.5 +/- 5.2), monounsaturated fat (24.4 +/- 3.7 vs. 11.0 +/- 5.1), and polyunsaturated fat (8.6 +/- 2.7 vs. 5.5 +/- 2.9); and less dietary restraint (10.8 +/- 2.9 vs. 14.9 +/- 3.9) compared with other Registry members. These differences persisted over time. No differences in 3-year weight regain were observed between low-carbohydrate dieters and other Registry members in intent-to-treat analyses (7.0 +/- 7.1 vs. 5.7 +/- 8.7 kg). It is possible to achieve and maintain long-term weight loss using a low-carbohydrate diet. The long-term health effects of weight loss associated with a high-fat diet and low activity level merits further investigation.

Complex root networks of Chinese characters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Po-Han; Chen, Jia-Ling; Wang, Po-Cheng; Chi, Ting-Ting; Xiao, Zhi-Ren; Jhang, Zih-Jian; Yeh, Yeong-Nan; Chen, Yih-Yuh; Hu, Chin-Kun

There are several sets of Chinese characters still available today, including Oracle Bone Inscriptions (OBI) in Shang Dynasty, Chu characters (CC) used in Chu of Warring State Period, Small Seal Script in dictionary Shuowen Jiezi (SJ) in Eastern Han Dynasty, and Kangxi Dictionary (KD) in Qing Dynasty. Such as Chinese characters were all constructed via combinations of meaningful patterns, called roots. Our studies for the complex networks of all roots indicate that the roots of the characters in OBI, CC, SJ and KD have characteristics of small world networks and scale-free networks.

Effect of Sb-doping on martensitic transformation and magnetocaloric effect in Mn-rich {{Mn}}_{50}{{Ni}}_{40}{{Sn}}_{10-x}{{Sb}}_{x}(x=1,2,3,{and}4) alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Ishfaq Ahmad; Hassan, Najam ul; Liu, Jun; Gong, Yuanyuan; Xu, Guizhou; Xu, Feng

2017-01-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51271093, 51571121, 11604148, and 51601092), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (Grant Nos. 30920140111010, 30916011344, and 30916011345), Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars, China (Grant No. BK20140035), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016M591851), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant Nos. BK20160833 and BK20160829), Qing Lan Project, Six Talent Peaks Project in Jiangsu Province, China, and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China.

The Development of Astronomy and Emergence of Astrophysics in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ning, Xiaoyu; Sun, Xiaochun; Orchiston, Wayne; Nakamura, Tsuko

China had a long tradition of astronomy. But, like in other cultures, astronomy in ancient China was essentially positional. The study of the physical nature of celestial bodies has only been a recent development. Knowledge about astrophysics began to be transmitted to China in the middle of the nineteenth century by Western Christian missionaries. With the downfall of the Imperial Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China in 1912 astronomy began to be seen not as paraphernalia of Imperial rule but as a science with its focus on astrophysics.

Targeting impulsive processes of eating behavior via the internet. Effects on body weight.

PubMed

Veling, Harm; van Koningsbruggen, Guido M; Aarts, Henk; Stroebe, Wolfgang

2014-07-01

Because eating behavior can take on an impulsive nature many people experience difficulty with dieting to lose weight. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of two interventions targeting impulsive processes of eating behavior to facilitate weight loss: Implementation intentions to remind people about dieting versus a go/no-go task to change impulses toward palatable foods. Dieters performed an online training program (four times in 4 weeks) in which they were randomly assigned to a 2 (implementation intention condition: dieting versus control) × 2 (go/no-go task condition: food versus control) design. They formed either dieting implementation intentions (e.g., If I open the fridge I will think of dieting!) or control implementation intentions. Furthermore, they received either a go/no-go task in which behavioral stop signals were presented upon presentation of palatable foods (food go/no-go task), or upon control stimuli. Participants' weight was measured in the laboratory before and after the intervention. Strength of participants' dieting goal and their Body Mass Index (BMI; as a proxy for impulsiveness toward food) were examined as moderators. Results showed that both dieting implementation intentions and the food go/no-go task facilitated weight loss. Moreover, dieting implementation intentions facilitated weight loss particularly among people with a strong current dieting goal, whereas the food go/no-go task facilitated weight loss independent of this factor. Instead, the food go/no-go task, but not formation of dieting implementation intentions, was primarily effective among dieters with a relatively high BMI. These results provide the first preliminary evidence that interventions aimed at targeting impulsive eating-related processes via the internet can facilitate weight loss. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adiponectin changes in relation to the macronutrient composition of a weight-loss diet.

PubMed

Summer, Suzanne S; Brehm, Bonnie J; Benoit, Stephen C; D'Alessio, David A

2011-11-01

Adiponectin is an adipose-derived protein with beneficial metabolic effects. Low adiponectin is associated with obesity and related diseases. Significant weight loss increases adiponectin, reducing disease risk. This study compared the effects of two weight-loss diets with different macronutrient compositions on adiponectin. Eighty-one obese women in two cohorts were randomized to a low-fat (LF) or a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet. All subjects underwent equivalent weight-loss intervention, with weight and other measures assessed at baseline and after 6 (cohort I) or 4 (cohort II) months. Body fat was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Adiponectin was measured by radioimmunoassay. Diet intake was assessed using 24-h recalls and 3-day diet records. Data were analyzed via t-tests and repeated-measures factorial ANOVA using time, diet, and replicate (cohort I vs. cohort II) as factors. Age, weight, body fat, BMI, adiponectin, and diet were similar at baseline. Following intervention, macronutrient composition of the diet was vastly different between the groups, reflecting the assigned diet. Both groups lost weight and body fat (P < 0.001), with effect in LC dieters greater than LF dieters (-9.1 kg vs. -4.97 kg weight, P < 0.05 and -5.45 kg vs. -2.62 kg fat, P < 0.001). Adiponectin increased in the LC (+1.92 mcg/ml, P < 0.01), but not the LF (+0.86 mcg/ml, P = 0.81), group. There was no correlation between weight loss and increase in adiponectin. These results confirm that diet-induced loss of weight and body fat is associated with increased adiponectin concentrations. This effect is evident with weight loss of 10% or more, and may be greater with LC diets.

Bariatric Surgery vs. Conventional Dieting in the Morbidly Obese.

PubMed

Greenstein; Rabner; Taler

1994-02-01

Weight loss and psychosocial events have been compared between low calorie conventional diet (n = 11) or following obesity surgery (n = 17). Interviews were >/= 9 months following initiation of treatment. After surgery significantly less hunger was experienced (surgery 76% [13/17] vs diet 18% [2/11] p < 0.01) and less will-power was required to stop eating (surgery 88% [15/17] vs diet 27% [3/11] p < 0.001). More dieters stopped eating because of 'figure and health' (surgery 12 % [2/17] vs diet 64 % [7/11 ] p < 0.01) whereas postoperative patients stopped due to vomit avoidance (surgery 53% [9/17] vs diet 0% [0/11] p dieters think other people view them as obese (surgery 35% [6/17] vs diet 91% [10/11] p /= 9 months following surgery or beginning a conventional diet, the morbidly obese have a more positive response to surgery.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-03-08

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation’s space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Pictured from left-to-right are Congressman Ken Hechler, Democratic representative of West Virginia; Dieter Grau, MSFC; Congressman John W. Davis, Democratic representative of Georgia; Congressman Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative of Louisiana; Congressman Richard L. Roudebush, Republican representative of Indiana; Congressman R. Walter Riehlman, Republican representative of New York; Congressman James G. Fulton, Republican representative of Pennsylvania; Dr. Wernher von Braun, MSFC; and Congressman Olin E. Teague, Democratic representative of Texas.

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-03-08

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. They were briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. Pictured left-to-right are Dieter Grau, MSFC; Konrad Dannenberg, MSFC; James G. Fulton, Republican representative for Pennsylvania; Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative for Louisiana; and Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of MSFC.

Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Pictured from left-to-right are Congressman Ken Hechler, Democratic representative of West Virginia; Dieter Grau, MSFC; Congressman John W. Davis, Democratic representative of Georgia; Congressman Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative of Louisiana; Congressman Richard L. Roudebush, Republican representative of Indiana; Congressman R. Walter Riehlman, Republican representative of New York; Congressman James G. Fulton, Republican representative of Pennsylvania; Dr. Wernher von Braun, MSFC; and Congressman Olin E. Teague, Democratic representative of Texas.

Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. They were briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. Pictured left-to-right are Dieter Grau, MSFC; Konrad Dannenberg, MSFC; James G. Fulton, Republican representative for Pennsylvania; Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative for Louisiana; and Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of MSFC.

[An outline medical history of Taiwan (I): the period of folklore medicine and witch doctor].

PubMed

Li, C

1997-01-01

The paper makes a correlated analysis on the origin of health folklore between Chinese in mainland and Taiwan island. After quoting literatures written by authors living in the Qing dynasty in Taiwan, this paper analyses health condition among aboriginals of Taiwan during the witchcraft age. Along with the increasing immigration from China mainland to Taiwan island, health of folklore and gods from China mainland were introduced into Taiwan, hence the period of witch doctor in Taiwan, featuring the correlation of both. Though modern medicine in Taiwan is so advanced, yet there are still witch doctors elsewhere.

Influence of Ni/Mn ratio on magnetostructural transformation and magnetocaloric effect in Ni48-x Co2Mn38+x Sn12 (x = 0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Ishfaq Ahmad; Hassan, Najam ul; Rauf, Abdur; Liu, Jun; Gong, Yuanyuan; Xu, Guizhou; Xu, Feng

2017-08-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51601092, 51571121, and 11604148), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (Grant Nos. 30916011344 and 30916011345), Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars, China (Grant No. BK20140035), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016M591851), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant Nos. BK20160833 and BK20160829), Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, China, Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China, and NMG-NJUST Joint Scholarship Program for Ishfaq Ahmad Shah (Student ID: 914116020118).

[Medical exchanges among China and Asiana countries].

PubMed

Chen, H

1996-01-01

Among the issues of medical exchanges, medicaments are more often encountered than medical issues, based on ancient Chinese literatures, early in the Han-Jin Dynasties, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei had exchanges with China, also in Sui-Tang Dynasties. In the Song-Yuan Dynasties, ancient Singapore and the Philippines also incorporated in exchanges of medicament and goods. In the Ming-Qing dynasties, these 6 Asian countries had even more close contact with China, especially in trades and medical exchanges among the masses, carried out in a large scale thus, promoting the advent and development of TCM in Asiana Regions.

Construction of a surface air temperature series for Qingdao in China for the period 1899 to 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan; Tinz, Birger; von Storch, Hans; Wang, Qingyuan; Zhou, Qingliang; Zhu, Yani

2018-03-01

We present a homogenized surface air temperature (SAT) time series at 2 m height for the city of Qingdao in China from 1899 to 2014. This series is derived from three data sources: newly digitized and homogenized observations of the German National Meteorological Service from 1899 to 1913, homogenized observation data of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) from 1961 to 2014 and a gridded dataset of Willmott and Matsuura (2012) in Delaware to fill the gap from 1914 to 1960. Based on this new series, long-term trends are described. The SAT in Qingdao has a significant warming trend of 0.11 ± 0.03 °C decade-1 during 1899-2014. The coldest period occurred during 1909-1918 and the warmest period occurred during 1999-2008. For the seasonal mean SAT, the most significant warming can be found in spring, followed by winter. The homogenized time series of Qingdao is provided and archived by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) web page under overseas stations of the Deutsche Seewarte (http://www.dwd.de/EN/ourservices/overseas_stations/ueberseedoku/doi_qingdao.html) in ASCII format. Users can also freely obtain a short description of the data at Qing_v1" target="_blank">https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.5676/DWD/Qing_v1. And the data can be downloaded at http://dwd.de/EN/ourservices/overseas_stations/ueberseedoku/data_qingdao.txt.

Masked syllable priming effects in word and picture naming in Chinese.

PubMed

You, Wenping; Zhang, Qingfang; Verdonschot, Rinus G

2012-01-01

Four experiments investigated the role of the syllable in Chinese spoken word production. Chen, Chen and Ferrand (2003) reported a syllable priming effect when primes and targets shared the first syllable using a masked priming paradigm in Chinese. Our Experiment 1 was a direct replication of Chen et al.'s (2003) Experiment 3 employing CV (e.g., ,/ba2.ying2/, strike camp) and CVG (e.g., ,/bai2.shou3/, white haired) syllable types. Experiment 2 tested the syllable priming effect using different syllable types: e.g., CV (,/qi4.qiu2/, balloon) and CVN (,/qing1.ting2/, dragonfly). Experiment 3 investigated this issue further using line drawings of common objects as targets that were preceded either by a CV (e.g., ,/qi3/, attempt), or a CVN (e.g., ,/qing2/, affection) prime. Experiment 4 further examined the priming effect by a comparison between CV or CVN priming and an unrelated priming condition using CV-NX (e.g., ,/mi2.ni3/, mini) and CVN-CX (e.g., ,/min2.ju1/, dwellings) as target words. These four experiments consistently found that CV targets were named faster when preceded by CV primes than when they were preceded by CVG, CVN or unrelated primes, whereas CVG or CVN targets showed the reverse pattern. These results indicate that the priming effect critically depends on the match between the structure of the prime and that of the first syllable of the target. The effect obtained in this study was consistent across different stimuli and different tasks (word and picture naming), and provides more conclusive and consistent data regarding the role of the syllable in Chinese speech production.

Integrating Fundamental Concepts of Obesity and Eating Disorders: Implications for the Obesity Epidemic

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Physiological mechanisms promote weight gain after famine. Because eating disorders, obesity, and dieting limit food intake, they are famine-like experiences. The development of the concept of meeting an ideal weight was the beginning of increasing obesity. Weight stigma, the perception of being fat, lack of understanding of normal growth and development, and increased concern about obesity on the part of health providers, parents, and caregivers have reinforced each other to promote dieting. Because weight suppression and disinhibition provoke long-term weight increase, dieting is a major factor producing the obesity epidemic. The integrated eating disorder–obesity theory included in this article emphasizes that, contrary to dieters, lifetime weight maintainers depend on physiological processes to control weight and experience minimal weight change. PMID:25713933

[Analysis on origin and evolution of mumps].

PubMed

Zhao, Yan

2004-10-01

There was a preliminary recognition on mumps during the Qin-Han to Sui-Tang dynasty, laying a foundation for the scholastic development on this topic in later generations. The title of this disease was identified in Song-Jin-Yuan dynasty with gradual deepening on its principle-method-formula-medication system, a great progress of recognition as compared with the previous ages. In the Ming-Qing dynasty, the recognition became even more systematic, with certain breakthrough in the system of principle-method-formula-medication. In modern age, the experiences were inherited and developed to integrate to modern biomedicine, so that the theory and clinical practice become even more perfect.

[Centennial retrospective on the evolution and development of the nursing profession in Taiwan].

PubMed

Wang, Kwua-Yun; Chang, Shu-Rong

2014-08-01

This article explores the evolution and development of the Taiwanese nursing profession. After introducing the origins of nursing, this article proceeds to introduce nursing during various periods in Taiwan, including the early-Qing Dynasty, foreign missionary nursing, the Japanese Colonial Era, and the Nationalist Chinese Era following World War Two up to the present. The authors then present the current situation in the Taiwanese nursing profession in terms of gender issues, high-technology developments, educational issues, the nursing licensing examination, hiring and training, multiple role functions, and the skill-mix care model. Finally, the authors make recommendations for the further development and improvement of the nursing profession in Taiwan.

Assessing the evolution of oases in arid regions by reconstructing their historic spatio-temporal distribution: a case study of the Heihe River Basin, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Yaowen; Wang, Guisheng; Wang, Xueqiang; Fan, Peilei

2017-12-01

Oasis evolution, one of the most obvious surface processes in arid regions, affects various aspects of the regional environment, such as hydrological processes, ecological conditions, and microclimates. In this paper, the historical spatio-temporal evolution of the cultivated oases in the Heihe River Basin, the second largest inland watershed in the northwest of China, was assessed using multidisciplinary methods and data from multiple sources, including historical literature, ancient sites, maps and remotely sensed images. The findings show that cultivated oases were first developed on a large scale during the Han Dynasty (121 BC-220) and then gradually decreased in extent from the Six Dynasties period (220-581) to the Sui-Tang period (581-907), reaching a minimum in the Song-Yuan period (960-1368). An abrupt revival occurred during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and continued through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and during the period of the Republic of China (1912-1949), oasis development reached its greatest peak of the entire historical period. The oasis areas during seven major historical periods, i.e., Han, Six Dynasties, Sui-Tang, Song-Yuan, Ming, Qing, and Republic of China, are estimated to have been 1703 km2, 1115 km2, 629 km2, 614 km2, 964 km2, 1205 km2, and 1917 km2, respectively. The spatial distribution generally exhibited a continuous sprawl process, with the center of the oases moving gradually from the downstream region to the middle and even upstream regions. The oases along the main river remained stable during most periods, whereas those close to the terminal reaches were subject to frequent variations and even abandonment. Socio-economic factors were the main forces driving the evolution of cultivated oases in the area; among them, political and societal stability, national defense, agricultural policy, population, and technological progress were the most important.

Impaired cognitive functioning during spontaneous dieting.

PubMed

Green, M W; Rogers, P J

1995-09-01

In one of a continuing series of studies, the cognitive performance of normal weight female dieters was compared on two sessions, 3 weeks apart. Those who reported themselves as being on a weight-reducing diet on only one of the two sessions displayed poorer vigilance performance, slower reaction times and poorer immediate recall of words when they were dieting. In contrast, performance on a low processing load tapping task was unaffected. Self-report measures showed that dietary restraint, but not state anxiety or depression was increased during dieting. These results are interpreted in terms of an association between dieting behaviour and high levels of distractibility, and extend earlier findings by demonstrating that these deficits in cognitive performance are closely related to dieting or the perceived need to diet per se.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP-DR1) catalogs (Lutz+, 2011)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, D.; Poglitsch, A.; Altieri, B.; Andreani, P.; Aussel, H.; Berta, S.; Bongiovanni, A.; Brisbin, D.; Cava, A.; Cepa, J.; Cimatti, A.; Daddi, E.; Dominguez-Sanchez, H.; Elbaz, D.; Foerster Schreiber, N. M.; Genzel, R.; Grazian, A.; Gruppioni, C.; Harwit, M.; Le Floc'h, E.; Magdis, G.; Magnelli, B.; Maiolino, R.; Nordon, R.; Perez Garcia, A. M.; Popesso, P.; Pozzi, F.; Riguccini, L.; Rodighiero, G.; Saintonge, A.; Sanchez Portal, M.; Santini, P.; Shao, L.; Sturm, E.; Tacconi, L. J.; Valtchanov, I.; Wetzstein, M.; Wieprecht, E.

2013-11-01

PACS catalogs built by the PEP team, with key contributions by Stefano Berta, Benjamin Magnelli, Paola Popesso, Dieter Lutz, Francesca Pozzi, Bruno Altieri, Herve Aussel, Hoseong Hwang, Emeric Le Floc'h, Georgios Magdis, Raanan Nordon, Albrecht Poglitsch, Laurie Riguccini, Amelie Saintonge, Li Shao. For more details, please refer to Lutz et al. (2011A&A...532A..90L) and to the PDF documentation associated to the release. Data and catalogs can be retrieved from the web page http://www.mpe.mpg.de/ir/Research/PEP/publicdatareleases.php See the PDF documentation associated to the PEP DR1 release, http://www.mpe.mpg.de/resources/PEP/DR1tarballs/readmePEP_global.pdf and http://www.mpe.mpg.de/resources/PEP/DR1tarballs/readmePEP_SPIRE.pdf for more details. (69 data files).

[Factional disputes on the retention or abolition of traditional Chinese medicine within the National Government].

PubMed

Hao, Xian-zhong; Zhu, De-pei

2008-07-01

The disputes between Western and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) started at the turn of late Qing Dynasty to early Republican China, intensified in the period of construction of National Government at Nanking, lasting for several years. The scope of dispute also extended from the initial medical area to the mass media, and even to the government interior factions. The form of the combat also changed from the debates of original scientific theory to the confrontation of political ideology. It was the government interior factional disputes which caused "the case of abolition of the traditional Chinese medicine" to abort objectively, with the difficult advent of the regulations which saved TCM, to certain degree, from vanishing.

Parsing Citations in Biomedical Articles Using Conditional Random Fields

PubMed Central

Zhang, Qing; Cao, Yong-Gang; Yu, Hong

2011-01-01

Citations are used ubiquitously in biomedical full-text articles and play an important role for representing both the rhetorical structure and the semantic content of the articles. As a result, text mining systems will significantly benefit from a tool that automatically extracts the content of a citation. In this study, we applied the supervised machine-learning algorithms Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) to automatically parse a citation into its fields (e.g., Author, Title, Journal, and Year). With a subset of html format open-access PubMed Central articles, we report an overall 97.95% F1-score. The citation parser can be accessed at: http://www.cs.uwm.edu/~qing/projects/cithit/index.html. PMID:21419403

[Retrospect of Chinese herbs taken as tea drinking].

PubMed

Zhu, J N; Zhang, X L; Guo, H

2017-01-28

Tea and wine are time-honored drinks in China. Along with coffee and cocoa, tea, as one of the non-alcoholic plant beverages, is prevailing the world. Tea and Chinese medicine has a very close relationship. Chinese herbs taken as tea forming the tea-like medicinal tea, can be taken frequently at anytime. The application of Chinese herbs taken as tea drinking begins from the Tang Dynasty, flourishes in the Song Dynasty and matures in the Qing Dynasty. The review of its history provides ample evidence of Chinese herbs taken as tea drinking in treating and preventing diseases, as well as providing the clues and references of developing new Chinese herbs taking as tea.

Tempting foods and the affordability axiom: Food cues change beliefs about the costs of healthy eating.

PubMed

Hill, Sarah E; Baskett, Kaily; Bradshaw, Hannah K; Prokosch, Marjorie L; DelPriore, Danielle J; Rodeheffer, Christopher D

2016-12-01

Many consumers report that healthy eating is more expensive than unhealthy eating (the affordability axiom). We hypothesize that endorsement of this belief may be driven by the motivation to eat unhealthy foods. We tested this hypothesis in three studies. Study 1 revealed that the affordability axiom is associated with poorer eating habits and higher Body Mass Index (BMI). Study 2 found that the presence of a tasty food cue in the environment increased endorsement of affordability axiom. Study 3 found that these effects were moderated by one's food intake goals. Food cues led non-dieters to increase endorsement of the affordability axiom, but had the opposite effect among those seeking to restrict their calorie intake. The affordability axiom might persist as a means of validating unhealthy food choices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The defence of body weight: a physiological basis for weight regain after weight loss.

PubMed

Sumithran, Priya; Proietto, Joseph

2013-02-01

Although weight loss can usually be achieved by restricting food intake, the majority of dieters regain weight over the long-term. In the hypothalamus, hormonal signals from the gastrointestinal tract, adipose tissue and other peripheral sites are integrated to influence appetite and energy expenditure. Diet-induced weight loss is accompanied by several physiological changes which encourage weight regain, including alterations in energy expenditure, substrate metabolism and hormone pathways involved in appetite regulation, many of which persist beyond the initial weight loss period. Safe effective long-term strategies to overcome these physiological changes are needed to help facilitate maintenance of weight loss. The present review, which focuses on data from human studies, begins with an outline of body weight regulation to provide the context for the subsequent discussion of short- and long-term physiological changes which accompany diet-induced weight loss.

Recent trends and future directions for the medical treatment of ulcerative colitis.

PubMed

Naganuma, Makoto; Mizuno, Shinta; Nanki, Kosaku; Sugimoto, Shinya; Kanai, Takanori

2016-12-01

Recently, several medical treatments for ulcerative colitis (UC) have been developed, including 5-aminosalicylic acids (5-ASAs), corticosteroids, thiopurine, calcineurin inhibitors, and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α treatments. Treatment options including calcineurin inhibitors and anti-TNF treatment for refractory UC are discussed in this article. Furthermore, upcoming treatments are introduced, such as golimumab, vedolizumab, AJM300, tofacitinib. Budesonide foamwill be used as one treatment option in patients with distal colitis. Herbal medicine, such as Qing-Dai is also effective for active UC and may be useful for patients who are refractory to anti-TNFα treatments. In the near future, physicians will able to use many different treatments for UC patients. However, we should not forget 5-ASA and corticosteroids as the fundamental treatments for UC patients.

[Shi Weishan, the pioneer of the western medicine in Hubei in the Late Qing Dynasty].

PubMed

Liu, F W

2017-07-28

The Englishman Shi Weishan (Frederick Porter Smith) is the first Christianity medical missionary sent to Central China, who is also the founder of the first mission hospital named 'Hospital of Universal Love' in Hubei. Arrived at Hankou in May 1864, he started medical work in July, and left Hankou in December 1870 because of health problem. In addition to medical mission, he tried to communicate with Chinese doctors in Hankou, then enlightened local people with health knowledge by written several books and articles, which brought some success. He also devoted to the translation of Chinese proper names and also wrote related book.

[Comparison of GIMMS and MODIS normalized vegetation index composite data for Qing-Hai-Tibet Plateau].

PubMed

Du, Jia-Qiang; Shu, Jian-Min; Wang, Yue-Hui; Li, Ying-Chang; Zhang, Lin-Bo; Guo, Yang

2014-02-01

Consistent NDVI time series are basic and prerequisite in long-term monitoring of land surface properties. Advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) measurements provide the longest records of continuous global satellite measurements sensitive to live green vegetation, and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) is more recent typical with high spatial and temporal resolution. Understanding the relationship between the AVHRR-derived NDVI and MODIS NDVI is critical to continued long-term monitoring of ecological resources. NDVI time series acquired by the global inventory modeling and mapping studies (GIMMS) and Terra MODIS were compared over the same time periods from 2000 to 2006 at four scales of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (whole region, sub-region, biome and pixel) to assess the level of agreement in terms of absolute values and dynamic change by independently assessing the performance of GIMMS and MODIS NDVI and using 495 Landsat samples of 20 km x20 km covering major land cover type. High correlations existed between the two datasets at the four scales, indicating their mostly equal capability of capturing seasonal and monthly phenological variations (mostly at 0. 001 significance level). Simi- larities of the two datasets differed significantly among different vegetation types. The relative low correlation coefficients and large difference of NDVI value between the two datasets were found among dense vegetation types including broadleaf forest and needleleaf forest, yet the correlations were strong and the deviations were small in more homogeneous vegetation types, such as meadow, steppe and crop. 82% of study area was characterized by strong consistency between GIMMS and MODIS NDVI at pixel scale. In the Landsat NDVI vs. GIMMS and MODIS NDVI comparison of absolute values, the MODIS NDVI performed slightly better than GIMMS NDVI, whereas in the comparison of temporal change values, the GIMMS data set performed best. Similar with comparison results of GIMMS and MODIS NDVI, the consistency across the three datasets was clearly different among various vegetation types. In dynamic changes, differences between Landsat and MODIS NDVI were smaller than Landsat NDVI vs. GIMMS NDVI for forest, but Landsat and GIMMS NDVI agreed better for grass and crop. The results suggested that spatial patterns and dynamic trends of GIMMS NDVI were found to be in overall acceptable agreement with MODIS NDVI. It might be feasible to successfully integrate historical GIMMS and more recent MODIS NDVI to provide continuity of NDVI products. The accuracy of merging AVHRR historical data recorded with more modern MODIS NDVI data strongly depends on vegetation type, season and phenological period, and spatial scale. The integration of the two datasets for needleleaf forest, broadleaf forest, and for all vegetation types in the phenological transition periods in spring and autumn should be treated with caution.

Social modernization and the increase in the divorce rate.

PubMed

Esser, H

1993-03-01

The author develops a micro-model of marital interactions that is used to analyze factors affecting the divorce rate in modern industrialized societies. The core of the model is the concept of production of marital gain and mutual control of this production. "The increase of divorce rates, then, is explained by a steady decrease of institutional and social embeddedness, which helps to solve this kind of an 'assurance game.' The shape of the individual risk is explained by the typical form of change of the 'production functions' of marriages within the first period of adaptation. The inconsistent results concerning womens' labor market participation in linear regression models are explained as a consequence of the (theoretical and statistical) 'interaction' of decreases in embeddedness and increases in external alternatives for women." Comments are included by Karl-Dieter Opp (pp. 278-82) and Ulrich Witt (pp. 283-5). excerpt

[Investigation on the number of ancient medical books collected in Haiyuan Private Library].

PubMed

Man, Xue; Liu, Gengsheng

2015-03-01

Yang's Haiyuan Private Library in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, is the only extant one among the four famous private libraries of the Qing dynasty in Northern China. Its collection is ample and graceful and especially rich in rare and secret versions, amounting to over 2 000 kinds, 200- thousand volumes. By sorting out 5 kinds of such collections from the Yang's family catalogue of Liaocheng in Shandong, plus 3 kinds of supplemented catalogue by Wang Shaozeng, the Catalogue of Haiyuan Private Library Collected in Shandong Provincial Library, and catalogues of modern scholars, it can be basically identified that the number of medical collections of Yang's Haiyuan Private Library is 87 kinds. Supposing all kinds contain 112 works, then Haiyuan Private Library totally has 1296 volumes according to the catalogues.

[Ophthalmologists in the proximity of Adolf Hitler].

PubMed

Rohrbach, J M

2012-10-01

Adolf Hitler met or at least knew about 5 ophthalmologists. The chair of ophthalmology in Berlin, Walther Löhlein, personally examined Hitler's eyes at least two times. The chair of ophthalmology in Breslau, Walter Dieter, developed "air raid protection spectacles" with the aid of high representatives of the NS-system and probably Adolf Hitler himself. Heinrich Wilhelm Kranz became rector of the universities of Giessen and Frankfurt/Main. He was known as a very strict advocate of the NS-race hygiene. Werner Zabel made plans for Hitler's diet and tried to interfere with Hitler's medical treatment. Finally, Hellmuth Unger was an influential representative of the medical press and a famous writer. Three of his novels with medical topics were made into a film which Hitler probably saw. Hitler had, so to say, a small "ophthalmological proximity" which, however, did not play a significant role for himself or the NS-state. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Pathways to serious dieting: significant insights from discontinuity.

PubMed

Huon, G F; Lim, J; Walton, C J; Hayne, A M; Gunewardene, A I

2000-12-01

This paper outlines a strategy for systematically examining the discontinuity in pathways to serious dieting. Eight hundred and twenty-three adolescent females were recruited from six high schools in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. They completed a battery of measures that assessed perceived social influences to diet, predisposition to conformity, protective skills, aspects of positive familial context, and dieting-related attitudes and status. Testing took place over two occasions approximately 10 months apart. Family context, protective skills, and a predisposition to conformity were found to differentiate the vulnerable girls who reported high levels of social influence from those who did not. However, those variables did not differentiate those with high social influence who seriously diet from nondieters. Body mass index, drive for thinness, and body dissatisfaction differentiated all of the comparison groups tested. Age did not consistently differentiate these groups. The findings can tell us what seems to protect girls who appear susceptible to social influences from becoming serious dieters. Copyright 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

"But we're not hypochondriacs": the changing shape of gluten-free dieting and the contested illness experience.

PubMed

Moore, Lauren Renée

2014-03-01

"Gluten free" exploded onto the American foodscape in recent years: as of January 2013, 30 percent of U.S. adults reported reducing or eliminating gluten in their diets. How do individuals participate in the expansion of gluten-free dieting, and what are the implications of that expansion? This article is based on 31 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted between May and October 2012 with gluten-free and -restricted persons. I identify three interrelated factors contributing to the expansion of gluten-free dieting among non-celiacs. Participants broaden the lay understanding of gluten-related disorders, undermine biomedical authority, and diagnose others. Such participant-driven change, termed self-ascriptive looping, is one factor in the diet's rapid popularization. I show how participants question the doctor-patient relationship and increase social contestability for other dieters. My findings challenge previous work on contested illness and suggest food intolerances may require a reconceptualization of contested illness experience. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cornelius Schiller (1961-2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenlof, Karen; Müller, Rolf

2012-08-01

Cornelius Schiller, an international leader in high-altitude water vapor measurements and quality assessment who took charge of several research campaigns and mentored many young scientists, passed away on 3 March 2012 in Neuss, Germany, after a battle with cancer. He was 50 years old. Cornelius spent his childhood and most of his life in the Niederrhein region of Germany, close to Düsseldorf. He studied physics at the University of Bonn, and his developing interest in the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere led him to work with Dieter Ehhalt at the Forschungszentrum Jülich (Research Centre Jülich) in Germany. Cornelius' career started shortly after the discovery of the ozone hole, and he had the opportunity to participate in the first large-scale ozone measurement campaign in the Arctic, known as the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition, during January and February 1989; he contributed airborne observations of ozone-depleting chlorine and bromine substances.

Validation of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) among Maltese women.

PubMed

Dutton, Elaine; Dovey, Terence M

2016-12-01

The main aim of this study was to assess the dimensional structure of the Maltese version of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) and evaluate the instrument's validity and reliability among Maltese women (N = 586). Exploratory factor analysis reflected the theoretical structure of three factors; emotional, restrained and external eating which was supported by a Confirmatory Factor analysis. Minor issues with specific items in the Emotional and External eating scale were identified and discussed. Criterion-related validity was ascertained through correlations with the EAT-26. The study also assessed the DEBQ's predictive value in differentiating between BMI groups and between dieters and weight maintainers. The results suggest that the Maltese DEBQ is a psychometrically valid and reliable instrument for assessing eating behaviours with women in the Maltese community. The study also highlights the critical role of Emotional and Restrained eating in dieting and overweight Maltese women. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eating Behaviors in Cuban Adults: Results from an Exploratory Transcultural Study

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Martín, Boris C.; Innamorati, Marco; Imperatori, Claudio; Fabbricatore, Mariantonietta; Harnic, Désirée; Janiri, Luigi; Rivas-Suárez, Saira R.

2016-01-01

This study aims to investigate eating behaviors in Cuban adults and compare them with those of a developed Western country, Italy. The study also aimed to determine the overall accuracy of a predictive model intended to define variables which could be used to discriminate between nationalities. Participants were 283 normal weight individuals from Cuba (n = 158) and Italy (n = 125). Italians had higher scores for restrained eating on the questionnaire than Cubans with a considerable effect size. This trend was also found for emotional eating and binge eating, as well as number of current dieters, despite the fact that effect sizes were small. On the other hand, Cubans, when compared to Italians reported higher scores for food thought suppression with reward responsiveness and restrained eating emerging as significant predictors of between-country differences. To conclude, eating behaviors in Cubans could be different from those reported in European countries, perhaps as a consequence of Cuba’s recent history. PMID:27725806

Abortion in late Imperial China: routine birth control or crisis intervention?

PubMed

Sommer, Matthew H

2010-01-01

In late imperial China, a number of purported methods of abortion were known; but who actually attempted abortion and under what circumstances? Some historians have suggested that abortion was used for routine birth control, which presupposes that known methods were safe, reliable, and readily available. This paper challenges the qualitative evidence on which those historians have relied, and presents new evidence from Qing legal sources and modern medical reports to argue that traditional methods of abortion (the most common being abortifacient drugs) were dangerous, unreliable, and often cost a great deal of money. Therefore, abortion in practice was an emergency intervention in a crisis: either a medical crisis, in which pregnancy threatened a woman's health, or a social crisis, in which pregnancy threatened to expose a woman's extramarital sexual relations. Moreover, abortion was not necessarily available even to women who wanted one.

Ancient Chinese Sundials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Kehui

Timekeeping was essential in the agricultural society of ancient China. The use of sundials for timekeeping was associated with the use of the gnomon, which had its origin in remote antiquity. This chapter studies three sundials (guiyi 晷仪) from the Qin and Han dynasties, the shorter shadow plane sundial (duanying ping yi 短影平仪) invented by Yuan Chong in the Sui Dynasty, and the sundial chart (guiyingtu 晷影图) invented by Zeng Minxing in the Southern Song dynasty. This chapter also introduces Guo Shoujing's hemispherical sundial (yang yi 仰仪). A circular stone sundial discovered at the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an is also mentioned. It is dated from the Sui and Tang dynasties. A brief survey of sundials from the Qing dynasty shows various types of sundials.

[Review of "Appended emergent recipes" recorded in New Chronicle of Wuqiang County of the Qing dynasty].

PubMed

Kong, Lingqing

2014-01-01

In the volume 10 of New Chronicle of the Wuqiang County compiled in the 10(th) year of Daoguang reign (1830), there is an attached "Appended emergent recipes" with a large space devoted to TCM first-aid therapies, including 13,000 Chinese characters under 14 topics. Under each topic, the first-aid measures from Xi yuan ji lu (Collected Records of Washing Away Wrong Cases) are first cited, followed by many practical first-aid methods, thus summarizing emergency medicine and experiences since the Song dynasty, embodying the abundant first-aid therapy of northern China, representing the real level of emergent medicine of that period. It is quite seldom to see so rich emergent measures collected in an overall county chronicle and is therefore of significance for the studies on the history of the versions of the book Xi yuan ji lu.

The role of energy expenditure in the differential weight loss in obese women on low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets.

PubMed

Brehm, Bonnie J; Spang, Suzanne E; Lattin, Barbara L; Seeley, Randy J; Daniels, Stephen R; D'Alessio, David A

2005-03-01

We have recently reported that obese women randomized to a low-carbohydrate diet lost more than twice as much weight as those following a low-fat diet over 6 months. The difference in weight loss was not explained by differences in energy intake because women on the two diets reported similar daily energy consumption. We hypothesized that chronic ingestion of a low-carbohydrate diet increases energy expenditure relative to a low-fat diet and that this accounts for the differential weight loss. To study this question, 50 healthy, moderately obese (body mass index, 33.2 +/- 0.28 kg/m(2)) women were randomized to 4 months of an ad libitum low-carbohydrate diet or an energy-restricted, low-fat diet. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured by indirect calorimetry at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months. Physical activity was estimated by pedometers. The thermic effect of food (TEF) in response to low-fat and low-carbohydrate breakfasts was assessed over 5 h in a subset of subjects. Forty women completed the trial. The low-carbohydrate group lost more weight (9.79 +/- 0.71 vs. 6.14 +/- 0.91 kg; P < 0.05) and more body fat (6.20 +/- 0.67 vs. 3.23 +/- 0.67 kg; P < 0.05) than the low-fat group. There were no differences in energy intake between the diet groups as reported on 3-d food records at the conclusion of the study (1422 +/- 73 vs. 1530 +/- 102 kcal; 5954 +/- 306 vs. 6406 +/- 427 kJ). Mean REE in the two groups was comparable at baseline, decreased with weight loss, and did not differ at 2 or 4 months. The low-fat meal caused a greater 5-h increase in TEF than did the low-carbohydrate meal (53 +/- 9 vs. 31 +/- 5 kcal; 222 +/- 38 vs. 130 +/- 21 kJ; P = 0.017). Estimates of physical activity were stable in the dieters during the study and did not differ between groups. These results confirm that short-term weight loss is greater in obese women on a low-carbohydrate diet than in those on a low-fat diet even when reported food intake is similar. The differential weight

[Discussion on exploitation of foreign traditional chinese medicine resources based on "the Belt and Road"].

PubMed

Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Lyu, Dong-Mei; Huang, Lu-Qi; Li, Meng; Guo, Lan-Ping; Peng, Hua-Sheng

2018-04-01

At the beginning of the ancient "Silk Road", traditional Chinese medicine resources (TCM resources) have long been integrated into it, and it was once the "important part" of the ancient "Silk Road" in Chinese history, benefited from this, the political connections was strengthened, the economic and trade was developed, and Chinese medicine culture was spread. Before Qing Dynasty, people took out the "silk" and brought back "herbs" on the "Silk Road", which enriched China's medicinal resources. While in the later Qing Dynasty and the period of the Republic of China, more scientific and technological methods were brought back from abroad, and this in turn enriched the medical research methods. With more than 2 000 years' development, China's boundaries have changed countless times, therefore the word "Foreign" has different meanings in different historical periods. The import, development and utilization of foreign TCM resources is different in different historical periods, at present, with the continuous enhancement of China's comprehensiv national strength，especially the "Belt And Road" strategy, the communication and import of TCM resources with countries that participating in the "Belt and Road" initiativ became much easier. In order to actively respond to the "Belt and Road" initiative promote the development and utilization of foreign medicinal resources; serve people from the countries participating in the "Belt and Road" initiative we sorted out the foreign TCM resources from different periods in ancient and modern China, and based on this, we proposed the strategy of import of foreign TCM resources under the new situation, those are: "three levels, four steps, one support and one key". And "three levels" refers to intelligence collection level, field investigation level, scientific research level, "Four steps" refers to the original identification research, safety evaluation research, functional positioning research and medicinal properties research; "One

Multi-copy entanglement purification with practical spontaneous parametric down conversion sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuai-Shuai; Shu, Qi; Zhou, Lan; Sheng, Yu-Bo

2017-06-01

Entanglement purification is to distill the high quality entanglement from the low quality entanglement with local operations and classical communications. It is one of the key technologies in long-distance quantum communication. We discuss an entanglement purification protocol (EPP) with spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) sources, in contrast to previous EPP with multi-copy mixed states, which requires ideal entanglement sources. We show that the SPDC source is not an obstacle for purification, but can benefit the fidelity of the purified mixed state. This EPP works for linear optics and is feasible in current experiment technology. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11474168 and 61401222), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BK20151502), the Qing Lan Project in Jiangsu Province, China, and a Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China.

[Raman and EDXRF Study on Overglaze Decorations of Jingdezhen Ceramics].

PubMed

Wu, Juan; Zhang, Mao-lin; Wu, Jun-ming; Li, Qi-jiang; Cao, Jian-wen; Li, Qing-hui; Zhao, Hong-xia

2015-05-01

Overglaze decoration porcelain is an important category of ancient Chinese ceramics, which has significant artistic value and scientific value. Nondestructive analysis methods such as Raman spectroscopy and EDXRF were used to analyze the overglaze decorations on the Jingdezhen ceramic samples of Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty. The recipe and color mechanism of the overglaze pigments were discussed according to the chemical composition and phase composition analysis. The study found that dark red overglaze decorations of ancient Honglvcai, Wucai and famille rose in Jingdezhen are colored by hematite, yellow color is lead tin yellow, carmine decoration is colored by gold less than 0. 1 % in concentration, and green decorations are colored by bivalent copper ion. The result also indicates that the effective combination of Raman spectroscopy and EDXRF can play an important role in the deep research on ceramic artifacts, especially for the overglaze decoration pigments which are interveined each other.

[Question discussion on Theories of Different Schools of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, "the twelfth five-year plan" teaching material].

PubMed

Yin, Zhen-Jin

2014-02-01

The several questions in Theories of Acupuncture and Moxibustion of Different Schools, "the twelfth five-year plan" teaching material, are analyzed and discussed. The expression of DOU Han-qing on "playing a role of meridians, collaterals, qi and blood" is not so accurate, which is suggested to modify as "attaching the importance to needles". "Theory of heaven, human being and earth" "theory of acupuncture on qi regulation" and "the eight therapeutic methods in treatment of disease" in Jinzhenfu (Ode to Golden Needles) are valuable academically and suggested to be supplemented. The expression of XI Hong on "reinforcing and reducing technique by following or against the running course of meridian" and the expression of XU Feng on "the magic turtle eight techniques" are not concrete. It is required to elaborate them in detail. These questions are put forward and needed to discuss with the editors so as to perfect the teaching material.

Acoustic Analyses of the Singing Vibrato in Traditional Peking Opera.

PubMed

Han, Qichao; Zhang, Ruifeng

2017-07-01

China's traditional Peking Opera has four standard categories of roles: Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou, the singing vibrato of each displaying a different auditory effect. The audio and respiratory signals were recorded for two performers of the Qing Yi role, one of the Jing role, one of the Chou role, one of the Lao Sheng role, one of the Xiao Sheng role, and one of the Lao Dan role. The recordings gained eventually consisted of 24 representative songs from six roles. The rates and extents of vibrato, fundamental frequency, and rib cage signals were analyzed. Two findings were obtained: (1) the classical opera singing vibratos of China and Western countries are acoustically different from each other; and (2) in Peking Opera, the singing vibratos of different roles show significant acoustic differences. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A randomized controlled trial of low carbohydrate and low fat/high fiber diets for weight loss.

PubMed Central

Baron, J A; Schori, A; Crow, B; Carter, R; Mann, J I

1986-01-01

Among 135 overweight subjects, we conducted a three-month randomized controlled trial of two sets of dietary advice, each providing approximately 1,000 calories per day but differing in fiber, carbohydrate, and fat content. Information on weight and eating habits, as well as measures of lipoprotein and glucose metabolism were obtained at entry and one and three months later. We found that dieters given low carbohydrate/low fiber dietary advice tended to lose more weight than those given a higher carbohydrate/higher fiber regimen (5.0 vs 3.7 kg on average at three months). This pattern was particularly marked among women, and among participants who were under age 40 or of lower social class. There were no differences between the diet groups in the proportion complaining of hunger but, in general, members of the low carbohydrate group complained of more problems in dieting. There were only minor differences in the serum lipoprotein patterns during the diet period. In view of these results, we believe previous claims of the benefits of fiber for weight loss may have been overstated. PMID:3021006

The General History of Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gingerich, Owen

2010-04-01

Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgements; Part I. The Birth of Astrophysics and Other Late Nineteenth-Century Trends (c.1850-c.1920); 1. The origins of astrophysics A. J. Meadows; 2. The impact of photography on astronomy John Lankford; 3. Telescope building, 1850-1900 Albert Van Helden; 4. The new astronomy A. J. Meadows; 5. Variable stars Helen Sawyer Hogg; 6. Stellar evolution and the origin of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram David DeVorkin; Part II. Observatories and Instrumentation: 7. Astronomical institutions. Introduction Owen Gingerich, Greenwich Observatory Philip S. Laurie, Paris Observatory Jacques Lévy, Pulkovo Observatory Aleksandr A. Mikhailov, Harvard College Observatory Howard Plotkin, United States Naval Observatory Deborah Warner, Lick Observatory Trudy E. Bell, Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory Dieter B. Herrmann; 8. Building large telescopes, 1900-1950 Albert Van Helden; 9. Astronomical institutions in the southern hemisphere, 1850-1950 David S. Evans; 10. Twentieth-century instrumentation Charles Fehrenbach, with a section on 'Early rockets in astronomy' Herbert Friedman; 11. Early radio astronomy Woodruff T. Sullivan III; Appendix: The world's largest telescopes, 1850-1950 Barbara L. Welther; Illustrations: acknowledgements and sources; Index.

Using imagery to identify and characterise core beliefs in women with bulimia nervosa, dieting and non-dieting women.

PubMed

Somerville, Kate; Cooper, Myra

2007-12-01

Women with bulimia nervosa (BN), dieters and non-dieting control participants were questioned about spontaneous imagery linked to concern with food and eating, weight and shape. The downward arrow technique was used to access any associated negative or core beliefs, which were examined for belief, distress and content. A semi-structured interview with open and closed questions was used. Negative self (core) beliefs were successfully accessed, and responses to the interview items had good test-retest and good inter-rater reliability. Patients with BN reported significantly more negative self (core) beliefs than those in the other two groups. Only a very small number of core beliefs about other people or the world in general were reported. Emotional belief ratings appeared to be higher overall than rational belief ratings. Patient's negative self-beliefs contained themes of "self-value", followed by "failure", "self-control" and "physical attractiveness", in descending order of frequency. The findings are discussed in relation to existing research, and implications for cognitive theories of bulimia nervosa and clinical practice are briefly discussed.

Familial correlates of extreme weight control behaviors among adolescents.

PubMed

Fonseca, Helena; Ireland, Marjorie; Resnick, Michael D

2002-12-01

To identify familial factors associated with extreme weight control among adolescents. Analysis of a comprehensive 1996 health survey of Connecticut students. Familial factors among extreme dieters who deliberately vomited, took diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics were compared with youth reporting none of these behaviors, using logistic regression controlling for age and body mass index. Nearly 7% of adolescents reported engaging in extreme weight control behaviors. Boys' risk factors included high parental supervision/monitoring and sexual abuse history. Protective factors included high parental expectations, maternal presence, and connectedness with friends and other adults. The only significant risk factor for girls was sexual abuse history. Protective factors included family connectedness, positive family communication, parental supervision/monitoring, and maternal presence. Extreme dieting appears to be less an expression of body composition than of psychosocial issues. That connectedness to family, other adults, and friends is protective further demonstrates interrelationships of extreme weight control behaviors with family/social issues. Copyright 2002 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 32: 441-448, 2002.

[Traditional Chinese medicine inheritance system analysis of professor Ding Yuanqing in treating tic disorder medication based on experience].

PubMed

Sun, Lu-yan; Li, Qing-peng; Zhao, Li-li; Ding, Yuan-qing

2015-08-01

In recent years, the incidence of tic disorders has increased, and it is not uncommon for the patients to treat the disease. The pathogenesis and pathogenesis of Western medicine are not yet clear, the clinical commonly used western medicine has many adverse reactions, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research is increasingly valued. Based on the software of TCM inheritance assistant system, this paper discusses Ding Yuanqing's experience in treating tic disorder with Professor. Collect yuan Qing Ding professor in treating tic disorder of medical records by association rules Apriori algorithm, complex system entropy clustering without supervision and data mining method, carries on the analysis to the selected 800 prescriptions, to determine the frequency of use of prescription drugs, the association rules between the drug and digging out the 12 core combination and the first six new prescription, medication transferred to the liver and extinguish wind, cooling blood and relieving convulsion, Qingxin soothe the nerves, with the card cut, flexible application, strict compatibility.

COMMITTEES: SQM2008-International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter SQM2008-International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-04-01

Local Organising Committee Xiangzhou Cai (SINPA) Weiqin Chao (CCAST) Liewen Chen (SJTU) Jianping Cheng (Tsinghua University) Jinghua Fu (CCNU) Yuanning Gao (Tsinghua University) Xiaomei Li (CIAE) Zuotang Liang (Shandong University) Feng Liu (CCNU), Co-chair Yuxin Liu (PKU) Qing Wang (Tsinghua University) Qun Wang (USTC) Hushan Xu (IMP) Daicui Zhou (CCNU) Pengfei Zhuang (Tsinghua University), Co-chair Bingsong Zou (IHEP) International Advisory Committee Jörg Aichelin, Nantes Federico Antinori, Padova Tamás Biró, Budapest Peter Braun-Munzinger, GSI Jean Cleymans, Cape Town László Csernai, Bergen Timothy Hallman, BNL Huan Zhong Huang, UCLA Takeshi Kodama, Rio de Janeiro Carlos Lourenço, CERN Yu-Gang Ma, Shanghai Jes Masden, Aarhus Yasuo Miake, Tsukuba Berndt Müller, Duke Grazyna Odyniec, LBNL Helmut Oeschler, Darmstadt Johann Rafelski, Arizona Hans Georg Ritter, LBNL Karel Šafařík, CERN Jack Sandweiss, Yale George S F Stephans, MIT Horst Stöcker, Frankfurt Thomas Ullrich, BNL Nu Xu, LBNL William A Zajc, Columbia

A Review of Indigo Naturalis as an Alternative Treatment for Nail Psoriasis.

PubMed

McDermott, Laura; Madan, Raman; Rupani, Reena; Siegel, Daniel

2016-03-01

Nail psoriasis is challenging to treat. The few currently available therapies are limited in efficacy, and often produce unfavorable side effects. A plant extract widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, indigo naturalis (Qing Dai), is presented in this review as an alternative topical treatment for skin and nail psoriasis. The purpose of this article is to present information on a viable alternative treatment with a favorable side effect profile for a difficult disease to treat. A PubMed search for the term "indigo naturalis" was performed, and literature from 2006 to the present relevant to indigo naturalis and treatment of psoriasis and nail psoriasis was reviewed. Indigo naturalis shares several therapeutic mechanisms with current psoriasis treatments, such as regulation of keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, restoration of epidermal barrier function, and reduction of inflammatory processes. Clinically, it is well tolerated. Recent research of indigo naturalis suggests that it is a safe, inexpensive, and effective alternative topical treatment for skin and nail psoriasis.

Good gibbons and evil macaques: a historical review on cognitive features of non-human primates in Chinese traditional culture.

PubMed

Zhang, Peng

2015-07-01

For several thousand years the ancient Chinese have accumulated rich knowledge, in the form of written literature and folklore, on the non-human primates widely distributed in China. I have used critical text analysis and discourse analysis to clarify when and how ancient Chinese distinguished gibbons from macaques. I divided the progress into four main stages, the Pre-Shang to Shang dynasty (before 1046 BC), the Zhou to Han dynasty (1046 BC-220 AD), the six dynasties to Song dynasty (220-1279 AD), and the Yuan to Qing dynasties (1279-1840 AD). I found that China's traditional cognition of gibbons and macaques emphasized the appearance of animals, organoleptic performance, or even whether or not their behavior was "moral". They described them as human-like animals by ethical standards but ignored the species itself. This kind of cognitive style actually embodies the "pursuit of goodness", which is the feature of Chinese traditional culture. This study presents some original views on Chinese traditional knowledge of non-human primates.

Development of a solid-state sodium Doppler lidar using an all-fiber-coupled injection seeding unit for simultaneous temperature and wind measurements in the mesopause region.

PubMed

Xia, Yuan; Du, LiFang; Cheng, XueWu; Li, FaQuan; Wang, JiHong; Wang, ZeLong; Yang, Yong; Lin, Xin; Xun, YuChang; Gong, ShunSheng; Yang, GuoTao

2017-03-06

A solid-state sodium (Na) Doppler lidar developed at YanQing Station, Beijing, China (40°N, 116°E) aiming to simultaneous wind and temperature measurement of mesopause region was reported. The 589 nm pulse laser was produced by two injection seeded 1064 nm and 1319 nm Nd:YAG pulse lasers using the sum-frequency generation (SFG) technique. A fiber amplifier is implemented to boost the seed power at 1064 nm, enabling a robust, all-fiber-coupled design for seeding laser unit, absolute laser frequency locking, and cyclic three-frequency switching necessary for simultaneous temperature and wind measurements. The all-fiber-coupled injection seeding configuration together with the solid-state Nd:YAG lasers make the Na Doppler lidar more compact and greatly reduce the system maintenance, which is conducive to transportable and unattended operation. A preliminary observational result obtained with this solid-state sodium Doppler lidar was also reported in this paper.

Nonlinear response of ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles: From fundamentals to applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teng, Xu-Dong; Guo, Xia-Sheng; Tu, Juan; Zhang, Dong

2016-12-01

Modelling and biomedical applications of ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) microbubbles have attracted a great deal of attention. In this review, we summarize a series of researches done in our group, including (i) the development of an all-in-one solution of characterizing coated bubble parameters based on the light scattering technique and flow cytometry; (ii) a novel bubble dynamic model that takes into consideration both nonlinear shell elasticity and viscosity to eliminate the dependences of bubble shell parameters on bubble size; (iii) the evaluation of UCA inertial cavitation threshold and its relationship with shell parameters; and (iv) the investigations of transfection efficiency and the reduction of cytotoxicity in gene delivery facilitated by UCAs excited by ultrasound exposures. Projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 81127901, 81227004, 11374155, 11274170, 11274176, 11474001, 11474161, 11474166, and 11674173), the National High-Technology Research and Development Program, China (Grant No. 2012AA022702), and Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, China.

Science for the Chinese Common Reader? Myriad Treasures and New Knowledge at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.

PubMed

Judge, Joan

2017-09-01

Argument This article argues that in order to discern the place of science in the epistemology of Chinese common readers, it is critical to look beyond the coastal enclaves where foreign missionaries and experts interacted with Chinese scholars and officials, beyond the translated treatises they produced, and even beyond the various forms of new media that attempted to more widely disseminate the principles of Western science. Instead, it asserts the need to engage a different register of materials that were less directly tied to foreign expertise, more directly in line with pre-existing lineages of printed materials, and at the same time, integral to early-twentieth-century Chinese circuits of information. The article focuses explicitly on one print phenomena that has been completely overlooked in the scholarship to date, the expansion and revitalization of the genre of texts known as wanbao quanshu (comprehensive compendia of myriad treasures) in the late Qing (1890-1911) and early Republic (1912-1930).

[Questions on the first operation with ethyl ether as anaesthetic by Dr. Peter Parker].

PubMed

Chen, Q

2017-01-28

Ethyl ether was the first accepted effective general anaesthetic. It was introduced into China by an America missionary, Dr. Peter Parker. This was one of the historical events of medical communication between China and the West. In the records of the first operation with ether, however, Dr. Parker unusually omitted the patient's medical record number and the date of the operation, while those of other operations with ether anesthetics were all available. This was very unusual for a doctor like Peter Parker who always recorded every important case in detail in the hospital reports. It seems that he deliberately rather than carelessly omitted the information for some reasons. Based on the analysis of Parker's reports, a conclusion is made that the anesthetic effect of the case was actually ineffective. Furthermore, possible answers to this are outlined and question by discussion based on the situation that Parker faced in the late Qing era.

Visualizing the Geography of the Diseases of China: Western Disease Maps from Analytical Tools to Tools of Empire, Sovereignty, and Public Health Propaganda, 1878-1929.

PubMed

Hanson, Marta

2017-09-01

Argument This article analyzes for the first time the earliest western maps of diseases in China spanning fifty years from the late 1870s to the end of the 1920s. The 24 featured disease maps present a visual history of the major transformations in modern medicine from medical geography to laboratory medicine wrought on Chinese soil. These medical transformations occurred within new political formations from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) to colonialism in East Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Manchuria, Korea) and hypercolonialism within China (Tianjin, Shanghai, Amoy) as well as the new Republican Chinese nation state (1912-49). As a subgenre of persuasive graphics, physicians marshaled disease maps for various rhetorical functions within these different political contexts. Disease maps in China changed from being mostly analytical tools to functioning as tools of empire, national sovereignty, and public health propaganda legitimating new medical concepts, public health interventions, and political structures governing over human and non-human populations.

[The modern TCM education of Tianjin].

PubMed

Xie, J

2016-11-28

School education had gradually become the mainstream of medical education at the turn of the Qing Dynasty and Republican period. In Tianjin, there were western medical education, including the Peiyang Medical College, Army Medical College, and Lu's Medical School, whereas, there was no traditional medical school at all. To check this defect, two private TCM medical schools, the Learning School of TCM, and the Tianjin TCM Institution were set up by Chen Zedong and Gu Jinren respectively through persistent endeavor. Meanwhile, correspondence school of TCM were established by Zhang Xichun, Wei Jiaqian, and Ma Leshan. Though more TCM schools were planned, including Tianjin Private School of TCM by Lu Zongren and Qian Boquan, North China Professional TCM School by Zhang Yinqi and other colleagues, TCM Professional School by Zhang Dianju and the Tianjin Private Acu-Moxibustion School by Zhang Lihui, etc. All these did make their contributions to the training of TCM talents in modern times.

[Herbological study on the botanical origin of the Chinese crude drug shan-zhu-yu].

PubMed

Mikage, Masayuki; Hutagi, Yukari

2008-01-01

The historical change in the botanical origin of the Chinese herbal drug Shan-zhu-yu, San-syu-yu in Japanese) was studied herbologically. The results obtained were as follows: The original plant, described in Shen-nong-ben-cao-jing written in the Hou-Han Dynasty (A.D. 25-220) and Wu-pu-ben-cao written in the Wei dynasty (A.D. 220-265), was Prunus pseudocerasus or an allied species such as P. tomentosa. However, the original plant described in Ming-yi-bie-lu, written in the same era, was thought to be Cornus officinalis; the fruit of which is used commonly today as Shan-zhu-yu. In addition to Prunus and Cornus, the plants of the genus Berberis, of the family Berberidaceae, and Zanthoxylum of Rutaceae were also used in China until the Ming Dynasty. The plants of Elaeagnus, of the family Elaeagnaceae, were possibly used in ancient Japan. Cornus officinalis was determined to be the origin of Shan-zhu-yu during the Qing Dynasty, China.

[Preliminary study of history of senna be used in China--On phenomenon about "reign medicine localized"].

PubMed

Jin, Yu-Zhi; Yu, Yue; Fu, Lu; Ma, Yan-Dong

2016-06-01

Senna is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicine at present. After the preliminary research that the drug medication history in China is not long, in our country ancient times, only "Hui prescription" in the records, other all kinds of traditional Chinese medicine literature rarely mentioned. Since modern times, the Chinese medicine in the medicine in the literature of the time and the modern western medicine books in the Chinese version of the time generally close, may be related to the introduction of Western medicine. At the end of Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Chinese literature about the drug property theory of herbal medicine is seldom discussed, and had been seen as "western medicine" (foreign medicine), with the medication experience continue to accumulate, widespread popularity and other factors, the drug gradually Chinese scholars have constructed a relatively complete theory of the resistance, so as to realize the "localization". Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in raw and drinking water - current situation in Sweden, Denmark and Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banzhaf, Stefan; Bester, Kai; Filipovic, Marko; Lewis, Jeffrey; Licha, Tobias; Sparrenbom, Charlotte; Barthel, Roland

2016-04-01

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of anthropogenic environmental pollutants which have been used and produced for more than 60 years. PFASs are used for multiple industrial purposes, e.g. as water repellent on clothing, leather, and paper and as firefighting foam. The most well studied PFASs subgroup are perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA). Two PFAAs of particular interest are perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). These are the most studied homologues which are ubiquitously detected in the aquatic environment, wildlife and humans. Some PFASs are recognized as being potentially toxic for both animals and humans (e.g. PFOS), whereas the majority has not been thoroughly studied yet regarding their toxicity. PFAAs are highly mobile once present in the aquatic environment. Currently, they are not eliminated during conventional wastewater or drinking water treatment and therefore pose a severe threat for drinking water supply. We reviewed the current occurrence of PFAAs in the surface and groundwater and legal situation of PFAAs in Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Although first detections of PFAAs were reported in the early 2000s, PFASs only recently attracted huge media attention raising public concern. In Sweden, for instance, several public waterworks needed to cease operation due to high PFASs concentrations in drinking water. Moreover, threshold values for drinking water are under discussion and a first preliminary guiding value for PFOS was recently presented as a first step (Pettersson et al., 2015). Germany only defined a guiding value for the sum of PFOS and PFOA in drinking water so far (Dieter, 2011). Limits of 0.3 μg/L PFOA and 0.1 μg/L PFOS and PFOSA each have been suggested in Denmark (MST, 2015). In summary, none of the three countries has defined a clear threshold value for any PFAS compound in drinking water so far. This is of huge concern as PFASs are detected at increasing rates while it remains unclear when

Novel genomes and genome constitutions identified by GISH and 5S rDNA and knotted1 genomic sequences in the genus Setaria.

PubMed

Zhao, Meicheng; Zhi, Hui; Doust, Andrew N; Li, Wei; Wang, Yongfang; Li, Haiquan; Jia, Guanqing; Wang, Yongqiang; Zhang, Ning; Diao, Xianmin

2013-04-11

The Setaria genus is increasingly of interest to researchers, as its two species, S. viridis and S. italica, are being developed as models for understanding C4 photosynthesis and plant functional genomics. The genome constitution of Setaria species has been studied in the diploid species S. viridis, S. adhaerans and S. grisebachii, where three genomes A, B and C were identified respectively. Two allotetraploid species, S. verticillata and S. faberi, were found to have AABB genomes, and one autotetraploid species, S. queenslandica, with an AAAA genome, has also been identified. The genomes and genome constitutions of most other species remain unknown, even though it was thought there are approximately 125 species in the genus distributed world-wide. GISH was performed to detect the genome constitutions of Eurasia species of S. glauca, S. plicata, and S. arenaria, with the known A, B and C genomes as probes. No or very poor hybridization signal was detected indicating that their genomes are different from those already described. GISH was also performed reciprocally between S. glauca, S. plicata, and S. arenaria genomes, but no hybridization signals between each other were found. The two sets of chromosomes of S. lachnea both hybridized strong signals with only the known C genome of S. grisebachii. Chromosomes of Qing 9, an accession formerly considered as S. viridis, hybridized strong signal only to B genome of S. adherans. Phylogenetic trees constructed with 5S rDNA and knotted1 markers, clearly classify the samples in this study into six clusters, matching the GISH results, and suggesting that the F genome of S. arenaria is basal in the genus. Three novel genomes in the Setaria genus were identified and designated as genome D (S. glauca), E (S. plicata) and F (S. arenaria) respectively. The genome constitution of tetraploid S. lachnea is putatively CCC'C'. Qing 9 is a B genome species indigenous to China and is hypothesized to be a newly identified species. The

Application program of CRUST-1 10km continental scientific drilling rig in SK-2 scientific drilling well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Youhong; Gao, Ke; Yu, Ping; Liu, Baochang; Guo, Wei; Ma, Yinlong; Yang, Yang

2014-05-01

SK-2 Well is located in DaQing city,where is site of the largest oil field in China,Heilongjiang province, north-east of China.The objective of SK-2 well is to obtain full cores of cretaceous formation in Song Liao basin,and to build the time tunnel of Cretaceous greenhouse climate change,and to clarify the causes,processes and results of the formations of DaQing oil field. This will ensure to achieve our ultimate goals,to test the CRUST-1 drilling rig and improve China's deep scientific drilling technology,to form the scientific drilling technology,method and system with independent intellectual property rights,and to provide technical knowledge and information for China's ten kilometers super-deep scientific drilling technical resources.SK-2 Well is at 6400 meter depth, where the drilling inclination is 90 degree and the continuous coring length is 3535 meter that from 2865 to 6400 meter,the recovery rate of the core is greater or equal to 95 percent with 100 millimeters core diameter and 3.9 degree per 100 meter geothermal gradient.The CRUST-1 rig is designated with special drilling equipment for continental scientific drilling combined to the oil drilling equipment ability with advanced geological drilling technology which is highly automatic and intelligent. CRUST-1 drilling ability is 10000 meter with the maximum hook load 700 tons, the total power is 4610 Kilowatt.CRUST-1 will be integrated with a complete set of automation equipment,including big torque hydraulic top drive,high accuracy automatic drilling rod feeding system, suspended automatic drill string discharge device,hydraulic intelligent iron roughneck,and hydraulic automatic catwalk to fully meet the drilling process requirements of SK-2.Designed with advanced drilling technique for 260 degree in the bottom of SK-2 well and hard rock,including the drilling tools of high temperature hydraulic hammer,high temperature resistance and high strength aluminum drill pipe,high temperature preparation of mud

Novel genomes and genome constitutions identified by GISH and 5S rDNA and knotted1 genomic sequences in the genus Setaria

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The Setaria genus is increasingly of interest to researchers, as its two species, S. viridis and S. italica, are being developed as models for understanding C4 photosynthesis and plant functional genomics. The genome constitution of Setaria species has been studied in the diploid species S. viridis, S. adhaerans and S. grisebachii, where three genomes A, B and C were identified respectively. Two allotetraploid species, S. verticillata and S. faberi, were found to have AABB genomes, and one autotetraploid species, S. queenslandica, with an AAAA genome, has also been identified. The genomes and genome constitutions of most other species remain unknown, even though it was thought there are approximately 125 species in the genus distributed world-wide. Results GISH was performed to detect the genome constitutions of Eurasia species of S. glauca, S. plicata, and S. arenaria, with the known A, B and C genomes as probes. No or very poor hybridization signal was detected indicating that their genomes are different from those already described. GISH was also performed reciprocally between S. glauca, S. plicata, and S. arenaria genomes, but no hybridization signals between each other were found. The two sets of chromosomes of S. lachnea both hybridized strong signals with only the known C genome of S. grisebachii. Chromosomes of Qing 9, an accession formerly considered as S. viridis, hybridized strong signal only to B genome of S. adherans. Phylogenetic trees constructed with 5S rDNA and knotted1 markers, clearly classify the samples in this study into six clusters, matching the GISH results, and suggesting that the F genome of S. arenaria is basal in the genus. Conclusions Three novel genomes in the Setaria genus were identified and designated as genome D (S. glauca), E (S. plicata) and F (S. arenaria) respectively. The genome constitution of tetraploid S. lachnea is putatively CCC’C’. Qing 9 is a B genome species indigenous to China and is hypothesized to be

The interactive effect of hunger and impulsivity on food intake and purchase in a virtual supermarket.

PubMed

Nederkoorn, C; Guerrieri, R; Havermans, R C; Roefs, A; Jansen, A

2009-08-01

It has been shown repeatedly that impulsivity, obesity and food intake are related; obese people are more impulsive than lean people and impulsive people eat more than less impulsive people. The relation between impulsivity and food intake might be state dependent; hunger motivates food seeking behaviour and food consumption, especially of high caloric food. Difficulties to overrule automatic behavioural tendencies might make impulsive people more susceptible to the effects of hunger on food selection. Therefore, they are expected to increase their intake more than low impulsive people when feeling hungry. STUDY 1: Fifty-seven female participants were randomly assigned to a hunger or sated condition. Response inhibition (a measure of impulsivity) and food intake were measured. Results show that impulsive participants ate significantly more, but only when feeling hungry. STUDY 2: Ninety-four undergraduate students participated. Hunger, response inhibition and the purchase of food in a virtual supermarket were measured. The same interaction was found: impulsive participants bought most calories, especially from snack food, but only when feeling hungry. Hunger and impulsivity interact in their influence on consumption. These data suggest that reducing hunger during calorie restricting diets is important for successful weight loss, particularly for the impulsive dieters.

A survey of carbon monoxide emission in dark clouds. [cosmic dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickman, R. L.

1975-01-01

Results are reported of a CO and (C-13)O survey of 68 dark clouds from the Lynds catalog. CO was detected in 63 of the 64 sources in which it was searched for, and the (C-13)O line was seen in 52 of 55 clouds. There is a rather narrow distribution of CO peak line radiation temperatures about a mean of 6 K; this may reflect the presence of a roughly uniform kinetic temperature of 9.5 K in the sources. Despite the probably subthermal excitation temperature of the (C-13)O transition observed, derived (C-13)O column densities are most likely good to within a factor of 2. Typical CO column densities for the clouds surveyed are 5 x 10 to the 17-th power per sq cm, assuming a terrestrial carbon isotope ratio. All 68 clouds have previously been studied by Dieter in 6-cm H2CO absorption; a comparison of line widths shows the (C-13)O lines to generally be wider than their formaldehyde counterparts. Possible explanations of this fact in terms of internal cloud motions are discussed.

Racial differences in glucose control among patients with type 2 diabetes: a survey on dietary temptations, coping, and trust in physicians.

PubMed

Betancourt, Renée M; Degnan, Kathleen O; Long, Judith A

2013-01-01

A quantitative evaluation of self-care behaviors, psychosocial stressors, and patient relationships to health care to better understand racial disparities in these domains. A cross-sectional study of adult patients with type 2 diabetes in University of Pennsylvania Healthcare System who had a HbA1c test within one month of survey administration. The survey instrument included among other items, the Dieter's Inventory of Eating Temptations Self-Efficacy instrument (DIET-SE), the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS), and the Trust in Physician (TIP) scale. 332 individuals completed the survey. Poor glucose control was significantly associated with Black race, lower income level, other demographic variables, non-perfect medication adherence, and poorer diet quality. It was also associated with lower self-efficacy to resist social dietary temptations, and among White patients it was associated was decreased use of a confrontive coping style. However, these factors did not explain the racial differences in glucose control between Blacks and Whites. Interventions aimed at dietary temptations, coping styles, or trust in physicians may not reduce racial disparities in glucose control. However, interventions that focus on dietary temptations may positively affect all diabetic patients.

Cold Atmospheric Plasma for Medicine: State of Research and Clinical Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Woedtke, Thomas

2015-09-01

Basic research in plasma medicine has made excellent progress and resulted in the fundamental insights that biological effects of cold atmospheric plasmas (CAP) are significantly caused by changes of the liquid environment of cells, and are dominated by redox-active species. First CAP sources are CE-certified as medical devices. Main focus of plasma application is on wound healing and treatment of infective skin diseases. Clinical applications in this field confirm the supportive effect of cold plasma treatment in acceleration of healing of chronic wounds above all in cases where conventional treatment fails. Cancer treatment is another actual and emerging field of CAP application. The ability of CAP to kill cancer cells by induction of apoptosis has been proved in vitro. First clinical applications of CAP in palliative care of cancer are realized. In collaboration with Hans-Robert Metelmann, University Medicine Greifswald; Helmut Uhlemann, Klinikum Altenburger Land GmbH Altenburg; Anke Schmidt and Kai Masur, Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP Greifswald); Renate Schönebeck, Neoplas Tools GmbH Greifswald; and Klaus-Dieter Weltmann, Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP Greifswald).

Dose effects of raw soybean flour on pancreatic growth.

PubMed

Morgan, R G; Crass, R A; Oates, P S

1986-01-01

Raw soya flour (RSF) feeding to rats produces pancreatic hypertrophy and hyperplasia, and, if sufficiently prolonged, the spontaneous development of pancreatic neoplasms and the potentiation of pancreatic carcinogens. With continuous exposure to RSF the threshold dose for pancreatic growth is approximately 20% RSF, but the threshold for the other effects has not been defined. If 100% RSF is fed for less than 24 weeks continuously the effects on the pancreas are completely reversible, but feeding for longer than this leads to irreversible progression to pancreatic adenoma and carcinoma over the next 50-70 weeks. Repeated alternation of the diet between 100% RSF and rat chow for prolonged periods leads to effects on the pancreas at least as marked as those seen with continuous RSF feeding. This occurs with RSF feeding for periods as short as 2 days out of 7. The effects seen in the rat must be applied to human nutrition with caution, but it is suggested that infants fed soya based milk substitutes and fad dieters who frequently radically alter dietary composition may be more susceptible to spontaneous or carcinogen-induced pancreatic neoplasms.

A comparison of teacher and principal perception of an outstanding biology teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Searles, William E.; Ng, Raymond W. M.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the level of agreement or disagreement between principals and teachers when using established criteria to measure the effectiveness of a biology teacher. To obtain information regarding their perceptions of an outstanding biology teacher, twenty-two principals and forty-one biology teachers were chosen randomly from English-speaking high schools within a 50 km radius of metropolitan Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The measuring instrument was a modified version of Dieter's questionnaire that evolved from his doctoral study of the National Association of Biology Teachers-Outstanding Biology Teacher Award Program. The data collected from the two populations were tested using one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) or by applying normal approximation. Results indicated that both the principals and teachers agree on the relative importance of most criteria, particularly those related to the teacher's classroom behavior and academic background in biology. From such results, it was possible to construct one stereotype of the outstanding biology teacher. A number of recommendations were made from the results of the study, which were directed to the (a) teachers and their professional organization, (b) principals and the school boards, (c) teacher training institutions, and (d) researchers in teacher evaluation.

A balance of activity in brain control and reward systems predicts self-regulatory outcomes

PubMed Central

Chen, Pin-Hao A.; Huckins, Jeremy F.; Hofmann, Wilhelm; Kelley, William M.; Heatherton, Todd F.

2017-01-01

Abstract Previous neuroimaging work has shown that increased reward-related activity following exposure to food cues is predictive of self-control failure. The balance model suggests that self-regulation failures result from an imbalance in reward and executive control mechanisms. However, an open question is whether the relative balance of activity in brain systems associated with executive control (vs reward) supports self-regulatory outcomes when people encounter tempting cues in daily life. Sixty-nine chronic dieters, a population known for frequent lapses in self-control, completed a food cue-reactivity task during an fMRI scanning session, followed by a weeklong sampling of daily eating behaviors via ecological momentary assessment. We related participants’ food cue activity in brain systems associated with executive control and reward to real-world eating patterns. Specifically, a balance score representing the amount of activity in brain regions associated with self-regulatory control, relative to automatic reward-related activity, predicted dieters’ control over their eating behavior during the following week. This balance measure may reflect individual self-control capacity and be useful for examining self-regulation success in other domains and populations. PMID:28158874

Development of a solid-state sodium Doppler lidar using an all-fiber-coupled injection seeding unit for simultaneous temperature and wind measurements in the mesopause region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Guotao; Xia, Yuan; Cheng, Xuewu; Du, Lifang; Wang, Jihong; Xun, Yuchang

2017-04-01

We present a solid-state sodium (Na) Doppler lidar developed at YanQing Station, Beijing, China (40°N, 116°E) to achieve simultaneous wind and temperature measurements of mesopause region. The 589nm pulse laser is produced by two injection seeded 1064nm and 1319nm Nd:YAG pulse lasers using the sum-frequency generation (SFG) technique. An all-fiber-coupled seeding laser unit was designed to enable absolute laser frequency locking and cycling the measurements among three different operating frequencies. Experimental observations were carried out using this Na lidar system and the preliminary results were described and compared with the temperature of the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) and the horizontal wind of the meteor Radar, demonstrating the reliability and good performance of this lidar system. The all-fiber-coupled injection seeding configuration together with the solid-state Nd:YAG lasers make the Na Doppler lidar more compact and greatly reduce the system maintenance, which is conducive to transportable and unattended operation.

Establishment and application of the estimation model for pollutant concentrfation in agriculture drain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qiangkun; Hu, Yawei; Jia, Qian; Song, Changji

2018-02-01

It is the key point of quantitative research on agricultural non-point source pollution load, the estimation of pollutant concentration in agricultural drain. In the guidance of uncertainty theory, the synthesis of fertilization and irrigation is used as an impulse input to the farmland, meanwhile, the pollutant concentration in agricultural drain is looked as the response process corresponding to the impulse input. The migration and transformation of pollutant in soil is expressed by Inverse Gaussian Probability Density Function. The law of pollutants migration and transformation in soil at crop different growth periods is reflected by adjusting parameters of Inverse Gaussian Distribution. Based on above, the estimation model for pollutant concentration in agricultural drain at field scale was constructed. Taking the of Qing Tong Xia Irrigation District in Ningxia as an example, the concentration of nitrate nitrogen and total phosphorus in agricultural drain was simulated by this model. The results show that the simulated results accorded with measured data approximately and Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients were 0.972 and 0.964, respectively.

[Clinical and experimental research on chronic bronchitis treated with ke chuan ping decoction].

PubMed

Cheng, C L

1991-04-01

This paper presents the results of clinical observation and experimental research of ke chuan ping (KCP) in treating 31 cases of chronic bronchitis compared with that of traditional prescription qing jin hua tan decoction (QJHT) in other 31 patients with the same conditions randomized as control. The total effective rate of KCP group was 93.55% including 67.74% of basically cured and markedly effective cases. The total effective rate of QJHT group was 74.19% including 41.94% basically cured and markedly effective cases. There were significant differences between them (P less than 0.05). According to laboratory observation KCP had the ability to dilute sputum viscosity, promote pulmonary ventilation function, decrease WBC and raise PO2. Animal experimental research suggested that KCP had the effects on reducing sputum, relieving cough, modifying stridor and inhibiting bacteria. It was proved that KCP is a highly effective recipe for patients with chronic bronchitis. It was also shown that clearing away heat and dispersing phlegm therapy is an important measure for chronic bronchitis with Biao Zheng.

Genetic and environmental effects in the TeQing-into-Lemont (TIL) population under flooded and alternating wet-dry conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Over the last decade there has been growing concern regarding sustainability of US rice production due to multi-year droughts and depletion of ground water resources. There is a need for research to develop rice varieties that are optimized for production using less irrigation water. One rice produc...

Stressors of dual-qualification nursing teachers in the ChengDu-ChongQing economic zone of China--a qualitative study.

PubMed

Wu, Youfeng; Liu, Hui; He, Hongyan

2013-12-01

Nursing and teaching are considered risk professions with high levels of stress and burnout. Dual-qualification nursing teachers (DQNT) are nurses who both teach and practise. These nurses face additional stress. This study explored the stressors of DQNT in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone of China. This qualitative study used in-depth, open-ended interviews. The interview responses were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The participants in this study included 21 DQNT from 5 teaching hospitals in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone of China. The results indicated that heavy workload, personal safety, inadequate pay, role overload, and poor working environment are stressors of DQNT. Furthermore, Chinese DQNT face violence from patients and students. The study provides a theoretical basis to help DQNT to cope with stress. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sociodemographic, psychological, and lifestyle characteristics are associated with a liking for salty and sweet tastes in French adults.

PubMed

Lampuré, Aurélie; Schlich, Pascal; Deglaire, Amélie; Castetbon, Katia; Péneau, Sandrine; Hercberg, Serge; Méjean, Caroline

2015-03-01

.60) and former weight-loss dieters (men, OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.70; women, OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.73) were less likely to have a strong sweet liking compared with those with low cognitive restraint and never-dieters. An unhealthy lifestyle that includes smoking and alcohol consumption may influence salt liking, and eating behavior may have an impact on sweet liking. Further research is needed to study the influence of individual factors and sensory liking on dietary intake and weight status. This study was registered at the European Clinical Trials Database as 2013-000929-31. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

Low carbohydrate diets in family practice: what can we learn from an internet-based support group

PubMed Central

Feinman, Richard D; Vernon, Mary C; Westman, Eric C

2006-01-01

The Active Low-Carber Forums (ALCF) is an on-line support group started in 2000 which currently has more than 86,000 members. Data collected from posts to the forum and from an on-line survey were used to determine the behavior and attitudes of people on low carbohydrate diets. Members were asked to complete a voluntary 27-item questionnaire over the internet. Our major findings are as follows: survey respondents, like the membership at large, were mostly women and mostly significantly overweight, a significant number intending to and, in many cases, succeeding at losing more than 100 lbs. The great majority of members of ALCF identify themselves as following the Atkins diet or some variation of it. Although individual posts on the forum and in the narrative part of our survey are critical of professional help, we found that more than half of respondents saw a physician before or during dieting and, of those who did, about half received support from the physician. Another 28 % found the physician initially neutral but supportive after positive results were produced. Using the same criteria as the National Weight Registry (without follow-up) – 30 lbs or more lost and maintained for more than one year – it was found that more than 1400 people had successfully used low carb methods. In terms of food consumed, the perception of more than half of respondents were that they ate less than before the diet and whereas high protein, high fat sources replaced carbohydrate to some extent, the major change indicated by survey-takers is a large increase in green vegetables and a large decrease in fruit intake. Government or health agencies were not sources of information for dieters in this group and a collection of narrative comments indicates a high level of satisfaction, indeed enthusiasm for low carbohydrate dieting. The results provide both a tabulation of the perceived behavior of a significant number of dieters using low carbohydrate strategies as well as a collection

Public supply and domestic water use in the United States, 2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dieter, Cheryl A.; Maupin, Molly A.

2017-10-30

IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Use Science Project (NWUSP), part of the USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP), has estimated water use in the United States every 5 years since 1950. This report provides an overview of total population, public-supply use, including the population that is served by public-supply systems and the domestic deliveries to those users, and self-supplied domestic water use in the United States for 2015, continuing the task of estimating water use in the United States every 5 years. In this report, estimates for the United States include the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (hereafter referred to as “states” for brevity).County-level data for total population, public-supply withdrawals and the population served by public-supply systems, and domestic withdrawals for 2015 were published in a data release in an effort to provide data to the public in a timely manner. Data in the current version (1.0) of Dieter and others (2017) contains county-level total withdrawals from groundwater and surface-water sources (both fresh and saline) for public-water supply, the deliveries from those suppliers to domestic users, and the quantities of water from groundwater and surface-water sources for self-supplied domestic users, and total population. Methods used to estimate the various data elements for the public-supply and domestic use categories at the county level are described by Bradley (2017).This Open-File Report is an interim report summarizing the data published in Dieter and others (2017) at the state and national level. This report includes discussions on the total population, totals for public-supply withdrawals and population served, total domestic withdrawals, and provides comparisons of the 2015 estimates to 2010 estimates (Maupin and others, 2014). Total domestic water use, as described in this report, represents the summation of deliveries from

Low carbohydrate diets in family practice: what can we learn from an internet-based support group.

PubMed

Feinman, Richard D; Vernon, Mary C; Westman, Eric C

2006-10-02

The Active Low-Carber Forums (ALCF) is an on-line support group started in 2000 which currently has more than 86,000 members. Data collected from posts to the forum and from an on-line survey were used to determine the behavior and attitudes of people on low carbohydrate diets. Members were asked to complete a voluntary 27-item questionnaire over the internet. Our major findings are as follows: survey respondents, like the membership at large, were mostly women and mostly significantly overweight, a significant number intending to and, in many cases, succeeding at losing more than 100 lbs. The great majority of members of ALCF identify themselves as following the Atkins diet or some variation of it. Although individual posts on the forum and in the narrative part of our survey are critical of professional help, we found that more than half of respondents saw a physician before or during dieting and, of those who did, about half received support from the physician. Another 28 % found the physician initially neutral but supportive after positive results were produced. Using the same criteria as the National Weight Registry (without follow-up)--30 lbs or more lost and maintained for more than one year--it was found that more than 1400 people had successfully used low carb methods. In terms of food consumed, the perception of more than half of respondents were that they ate less than before the diet and whereas high protein, high fat sources replaced carbohydrate to some extent, the major change indicated by survey-takers is a large increase in green vegetables and a large decrease in fruit intake. Government or health agencies were not sources of information for dieters in this group and a collection of narrative comments indicates a high level of satisfaction, indeed enthusiasm for low carbohydrate dieting. The results provide both a tabulation of the perceived behavior of a significant number of dieters using low carbohydrate strategies as well as a collection of

Study for Nuclear Structures of 22-35Na Isotopes via Measurements of Reaction Cross Sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Shinji

2014-09-01

T. Ohtsubo, M. Nagashima, T. Ogura, Y. Shimbara (Grad. Sch. of Sc., Niigata Univ.), M.Takechi, H. Geissel, M. Winkler (GSI), D. Nishimura, T. Sumikama (Dept. of Phys., Tokyo Univ. of Sc.), M. Fukuda, M. Mihara, H. Uenishi (Dept. of Phys., Osaka Univ.), T. Kuboki, T. Suzuki, T. Yamaguchi, H. Furuki, C. S. Lee, K. Sato (Dept. of Phys., Saitama Univ.), A. Ozawa, H. Ohnishi, T. Moriguchi, S. Fukuda, Y. Ishibashi, D. Nagae, R. Nishikiori, T. Niwa (Inst. of Phys., Univ. of Tsukuba), N. Aoi (RCNP), Rui-Jiu Chen, N. Inabe, D. Kameda, T. Kubo, M. Lantz, T. Ohnishi, K. Okumura, H. Sakurai, H. Suzuki, H. Takeda, S. Takeuchi, K. Tanaka, Y. Yanagisawa (RIKEN), De-Qing Fang, Yu-Gang Ma (SINAP), T. Izumikawa (RI Ctr., Niigata Univ.), and S. Momota (Fac. of Engn., Kochi Univ. of Tech.) Reaction cross sections (σR) for 22-35Na isotopes have been measured at around 240 MeV/nucleon. The σR for 22-35Na were measured for the first time. Enhancement in cross sections is clearly observed from the systematics for stable nuclei, for isotopes with large mass numbers. These enhancement can be mainly ascribed to the nuclear deformation. We will discuss the nuclear structure (neutron skin, nuclear shell structure) for neutron-excess Na isotopes. T. Ohtsubo, M. Nagashima, T. Ogura, Y. Shimbara (Grad. Sch. of Sc., Niigata Univ.), M.Takechi, H. Geissel, M. Winkler (GSI), D. Nishimura, T. Sumikama (Dept. of Phys., Tokyo Univ. of Sc.), M. Fukuda, M. Mihara, H. Uenishi (Dept. of Phys., Osaka Univ.), T. Kuboki, T. Suzuki, T. Yamaguchi, H. Furuki, C. S. Lee, K. Sato (Dept. of Phys., Saitama Univ.), A. Ozawa, H. Ohnishi, T. Moriguchi, S. Fukuda, Y. Ishibashi, D. Nagae, R. Nishikiori, T. Niwa (Inst. of Phys., Univ. of Tsukuba), N. Aoi (RCNP), Rui-Jiu Chen, N. Inabe, D. Kameda, T. Kubo, M. Lantz, T. Ohnishi, K. Okumura, H. Sakurai, H. Suzuki, H. Takeda, S. Takeuchi, K. Tanaka, Y. Yanagisawa (RIKEN), De-Qing Fang, Yu-Gang Ma (SINAP), T. Izumikawa (RI Ctr., Niigata Univ.), and S. Momota (Fac. of Engn

Differences of cadmium absorption and accumulation in selected vegetable crops.

PubMed

Ni, Wu-Zhong; Yang, Xiao-E; Long, Xin-Xian

2002-07-01

A pot experiment and a sandy culture experiment grown with three vegetable crops of Chinese cabbage (B. chinensis L., cv. Zao-Shu 5), winter greens (B. var. rosularis Tsen et Lee, cv. Shang-Hai-Qing) and celery (A. graveolens L. var. dulce DC., cv. Qing-Qin) were conducted, respectively. The initial soil and four incubated soils with different extractable Cd (0.15, 0.89, 1.38, 1.84 and 2.30 mg Cd/kg soil) were used for the pot experiment. Five treatments were designed (0, 0.0625, 0.125, 0.250 and 0.500 mg Cd/L) in nutrient solution in the sandy culture experiment. Each treatment in pot and sandy culture experiments was trireplicated. The objectives of the study were to examine Cd accumulation in edible parts of selected vegetable crops, its correlation with Cd concentrations in vegetable garden soil or in nutrient solution, and evaluate the criteria of Cd pollution in vegetable garden soil and in nutrient solution based on the hygienic limit of Cd in vegetables. Cadmium concentrations in edible parts of the three selected vegetable crops were as follows: 0.01-0.15 mg/kg fresh weight for Chinese cabbage, 0.02-0.17 mg/kg fresh weight for winter greens, and 0.02-0.24 mg/kg fresh weight for celery in the pot experiment, and 0.1-0.4 mg/kg fresh weight for Chinese cabbage, 0.1-1.4 mg/kg fresh weight for winter greens, and 0.05-0.5 mg/kg fresh weight for celery in the pot experiment (except no-Cd treatment). The order of the three test vegetable crops for cadmium accumulation in the edible parts was celery > winter greens > Chinese cabbage in both the pot experiment and the sandy culture experiment. Cadmium accumulation in edible parts or roots of the vegetable crops increased with increasing of cadmium concentration in the medium (soil or nutrient solution). And cadmium concentrations in edible parts of the test vegetable crops were significantly linearly related to the Cd levels in the growth media (soil and nutrient solution). Based on the regression equations

[Weight control behaviors in dieting adolescent girls and their relation to body dissatisfaction and obsession with thinness].

PubMed

Contreras, M Liliana A; Morán, Javier K; Frez, Scarlett H; Lagos, Carola O; Marín, María Paz F; de los Ángeles Pinto B, María; Suzarte, Érika A

2015-01-01

Obsession with thinness and body dissatisfaction can lead adolescents to follow unsupervised diets, which could result in risky weight control behaviors such as fasting, vomiting, use of diuretics and laxatives. The aim of the current study is to examine weight control behaviors in dieting adolescents and relate them to body dissatisfaction (BD) and obsession with thinness (OT). A cross-sectional study was conducted on 439 adolescents from Valparaiso public schools to investigate risky weight control behaviors due to BD and OT scales from the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), comparing restrained eaters and non-restrained eaters. A total of 43% adolescents had followed a weight loss diet without medical supervision. The dieters had higher BD and OT values. Moderate to severe food restriction, based on expert judgment, was observed in 29.6%, and differences in the presence and severity of purging behaviors were found between the 2 groups. One third of the adolescents studied followed diets without professional supervision and had higher BD and OT values, as well as risky weight control behaviors. Overweight and obese adolescents followed more restrictive diets and developed riskier weight control behaviors. Copyright © 2015. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Dietary self-control influences top-down guidance of attention to food cues.

PubMed

Higgs, Suzanne; Dolmans, Dirk; Humphreys, Glyn W; Rutters, Femke

2015-01-01

Motivational objects attract attention due to their rewarding properties, but less is known about the role that top-down cognitive processes play in the attention paid to motivationally relevant objects and how this is affected by relevant behavioral traits. Here we assess how thinking about food affects attentional guidance to food items and how this is modulated by traits relating to dietary self-control. Participants completed two tasks in which they were presented with an initial cue (food or non-food) to either hold in working memory (memory task) or to merely attend to (priming task). Holding food items in working memory strongly affected attention when the memorized cue re-appeared in the search display. Tendency towards disinhibited eating was associated with greater attention to food versus non-food pictures in both the priming and working memory tasks, consistent with greater attention to food cues per se. Successful dieters, defined as those high in dietary restraint and low in tendency to disinhibition, showed reduced attention to food when holding food-related information in working memory. These data suggest a strong top-down effect of thinking about food on attention to food items and indicate that the suppression of food items in working memory could be a marker of dieting success.

When weight management lasts. Lower perceived rule complexity increases adherence.

PubMed

Mata, Jutta; Todd, Peter M; Lippke, Sonia

2010-02-01

Maintaining behavior change is one of the major challenges in weight management and long-term weight loss. We investigated the impact of the cognitive complexity of eating rules on adherence to weight management programs. We studied whether popular weight management programs can fail if participants find the rules too complicated from a cognitive perspective, meaning that individuals are not able to recall or process all required information for deciding what to eat. The impact on program adherence of participants' perceptions of eating rule complexity and other behavioral factors known to influence adherence (including previous weight management, self-efficacy, and planning) was assessed via a longitudinal online questionnaire given to 390 participants on two different popular weight management regimens. As we show, the regimens, Weight Watchers and a popular German recipe diet (Brigitte), strongly differ in objective rule complexity and thus their cognitive demands on the dieter. Perceived rule complexity was the strongest factor associated with increased risk of quitting the cognitively demanding weight management program (Weight Watchers); it was not related to adherence length for the low cognitive demand program (Brigitte). Higher self-efficacy generally helped in maintaining a program. The results emphasize the importance of considering rule complexity to promote long-term weight management. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The way to her heart? Response to romantic cues is dependent on hunger state and dieting history: An fMRI pilot study.

PubMed

Ely, Alice V; Childress, Anna Rose; Jagannathan, Kanchana; Lowe, Michael R

2015-12-01

Normal weight historical dieters (HDs) are prone to future weight gain, and show higher levels of brain activation in reward-related regions after having eaten than nondieters (NDs) in response to food stimuli (Ely, Childress, Jagannathan, & Lowe, 2014), a similar pattern to that seen in obesity. We hypothesized that HDs are differentially sensitive after eating to rewards in general, and thus extended prior findings by comparing the same groups' brain activation when viewing romantic pictures compared to neutral stimuli while being scanned in a blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI paradigm in a fasted and fed state. Results show that 1) in fed relative to fasted conditions, both HDs and NDs were more responsive in areas related to reward and 2) in HDs, greater fed versus fasted activation extended to areas linked to perception and goal-directed behavior. HDs relative to NDs were more responsive to romantic cues in the superior frontal gyrus when fasted and the middle temporal gyrus when fed. This pattern of response is similar to HDs' activation when viewing highly palatable food cues, and is consistent with research showing overlapping brain-based responses to sex, drugs and food. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Awakening to the politics of food: Politicized diet as social identity.

PubMed

Chuck, Chelsea; Fernandes, Samantha A; Hyers, Lauri L

2016-12-01

In this qualitative study, the process of developing a politicized identity around diet was explored through a social psychological lens. Applying one of the most influencial models of group identity development proposed by Cross (1978) in which an "encounter" experience spurs an awakening into a politicized identity, we asked 36 participants who followed alternative diets due to political reasons to describe their unique encounter experiences that brought them to their politicized awakening. Their self-identified diets included pescetarian, vegetarian, vegan, raw, non-GMO/organic, and reduced meat consumption. Participants described the rationale for their diets, their "encounter" or awakening to their politicized diets, and whether they viewed their diet as a part of their identity. Using thematic analysis, we identified four key types of encounters that sparked their politicization: a series of integrated events, exposure to educational materials, a direct visceral emotional experience, and guidance from a role model. We discuss the results with regard to the politics of food, the nature of the politicized dieter's identity as part of a minority food culture, and the difficulties of engaging in political action through one's diet. The underexplored benefits of applying social psychological theories of identity to research on dietary subcultures is also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Current status and future clinical directions in the prevention and treatment of relapse following hematopoietic transplantation for acute myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemia.

PubMed

Craddock, Charles; Hoelzer, Dieter; Komanduri, Krishna V

2018-05-31

In recent years we have seen a dramatic evolution of therapeutic approaches in the management of acute leukemia with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). For both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), alloHCT provides the best chance of long-term disease-free survival for significant subsets of patients. During this interval, we have witnessed an evolution of HCT from a therapy based on high-dose conditioning to our current understanding that its success depends both on cytoreduction and graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects mediated by adoptively transferred donor immune cells. Improvements in conditioning, infectious disease monitoring and management, histocompatibility testing and graft selection have successively improved outcomes, primarily due to a reduction in non-relapse mortality. Unfortunately, disease relapse remains a significant cause of treatment failure in both AML and ALL. Here, two distinguished experts, Prof. Charles Craddock and Prof. Dieter Hoelzer, reflect on the significant challenge of disease relapse following allogeneic HCT for AML and ALL, respectively. This is a review of the biology, current approaches, and future directions in the field and reflects concepts that were presented at the Third International Workshop on Biology, Prevention, and Treatment of Relapse after Stem Cell Transplantation held in Hamburg, Germany in November 2016 under the auspices of the EBMT and the ASBMT.

Decision-making, sensitivity to reward, and attrition in weight-management

PubMed Central

Koritzky, Gilly; Dieterle, Camille; Rice, Chantelle; Jordan, Katie; Bechara, Antoine

2014-01-01

Objective Attrition is a common problem in weight-management. Understanding the risk factors for attrition should enhance professionals’ ability to increase completion rates and improve health outcomes for more individuals. We propose a model that draws upon neuropsychological knowledge on reward-sensitivity in obesity and overeating to predict attrition. Design & Methods 52 participants in a weight-management program completed a complex decision-making task.Decision-making characteristics – including sensitivity to reward – were further estimated using a quantitative model. Impulsivity and risk-taking measures were also administered. Results Consistent with the hypothesis that sensitivity to reward predicted attrition, program dropouts had higher sensitivity to reward than completers (p < 0.03). No differences were observed between completers and dropouts in initial BMI, age, employment status, or the number of prior weight-loss attempts (p ≥ 0.07). Completers had a slightly higher education level than dropouts, but its inclusion in the model did not increase predictive power. Impulsivity, delay of gratification, and risk-taking did not predict attrition, either. Conclusions Findings link attrition in weight-management to the neural mechanisms associated with reward-seeking and related influences on decision-making. Individual differences in the magnitude of response elicited by rewards may account for the relative difficulty experienced by dieters in adhering to treatment. PMID:24771588

Two rare species of tylenchids, Discotylenchus biannulatus n. sp. and Labrys chinensis Qing Bert, 2018 (Nematoda: Tylenchidae) from western Iran.

PubMed

Konani, Ehsan; Panahandeh, Yousef; Pourjam, Ebrahim; Álvarez-Ortega, Sergio; Pedram, Majid

2018-04-23

Two rare species of the family Tylenchidae are described and illustrated based on morphological and morphometric characters. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies provided details of anterior end structures, helpful in generic identification of the studied populations. Discotylenchus biannulatus n. sp. is characterized by its dorso-ventrally flattened smooth cephalic region having two proximal annuli and a rectangular perioral disc, short longitudinal amphidial slits, lateral field with four incisures, stylet 9-10 μm long, with the conus shorter than half the total stylet length and with posteriorly directed knobs, well-developed median bulb, mono-prodelphic reproductive system with rounded empty spermatheca and short postvulval uterine sac (PUS), and filiform tail with pointed end. It is compared with other species of Discotylenchus having four lines in the lateral field. The Iranian population of Labrys chinensis is characterized by its long and slender (a = 45.2-57.2) body, smooth rounded cephalic region and an offset disc-like apical labial plate, short longitudinal lateral amphidial slits, lateral field with two incisures, moderately developed stylet with the conus less than half the total length and posteriorly directed knobs, median bulb fusiform with distinct but weak valve, gradually joining the isthmus, vulva at 57.2-59.1% with small flaps, elongate conoid tail, uniformly and slightly narrowing toward end with broadly rounded terminus and rare males. The minor morphological differences of the recovered population with the type population are discussed.

Popularity and customer preferences for over-the-counter Chinese medicines perceived by community pharmacists in Shanghai and Guangzhou: a questionnaire survey study.

PubMed

Ge, Shuai; He, Tian-Tian; Hu, Hao

2014-01-01

This study interviewed community pharmacists in Shanghai and Guangzhou for their perception of the popular categories of over-the-counter (OTC) Chinese medicines and the factors affecting customer preferences for OTC Chinese medicines. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in six main administrative districts in Guangzhou and eight main administrative districts in Shanghai, China. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted in this study. OTC Chinese medicines contributed 21-50% among all the pharmaceutical sales by the community pharmacies. The prevalent categories of OTC Chinese medicines were common cold medicines, respiratory system medicines, digestive system agents, gynecological medicines, health tonic medicines, and qing re (heat-clearing) and qu du (detoxifying) medicines. Customers were more concerned about medical factors of OTC Chinese medicines than business factors. Among the medical factors, the most important was drug safety, followed by efficacy, contraindications, indications, and side effects. Among the business factors, the most important were brand and price. This study identified the top sales categories of OTC Chinese medicines in Shanghai and Guangzhou and the important factors such as drug safety, efficacy, period of validity, contraindications, and indications that are affecting the customer preferences for OTC Chinese medicines.

Indole compounds may be promising medicines for ulcerative colitis.

PubMed

Sugimoto, Shinya; Naganuma, Makoto; Kanai, Takanori

2016-09-01

Indole compounds are extracted from indigo plants and have been used as blue or purple dyes for hundreds of years. In traditional Chinese medicine, herbal agents in combination with Qing-Dai (also known as indigo naturalis) have been used to treat patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and to remedy inflammatory conditions. Recent studies have noted that indole compounds can be biosynthesized from tryptophan metabolites produced by various enzymes derived from intestinal microbiota. In addition to their action on indole compounds, the intestinal microbiota produce various tryptophan metabolites that mediate critical functions through distinct pathways and enzymes. Furthermore, some indole compounds, such as indigo and indirubin, act as ligands for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. This signaling pathway stimulates mucosal type 3 innate lymphoid cells to produce interleukin-22, which induces antimicrobial peptide and tight junction molecule production, suggesting a role for indole compounds during the mucosal healing process. Thus, indole compounds may represent a novel treatment strategy for UC patients. In this review, we describe the origin and function of this indole compound-containing Chinese herb, as well as the drug development of indole compounds.

[Late Ming treatises on Chinese and Islamic calendrical systems as seen in the Seki Teisyo].

PubMed

Kobayashi, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

The Seki Teisyo (see text for symbol), a manuscript compiled by Seki Takakazu (see text for symbol)) in 1686, is known to consist of 15 treatises which Seki extracted from an early Qing astronomical and astrological corpus, the Tianwen Dacheng Guankui Jiyao (see text for symbol). Containing a detailed account of the Shoushi Li (see text for symbol) as well as a comparative study of Chinese and Islamic calendrical systems, these treatises have drawn the attention not only of Seki but of modern historians. In this paper, I show that 14 of the 15 treatises Seki selected had been composed by a late Ming scholar, Zhou Shuxue (see text for symbol), who discussed issues with Tang Shunzhi (see text for symbol). Their time predates the era in which the mathematical basis of the Shoushi Li was scrutinized and a new Chinese calendrical system was invented incorporating Western astronomical knowledge. I also mention some earlier works that Tang and Zhou could have consulted. Although Seki never knew the author of the treatises nor their background, his concern centered on themes that seem to have derived from one of those earlier works: the Liyuan(see text for symbol).

Prevention and Care Programs Addressing the Growing Prevalence of Diabetes in China.

PubMed

Yin, Junmei; Kong, Alice P S; Chan, Juliana C N

2016-12-01

According to a 2010 national survey, 11 % of adults in China have diabetes, affecting 109.6 million individuals. The high prevalence of diabetes has been attributed to the aging of the population, the rapid adoption of energy-dense foods, and a reduction in physical activity. Collectively, these secular changes have created an obesogenic environment that can unmask diabetes in subjects with a genetic predisposition. The growing prevalence of maternal obesity, gestational diabetes, childhood obesity, and early-onset disease can lead to premature morbidity and mortality. Rising to meet these public health challenges, researchers in China have conducted randomized studies to demonstrate the benefits of lifestyle modification in preventing diabetes (the Da Qing Study), as well as that of team-based integrated care, using multiple strategies including peer support and information technology, in order to reduce hospitalizations, cardiovascular-renal complications, and premature deaths. With growing evidence supporting the benefits of these diabetes prevention and management programs, the next challenge is to use policies and systems to scale up the implementation of these programs through raising awareness, building capacity, and providing resources to reduce the human and socioeconomic burden of diabetes.

Multifold polar states in Zn-doped Sr0.9Ba0.1TiO3 ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yan-Yan; Guo, Yun-Jun; Wei, Tong; Liu, Jun-Ming

2015-12-01

We investigate the effect of Zn doping on the dielectricity and ferroelectricity of a series of polycrystalline Sr0.9-xZnxBa0.1TiO3 (0.0% ≤ x ≤ 5.0%) ceramics. It is surprisingly observed that the Zn doping will produce the multifold polar states, i.e., the Zn-doped ceramic will convert a reduced polar state into an enhanced polar state, and eventually into a stabilized polar state with increasing the doping level x. It is revealed that in the background of quantum fluctuations, the competition between the Zn-doping-induced lattice contraction and the Ba-doping-induced lattice expansion is responsible for both the reduced polar state and the enhanced polar state coming into being. Also, the addition of the antiferrodistortive effect, which is the antipolar interaction originating from the opposite tilted-TiO6 octahedra rotation, represents the core physics behind the stabilized polar state. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11304158, 51431006, 51102277, and 11104118), the Scientific Research Foundation of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China (Grant No. NY213020), and the Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, China.

[Textual research on Guang dong xin yu (New Sayings of Guangdong) quoted in Ben cao gang mu shi yi (Supplements to Compendium of Materia Medica].

PubMed

Zhang, Ruixian; Zhang, Wei; Li, Jian; Liang, Fei

2014-05-01

Altogether 15 terms for Guang dong xin yu (New Sayings of Guangdong) were used in Ben cao gang mu shi yi (Supplements to Compendium of Materia Medica), including Yue yu (Cantonese sayings), Chong yu (Sayings from Insect Drug), Jie yu (Sayings from Crustacean Drug), Xin yu (New Sayings), Yue hai xiang yu (Fragrant Sayings from Cantonese Region), Yue zhi mu yu (Sayings from Plants in Cantonese Annals), Guang dong suo yu (Trivial Sayings from Guangdong), Yue shan lu (Records of Cantonese Mountains), Yue lu (Cantonese Records), Jiao guang lu (Joint Guangdong Records), Yue cao zhi (Records of Cantonese Grasses), Guang guo lu (Records of Guangdong Fruits), Nan yue suo ji (Trivial Records of Southern Canton), Guang zhi (Guangdong Records), Yue zhi (Cantonese Records) etc. dealing with 57 sorts of drugs (with individual overlapping ones), the author of Xin yu was Qu Dajun, a surviving fogy of the Ming Dynasty actively involved in the activities to restore the old dynasty and resist the Qing Dynasty, and was persecuted in the literary inquisition in which his works were burnt so that Zhao Xuemin, when quoting his texts, had to go in a roundabout way.

[Textural research on the origin and evolution of the"theory of drying dampness"and its initiator].

PubMed

Zhou, X M; Hu, J P

2016-07-28

There are two different records, namely,"vulnerability to dampness in autumn"and"dryness prevailing"in autumn, in the Neijing ( Inner Canon ). In the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Liu Wansu supplemented the pathogenesis of dryness pathogen, whereas Wang Andao explained the contradictory records in the Neijing . In the Qing Dynasty, Yu Chang definitely challenged the theory"vulnerability to dampness in autumn"of the Neijing ,triggering a debate on the recognition of"drying dampness". In fact, Yu Guopei was the initiator of"theory of drying dampness", who discussed the nature of Yin and Yang of"drying dampness"based on the laws of correspondence between human body and natural environment, elucidating that drying dampness should be the root of both exogenous disease and internal damage, and elaborating the etiology and pathogenesis of"drying dampness", the diagnosis and the nature of the drugs for drying dampness. Shi Shoutang inherited Yu's theory and made a further development. In modern times, some scholars advocated that"drying dampness"should be consideredalong with Yin and Yang, superficies and interior, excess and deficiency, cold and heat, as the guiding principle for syndrome differentiation.

Consanguineous marriage in PR China: a study in rural Man (Manchu) communities.

PubMed

Wang, W; Qian, Cong; Bittles, A H

2002-01-01

Although there is a long history of consanguineous marriage in China, information on its prevalence is very limited. The Man (Qing) dynasty ruled China for over 250 years, but no consanguinity studies have been reported on this important population. The objective of the present investigation was to determine the present-day level of consanguineous marriage in the Man community, and to compare the data with existing consanguinity information on other Chinese populations. The study was conducted in a group of 11 rural Man communities in the north-eastern Chinese province of Liaoning. Household-based interviews were conducted by local staff on 513 couples, 418 of whom were Man with another 95 Man-Han inter-ethnic marriages. Basic pedigrees were constructed to determine the biological relationship between each set of spouses. Thirty of the 418 couples were in a consanguineous union, with a mean coefficient of inbreeding alpha = 0.0012. The small population sizes of the study may have contributed to the spatial variation in the patterns of inbreeding. Across generations there was a reduction in consanguineous marriages and an increase in inter-ethnic unions, which paralleled changes in civil marriage regulations.

[The apprentice education system of Chinese medicinal industry in modern Kunming].

PubMed

Yang, Zhuqing

2015-07-01

In the late Qing Dynasty, following the appearance of the Chinese medicinal materials industry trade association of Kunming, the "master agreement" as a professional regulation, also implemented, marking the beginning of the contractualization and institutionalization of apprentice education in Yunnan. The contents and implementation of the "master agreement" was organized by the Chinese medicinal materials industry trade association of Kunming and its craft union. The apprentice education in Kunming traditional Chinese medicinal industry has the following characteristics: expanding the source of talent; adepting at agricultural production of the accorded apprentice; conforming to the conditions of human manipulation of Chinese traditional medicine; being in line with the characteristics and rules of Chinese medicine skills taught by oral narration and tacit understanding; unity of the medical and pharmaceutical professionals; and non-governmental organization. Apprentice training had trained a number of medical talents, and promoted the transformation of manual workshop to industrialization in Kunming. Apprentice education had catalyzed the establishment of specialized shops selling patent medicines exclusively to separated from those running both crude drugs and patent medicines, to form a set of effective teaching system, thus exerting profound influence on later generations.

Biotransformation effect of Bombyx Mori L. may play an important role in treating diabetic nephropathy.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Zhang, La; Li, Yin; Guo, Xin-Feng; Liu, Xu-Sheng

2016-11-01

Compared with herbal drugs, medicine processed from animals (animal medicine) was thought to have more bioactive substances and higher activities. Biotransformation effect often plays an important role in their effect. However, researches about effect of animal medicine on diabetic nephropathy and applying animal medicine as natural bio-transformer were seldom reported. The purpose of this paper was to reveal the use of Bombyx Mori L. on diabetic nephropathy from ancient to modern times. The classical literature indicated that Saosi Decoction (), which contains Bombyx Mori L. or silkworm cocoon, was applied to treat disorders congruent with modern disease diabetic nephropathy from the Ming to Qing Dynasty in ancient China. Modern studies showed that Bombyx Mori L. contains four main active constituents. Among these, 1-deoxynojirimycin (1-DNJ) and quercetin showed promising potential to be new agents in diabetic nephropathy treatment. The concentrations of 1-DNJ and the activities of quercetin in Bombyx Mori L. are higher than in mulberry leaves, because of the biotransformation in the Bombyx Mori L. body. However, these specifific components need further human and mechanistic studies to determine their therapeutic potential for this challenging condition.

Group vs. single mindfulness meditation: exploring avoidance, impulsivity, and weight management in two separate mindfulness meditation settings.

PubMed

Mantzios, Michail; Giannou, Kyriaki

2014-07-01

Recent research has identified that mindfulness meditation in group settings supports people who are trying to lose weight. The present research investigated mindfulness meditation in group and individual settings, and explored the potential impact on weight loss and other factors (i.e. mindfulness, impulsivity, and avoidance) that may assist or hinder weight loss. Specifically, the hypotheses tested were that the group setting assisted dieters more than the individual setting by reducing weight, cognitive-behavioral avoidance, and impulsivity and by increasing mindfulness. Participants (n = 170) who were trying to lose weight were randomly assigned to practice meditation for 6 weeks within a group or independently. Measurements in mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral avoidance, impulsivity, and weight occurred twice (pre- and post-intervention). Results indicated that participants in the group setting lost weight and lowered their levels of cognitive-behavioral avoidance, while impulsivity and mindfulness remained stable. On the other hand, participants in the individual condition lost less weight, while there was an increase in cognitive-behavioral avoidance and mindfulness scores, but a decrease in impulsivity. Seeing that benefits and limitations observed in group settings are not replicated when people meditate alone, this study concluded that mindfulness meditation in individual settings needs to be used with caution, although there are some potential benefits that could aid future weight loss research. © 2014 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Social ecological predictors of the transition to overweight in youth: results from the Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at Schools (TEENS) study.

PubMed

Klein, Elizabeth G; Lytle, Leslie A; Chen, Vincent

2008-07-01

To explore the social ecological predictors of the transition to overweight in youth, as shown in results from the Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at Schools study. Longitudinal data from a school-based intervention trial. Adolescents who were involved in the Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at Schools intervention study who reported a healthful weight at baseline in 1998 (n=1,728). Transition to overweight status (body mass index > or =85th percentile) at follow-up in eighth grade. Generalized linear mixed model regression. Factors in the social, environmental, individual, and behavioral domains had significant unadjusted relationships with a transition to overweight status. In the multivariate analysis, adolescents who perceived themselves to be overweight at baseline were 2.3 times more likely to be overweight at follow-up compared to those with a normal weight self-perception. Compared to nondieters, current dieters were 2.6 times more likely to be overweight at follow-up, and boys were nearly three times more likely to transition to overweight status at follow-up compared with girls. Individual factors, primarily related to a self-perception of being overweight, were the strongest predictors of transitioning to overweight as adolescents progressed from seventh through eighth grade. A better understanding of the relationship between weight concern and transition to overweight is needed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chynoweth, E.; Young, I.

The plastics recycling debate quite literally took center stage at the K '92 international plastics fair. Leading figures of the European plastic industry, including Jacques Puechal, chairman of Elf Atochem and president of the European Chemical Industry Council (Brussels), and Klaus Toepfer and Segolene Royal, the environment ministers of Germany and France, respectively, took part in a forum discussion in front of an audience of 600-plus. Exhibitors of K '92 managed to maintain an air of optimism at the show in spite of gloomy market conditions. A couple of firms admitted business in plastics was [open quotes]catastrophic[close quotes] and [openmore » quotes]a nightmare.[close quotes] At the forum the Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe (APME; Brussels), represented by its president, Dieter Cron, promoted the cascade concept to answer the plastics waste problem. This includes incineration with energy recovery in cases in which recycling is senseless economically and environmentally. Toepfer stated his wish for the period between use and final incineration to be extended through more recycling. Royal suggested that France and Germany set up a joint research program looking at the environmental impact of waste-to-energy technologies. Industry representatives, including Puechal, note the importance of developing a pan-European legal framework for recycling, because the business is international.« less

Discharge processes and an electrical model of atmospheric pressure plasma jets in argon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Zhi; Shao, Tao; Yang, Jing; Zhang, Cheng

2016-01-01

In this paper, an atmospheric pressure plasma discharge in argon was generated using a needle-to-ring electrode configuration driven by a sinusoidal excitation voltage. The electric discharge processes and discharge characteristics were investigated by inspecting the voltage-current waveforms, Lissajous curves and lighting emission images. The change in discharge mode with applied voltage amplitude was studied and characterised, and three modes of corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and jet discharge were identified, which appeared in turn with increasing applied voltage and can be distinguished clearly from the measured voltage-current waveforms, light-emission images and the changing gradient of discharge power with applied voltage. Based on the experimental results and discharge mechanism analysis, an equivalent electrical model and the corresponding equivalent circuit for characterising the whole discharge processes accurately was proposed, and the three discharge stages were characterised separately. A voltage-controlled current source (VCCS) associated with a resistance and a capacitance were used to represent the DBD stage, and the plasma plume and corona discharge were modelled by a variable capacitor in series with a variable resistor. Other factors that can influence the discharge, such as lead and stray capacitance values of the circuit, were also considered in the proposed model. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Recent Breakthroughs in Microplasma Science and Technology", edited by Kurt Becker, Jose Lopez, David Staack, Klaus-Dieter Weltmann and Wei Dong Zhu.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vahala, G.; Tracy, E.

During the past year, the authors have concentrated on (1) divertor physics, (2) thermo-lattice Boltzmann (TLBE) approach to turbulence, and (3) phase space techniques in gyro-resonance problems in collaboration with Dieter Sigmar (MIT), Sergei Krasheninnikov (MIT), Linda Vahala (ODU), Joseph Morrison (AS and M/NASA-Langley), Pavol Pavlo and Josef Preinhaelter (institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences) and Allan Kaufman (LBL/U.C.Berkeley). Using a 2-equation compressible closure model with a 2D mean flow, the authors are investigating the effects of 3D neutral turbulence on reducing the heat load to the divertor plate by various toroidal cavity geometries. These studies are beingmore » extended to examine 3D mean flows. Thermal Lattice Boltzmann (TLBE) methods are being investigated to handle 3D turbulent flows in nontrivial geometries. It is planned to couple the TLBE collisional regime to the weakly collisional regime and so be able to tackle divertor physics. In the application of phase space techniques to minority-ion RF heating, resonance heating is treated as a multi-stage process. A generalization of the Case-van Kampen analysis is presented for multi-dimensional non-uniform plasmas. Effects such as particle trapping and the ray propagation dynamics in tokamak geometry can now be handled using Weyl calculus.« less

Popularity and customer preferences for over-the-counter Chinese medicines perceived by community pharmacists in Shanghai and Guangzhou: a questionnaire survey study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background This study interviewed community pharmacists in Shanghai and Guangzhou for their perception of the popular categories of over-the-counter (OTC) Chinese medicines and the factors affecting customer preferences for OTC Chinese medicines. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out in six main administrative districts in Guangzhou and eight main administrative districts in Shanghai, China. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted in this study. Results OTC Chinese medicines contributed 21–50% among all the pharmaceutical sales by the community pharmacies. The prevalent categories of OTC Chinese medicines were common cold medicines, respiratory system medicines, digestive system agents, gynecological medicines, health tonic medicines, and qing re (heat-clearing) and qu du (detoxifying) medicines. Customers were more concerned about medical factors of OTC Chinese medicines than business factors. Among the medical factors, the most important was drug safety, followed by efficacy, contraindications, indications, and side effects. Among the business factors, the most important were brand and price. Conclusions This study identified the top sales categories of OTC Chinese medicines in Shanghai and Guangzhou and the important factors such as drug safety, efficacy, period of validity, contraindications, and indications that are affecting the customer preferences for OTC Chinese medicines. PMID:25243017

Research on history of Chinese seismology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Rui; Wu, Yuxia

2010-06-01

The history of Chinese seismology can be traced back to four thousand years before and divided into four stages, i.e., primitive knowledge, worship of nature, perceptual knowledge and scientific research. The second stage ran in the whole Qin-Han dynasties, and the fourth stage began from Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty and continued to the present. So far China has made four great contributions to seismological development of the world, i.e., the invention of Heng Zhang’s seismoscope, great amount of historical records of earthquakes of four thousand years, most abundant anomaly data before earthquakes, and successful practice of earthquake prediction in Haicheng. However, the seismological research in China at present is still on the junior and developing stage. Now we have been carrying on some recessively historical load in our mind such as the subconsciousness of absolute obedience, habit of phenomenological study as well as the methods of philosophical analysis without sincerity. For constructing a high-level Chinese culture in seismological research, we need to pay attention to combining the phenomenological research with experiment, observation and theory study. It is also suggested to take the appropriated measures matched with the present research level in seismology, as well as to promote coexisting and merging of multi-cultures.

[A study of the sexual art of having intercourse with several young virgins in traditional Chinese medicine].

PubMed

Yan, Shanzhao

2002-06-01

The emergency treatments for the damage and bleeding of the vagina, and the sharp pubic pain of young virgins which were caused occurred by the sexual art, were recorded in traditional medicine books, such as the "Ji yan fang" and others. It is a fact that in ancient China some people used the sexual art of having intercourse with several young virgins at the same time in order to increase their health and keep perpetual youth and longevity. The famous traditional general-medical book, "qian jin yao fang" recommended that method to rich persons too. It is supposed that the beginning of the sexual art of having intercourse with several young virgins traces back to the times of Emperor Hanwu , but it seems to have disappeared from the historical stage in the Song period. On the other hand, the criticisms from the traditional medicine books and the secret languages of internal alchemy used for the Taoist sacred books show that the sexual art of having intercourse with several young virgins was still going on behind the scene in the Ming and Qing periods. Even if we consider the historical changes of ethics and mortality, we now cannot but criticize this behavior of abusing juveniles for the sexual art.

China's Land-Use Changes during the Past 300 Years: A Historical Perspective.

PubMed

Miao, Lijuan; Zhu, Feng; Sun, Zhanli; Moore, John C; Cui, Xuefeng

2016-08-25

Understanding the processes of historical land-use change is crucial to the research of global environmental sustainability. Here we examine and attempt to disentangle the evolutionary interactions between land-use change and its underlying causes through a historical lens. We compiled and synthesized historical land-use change and various biophysical, political, socioeconomic, and technical datasets, from the Qing dynasty to modern China. The analysis reveals a clear transition period between the 1950s and the 1980s. Before the 1950s, cropland expanded while forested land diminished, which was also accompanied by increasing population; after the 1980s land-use change exhibited new characteristics: changes in cropland, and decoupling of forest from population as a result of agricultural intensification and globalization. Chinese political policies also played an important and complex role, especially during the 1950s-1980s transition periods. Overall, climate change plays an indirect but fundamental role in the dynamics of land use via a series of various cascading effects such as shrinking agricultural production proceeding to population collapse and outbreaks of war. The expected continuation of agricultural intensification this century should be able to support increasing domestic demand for richer diets, but may not be compatible with long-term environmental sustainability.

Prevention of type 2 diabetes through lifestyle modification: is there a role for higher-protein diets?

PubMed

Liu, Amy Y; Silvestre, Marta P; Poppitt, Sally D

2015-11-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) incidence is increasing worldwide, driven by a rapidly changing environment and lifestyle and increasing rates of overweight and obesity. Prevention of diabetes is key and is most likely achieved through prevention of weight gain and/or successful long-term weight loss maintenance. Weight loss is readily achievable but there is considerable challenge in maintaining that weight loss over the long term. Lower-fat carbohydrate-based diets are widely used for T2D prevention. This is supported primarily by 3 successful long-term interventions, the US Diabetes Prevention Program, the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study, and the Chinese Da Qing Study, but evidence is building in support of novel higher-protein (>20% of energy) diets for successful weight loss maintenance and prevention of T2D. Higher-protein diets have the advantage of having relatively low energy density, aiding longer-term appetite suppression, and preserving lean body mass, all central to successful weight loss and prevention of weight regain. Here, we review the carbohydrate-based intervention trials and present mechanistic evidence in support of increased dietary protein for weight loss maintenance and a possible novel role in prevention of dysglycemia and T2D. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

Effectiveness of influenza vaccination for preventing influenza-related complications in people with asthma: a systematic review protocol

PubMed Central

Vasileiou, Eleftheria; Sheikh, Aziz; Butler, Chris; von Wissmann, Beatrix; McMenamin, Jim; Ritchie, Lewis; Tian, Lilly; Simpson, Colin

2016-01-01

Introduction Influenza vaccination is administered annually as a preventive measure against influenza infection and influenza-related complications in high-risk individuals, such as those with asthma. However, the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in people with asthma against influenza-related complications is still not well established. Methods and analysis We will search the following databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Web of Science Core Collection, Science direct, WHO Library Information System (WHOLIS), Global Health Library and Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang and ChongQing VIP) from Jan 1970 to Jan 2016 for observational and experimental studies on effectiveness of influenza vaccine in people with asthma. The identification of studies will be complemented with the searching of the reference lists and citations, and contacting influenza vaccine manufacturers to identify unpublished or ongoing studies. Two reviewers will extract data and appraise the quality of each study independently. Separate meta-analyses will be undertaken for observational and experimental evidence using fixed-effect or random-effects models, as appropriate. Ethics and dissemination Formal ethical approval is not required, as primary data will not be collected. The review will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. PMID:27026658

Identifying core herbal treatments for children with asthma: implication from a chinese herbal medicine database in taiwan.

PubMed

Chen, Hsing-Yu; Lin, Yi-Hsuan; Thien, Peck-Foong; Chang, Shih-Chieh; Chen, Yu-Chun; Lo, Su-Shun; Yang, Sien-Hung; Chen, Jiun-Liang

2013-01-01

Asthma is one of the most common allergic respiratory diseases around the world and places great burden on medical payment. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is commonly used for Taiwanese children to control diseases. The aim of this study is to analyze the CHM prescriptions for asthmatic children by using a nationwide clinical database. The National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) was used to perform this study. Medical records from 1997 to 2009 with diagnosis with asthma made for children aged 6 to 18 were included into the analysis. Association rule mining and social network analysis were used to analyze the prevalence of single CHM and its combinations. Ma-Xing-Gan-Shi-Tang (MXGST) was the most commonly used herbal formula (HF) (20.2% of all prescriptions), followed by Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang (13.1%) and Xing-Su-San (12.8%). Zhe Bei Mu is the most frequently used single herb (SH) (14.6%), followed by Xing Ren (10.7%). MXGST was commonly used with Zhe Bei Mu (3.5%) and other single herbs capable of dispelling phlegm. Besides, MXGST was the core formula to relieve asthma. Further studies about efficacy and drug safety are needed for the CHM commonly used for asthma based on the result of this study.

[Textual research on adulteration of Chinese materia medica in ancient China].

PubMed

Xie, Jin; Wang, De-Qun

2013-09-01

By investigating the mainstream works of herbal classics of successive ages, it is found that adulteration of Chinese materia medica appeared early in ancient China. The main methods of adulteration was producing fraud medicines in the Northern-Southern Dynasties, fake medicines began to appear in the Tang Dynasty, and status of adulteration of Chinese materia medica ran unchecked since the Ming and Qing Dynasty. By statistics, there were 76 kinds of adulteration varieties before the Republican period. The main varieties were precious drugs, animal drugs and artifacts. Commonly methods used in the process included forging and adulterating, dealing with 11 kinds and 68 kinds respectively. Adulteration probably lead to the result of imposing the changes of the used medicinal parts of Herba Pogostemonis; Radix Aconiti Lateralis prepared by adding salt, Radix Angelica Sinensis processed by wine, and Radix Astragalis seu Hedysaris processed with bee honey. However, the root cause of adulteration in Chinese materia medica was the dissociation of professional physician and pharmacist, resulting in the ignorance of medical practitioners became unable to recognize Chinese materia medica; and the immorality of medicinal merchants. Besides, rating the quality of materia medica based on its producing areas without differentiating the false from the genuine may also contribute to this result passively.

China’s Land-Use Changes during the Past 300 Years: A Historical Perspective

PubMed Central

Miao, Lijuan; Zhu, Feng; Sun, Zhanli; Moore, John C.; Cui, Xuefeng

2016-01-01

Understanding the processes of historical land-use change is crucial to the research of global environmental sustainability. Here we examine and attempt to disentangle the evolutionary interactions between land-use change and its underlying causes through a historical lens. We compiled and synthesized historical land-use change and various biophysical, political, socioeconomic, and technical datasets, from the Qing dynasty to modern China. The analysis reveals a clear transition period between the 1950s and the 1980s. Before the 1950s, cropland expanded while forested land diminished, which was also accompanied by increasing population; after the 1980s land-use change exhibited new characteristics: changes in cropland, and decoupling of forest from population as a result of agricultural intensification and globalization. Chinese political policies also played an important and complex role, especially during the 1950s–1980s transition periods. Overall, climate change plays an indirect but fundamental role in the dynamics of land use via a series of various cascading effects such as shrinking agricultural production proceeding to population collapse and outbreaks of war. The expected continuation of agricultural intensification this century should be able to support increasing domestic demand for richer diets, but may not be compatible with long-term environmental sustainability. PMID:27571087

Development of flood routing simulation system of digital Qingjiang based on integrated spatial information technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Yanbin; Zhou, You; Zhu, Yaqiong; Yuan, Xiaohui; Sælthun, N. R.

2007-11-01

Based on digital technology, flood routing simulation system development is an important component of "digital catchment". Taking QingJiang catchment as a pilot case, in-depth analysis on informatization of Qingjiang catchment management being the basis, aiming at catchment data's multi-source, - dimension, -element, -subject, -layer and -class feature, the study brings the design thought and method of "subject-point-source database" (SPSD) to design system structure in order to realize the unified management of catchments data in great quantity. Using the thought of integrated spatial information technology for reference, integrating hierarchical structure development model of digital catchment is established. The model is general framework of the flood routing simulation system analysis, design and realization. In order to satisfy the demands of flood routing three-dimensional simulation system, the object-oriented spatial data model are designed. We can analyze space-time self-adapting relation between flood routing and catchments topography, express grid data of terrain by using non-directed graph, apply breadth first search arithmetic, set up search method for the purpose of dynamically searching stream channel on the basis of simulated three-dimensional terrain. The system prototype is therefore realized. Simulation results have demonstrated that the proposed approach is feasible and effective in the application.

Ancient Human Parasites in Ethnic Chinese Populations.

PubMed

Yeh, Hui-Yuan; Mitchell, Piers D

2016-10-01

Whilst archaeological evidence for many aspects of life in ancient China is well studied, there has been much less interest in ancient infectious diseases, such as intestinal parasites in past Chinese populations. Here, we bring together evidence from mummies, ancient latrines, and pelvic soil from burials, dating from the Neolithic Period to the Qing Dynasty, in order to better understand the health of the past inhabitants of China and the diseases endemic in the region. Seven species of intestinal parasite have been identified, namely roundworm, whipworm, Chinese liver fluke, oriental schistosome, pinworm, Taenia sp. tapeworm, and the intestinal fluke Fasciolopsis buski . It was found that in the past, roundworm, whipworm, and Chinese liver fluke appear to have been much more common than the other species. While roundworm and whipworm remained common into the late 20th century, Chinese liver fluke seems to have undergone a marked decline in its prevalence over time. The iconic transport route known as the Silk Road has been shown to have acted as a vector for the transmission of ancient diseases, highlighted by the discovery of Chinese liver fluke in a 2,000 year-old relay station in northwest China, 1,500 km outside its endemic range.

Text Mining of the Classical Medical Literature for Medicines That Show Potential in Diabetic Nephropathy

PubMed Central

Zhang, Lei; Li, Yin; Guo, Xinfeng; May, Brian H.; Xue, Charlie C. L.; Yang, Lihong; Liu, Xusheng

2014-01-01

Objectives. To apply modern text-mining methods to identify candidate herbs and formulae for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. Methods. The method we developed includes three steps: (1) identification of candidate ancient terms; (2) systemic search and assessment of medical records written in classical Chinese; (3) preliminary evaluation of the effect and safety of candidates. Results. Ancient terms Xia Xiao, Shen Xiao, and Xiao Shen were determined as the most likely to correspond with diabetic nephropathy and used in text mining. A total of 80 Chinese formulae for treating conditions congruent with diabetic nephropathy recorded in medical books from Tang Dynasty to Qing Dynasty were collected. Sao si tang (also called Reeling Silk Decoction) was chosen to show the process of preliminary evaluation of the candidates. It had promising potential for development as new agent for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. However, further investigations about the safety to patients with renal insufficiency are still needed. Conclusions. The methods developed in this study offer a targeted approach to identifying traditional herbs and/or formulae as candidates for further investigation in the search for new drugs for modern disease. However, more effort is still required to improve our techniques, especially with regard to compound formulae. PMID:24744808

[Textual research on the time of completion of XU Shuwei' books on exo-pathogenic cold diseases].

PubMed

Lu, Mingxin

2015-11-01

Shang han bai zheng ge (Poets of Syndromes of Exo-pathogenic Cold Disease), Shang han fa wei lun (Discourse on Elucidation of Exo-pathogenic Cold Disease), Shang han jiu shi lun (90 Discourses on Exo-pathogenic Cold Disease) were the three extant books on exo-pathogenic cold disease written by Xu Shuwei among his other works of its kind. Although there were carved editions of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, these books were gradually paid attention for citations by other physicians till the Qing Dynasty. Through comparison of its texts, it can be found that the title of Shang han bai zheng ge was mentioned in his other medical works. While Shang han fa wei lun and Shang han jiu shi lun contained some overlapping contents, some even carrying concept contradictory to each other. According to historical materials, Xu Shuwei began to write the above-mentioned 3 books in the Northern Song Dynasty. In the several early years of the Southern Song Dynasty after crossing the Yangtze River, he collected the remained manuscripts and continued to write. Among them, Shang han bai zheng ge was completed first, followed by Shang han fa wei lun, with Shang han jiu shi lun came as the last.

The plague fighter: Wu Lien-teh and the beginning of the Chinese public health system.

PubMed

Flohr, C

1996-07-01

At the end of 1910, when the Qing dynasty was on the verge of collapse and the whole Chinese empire in a process of transformation, North Manchuria was devastated by a large pneumonic plague epidemic. The Russian and Japanese governments wanted to use the outbreak of the disease as a pretext to invade north-east China, making plague an issue of international politics. At this dramatic moment the empire relied on the skills of the young Chinese doctor Wu Lien-teh, the first Chinese medical graduate from Cambridge. Wu investigated the disease on the spot, chaired an international plague conference in Shenyang (Manchuria) in April 1911, and, later on, became the figurehead of fundamental public health reforms in Republican China. Highly ambitious, striving for personal fame and international renown for China, supported by an excellent network of personal connections, and equipped with a medical training considered the best in the world at the time, he launched on a startling career as one of China's key medical reformers and international representatives. His history is an example of the inseparable links between personal fate and historical events, and between the interests of scientists, medical men, politicians, and businessmen on the national and international stages.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Chinese Medicine on Nonmotor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease

PubMed Central

Chua, Ka-Kit; Wong, Adrian; Lau, Yin-Kei; Bian, Zhao-Xiang; Lu, Jia-Hong; Liu, Liang-Feng; Chen, Lei-Lei; Chan, Ka-Ho; Tse, Kim-Pong; Chan, Anne; Wu, Justin; Zhu, Li-Xing

2017-01-01

Nonmotor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) have devastating impacts on both patients and their caregivers. Jiawei-Liujunzi Tang (JLT) has been used to treat some NMS of PD based on the Chinese medicine theory since Qing dynasty. Here we report a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, add-on clinical trial aiming at evaluating the efficacy and safety of the JLT in treating NMS in PD patients. We randomly assigned 111 patients with idiopathic PD to receive either JLT or placebo for 32 weeks. Outcome measures were baseline to week 32 changes in Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of Unified PD Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Parts I–IV and in NMS assessment scale for PD (NMSS). We observed improvements in the NMSS total score (p = 0.019), mood/cognition (p = 0.005), and reduction in hallucinations (p = 0.024). In addition, post hoc analysis showed a significant reduction in constipation (p < 0.001). However, there was no evidence of improvement in MDS-UPDRS Part I total score (p = 0.216) at week 32. Adverse events (AEs) were mild and comparable between the two groups. In conclusion, long-term administration of JLT is well tolerated and shows significant benefits in improving NMS including mood, cognition, and constipation. PMID:28630780

[Clinical study of severe anorexia nervosa: the role of intravenous hyperalimentation therapy].

PubMed

Denda, K; Kitagawa, N; Shimanaka, S

1997-01-01

In order to understand the psychopathology of severe anorexia nervosa (AN), and determine appropriate therapeutic approaches, a clinical study was conducted on 13 patients with severe AN who were hospitalized and were treated with intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH). The patients were divided into three types based on their clinical symptoms and initiating factors: Type I (Restricting Type; "Non-dieters"), Type II (Restricting Type: "Dieters"). Type III (Binge-eating/Purging Type). The clinical features of each type were evaluated. Based on this evaluation, the basic approach and the role of IVH in the treatment of each type are described as follows. Type I: The patients experience loss of appetite and subsequently, suffer involuntary weight loss as a result of psychological or physical stresses at school and/or home. Since the patients do not intentionally restrict food intake, they cannot explain the loss of appetite. The age at onset of this type is the youngest among the three groups. The patients are introverted, passive and not good at expressing their emotions. Therefore, it is often difficult to deepen the emotional commitment further. It is possible to understand the pathology of Type I through the psychosomatic model. IVH therapy promotes benign regression for Type I patients, so that the mother-child relationship may be restored. As the therapeutic progress, the mother child relationship occasionally become ambivalent. In such a case, it is important for the treatment team to support independent activities of the patients. Type II: The patients lose weight by intentionally restricting necessary food intake for reasons such as beauty or sports. Any experience of failure in studies or sports or trouble in complex personal relations can trigger the onset of AN. Weight loss is looked as a great achievement, whereas weight gain is recognized as a serious failure of self-control. Since type II patients understand the necessity of receiving treatment, it is

The study of chemical composition and elemental mappings of colored over-glaze porcelain fired in Qing Dynasty by micro-X-ray fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Cheng; Meitian, Li; Youshi, Kim; Changsheng, Fan; Shanghai, Wang; Qiuli, Pan; Zhiguo, Liu; Rongwu, Li

2011-02-01

It is very difficult to measure the chemical composition of colored pigments of over-glaze porcelain by X-ray fluorescence because it contains high concentration of Pb. One of the disadvantages of our polycapillary optics is that it has low transmission efficiency to the high energy X-ray. However, it is beneficial to measure the chemical compositions of rich Pb sample. In this paper, we reported the performances of a tabletop setup of micro-X-ray fluorescence system base on slightly focusing polycapillary and its applications for analysis of rich Pb sample. A piece of Chinese ancient over-glaze porcelain was analyzed by micro-X-ray fluorescence. The experimental results showed that the Cu, Fe and Mn are the major color elements. The possibilities of the process of decorative technology were discussed in this paper, also.

Diet-induced weight loss is associated with decreases in plasma serum amyloid a and C-reactive protein independent of dietary macronutrient composition in obese subjects.

PubMed

O'Brien, Kevin D; Brehm, Bonnie J; Seeley, Randy J; Bean, Judy; Wener, Mark H; Daniels, Stephen; D'Alessio, David A

2005-04-01

Elevated levels of serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Although levels of CRP decrease with weight loss, it is not known whether SAA decreases with weight loss or whether dietary macronutrient composition affects levels of either SAA or CRP. SAA and CRP levels were measured retrospectively on baseline and 3-month plasma samples from 41 obese (mean body mass index 33.63 +/- 1.86 kg/m2) women completing a randomized trial comparing a low-fat diet (n = 19) and a very low-carbohydrate diet (n = 22). For the 41 participants, there were significant decreases from baseline to 3 months in both LogSAA (P = 0.049) and LogCRP (P = 0.035). The very low-carbohydrate dieters had a significantly greater decrease in LogSAA (P = 0.04), but their weight loss also was significantly greater (-7.6 +/- 3.2 vs. -4.3 +/- 3.5 kg, P < 0.01). In this study, the decreases in inflammatory markers correlated significantly with weight loss (r = 0.44, P = 0.004 vs. LogSAA and r = 0.35, P = 0.03 vs. LogCRP). Also, change in LogSAA correlated with change in insulin resistance (r = 0.35, P = 0.03). Thus, in otherwise healthy, obese women, weight loss was associated with significant decreases in both SAA and CRP. These effects were proportional to the amount of weight lost but independent of dietary macronutrient composition.

Psychometric evaluation of the German version of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 in a community sample.

PubMed

Ruzanska, Ulrike Alexandra; Warschburger, Petra

2017-10-01

Intuitive eating is based on a strong physical connection with the body, aligned to internal cues of hunger and satiety, and a low preoccupation with food. The aim of this study was to provide a German version of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) and to examine its psychometric properties with data collected from 532 participants aged 18-91 years. The IES-2 was translated into German following the World Health Organization guidelines (2016). Cronbach's alpha as a measure of internal consistency was 0.89 for the IES-2 total score, as well as 0.73 - 0.92 for the IES-2 subscale scores. For group differences, the results were as hypothesized: men had higher IES-2 scores than women, and participants with under- and average weight showed higher IES-2 scores than participants with overweight and obesity. Participants without a dieting history had higher IES-2 scores than former or current dieters. In line with our hypotheses regarding construct validity, the IES-2 score had negative associations with emotional eating, restraint eating, external eating, binge eating and eating disorder symptomatology, as well as positive associations with self-efficacy and mental health-related quality of life. Second-order confirmatory factor analysis replicated the four-factor solution, with intuitive eating as a higher-order factor. These findings demonstrate that the German version of the IES-2 is a useful tool to assess intuitive eating in the general German population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Situational Strategies for Self-Control

PubMed Central

Duckworth, Angela L.; Gendler, Tamar Szabó; Gross, James J.

2015-01-01

Exercising self-control is often difficult, whether declining a drink in order to drive home safely, passing on the chocolate cake to stay on a diet, or ignoring text messages to finish reading an important paper. But enacting self-control isn’t always difficult, particularly when it takes the form of proactively choosing or changing situations in ways that weaken undesirable impulses or potentiate desirable ones. Examples of situational self-control include the partygoer who chooses a seat far from where drinks are being poured, the dieter who asks the waiter not to bring around the dessert cart, and the student who goes to the library without a cell phone. Using the process model of self-control, we argue that the full range of self-control strategies can be organized by considering the timeline of the developing tempting impulse. Because impulses tend to grow stronger over time, situational self-control strategies—which can nip a tempting impulse in the bud— may be especially effective in preventing undesirable action. Ironically, we may underappreciate situational self-control for the same reason it is so effective, namely that by manipulating our circumstances to advantage we are often able to minimize the in-the-moment experience of intrapsychic struggle typically associated with exercising self-control. The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.—Sun Tzu, The Art of War PMID:26817725

Conference Committees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2015-11-01

Scientific Committee Silvia Arrese-Igor Irigoyen (CFM, CSIC - UPV/EHU, Donostia), Javier Campo (ICMA-CSIC, Zaragoza), Carlos Frontera (ICMAB-CSIC, Barcelona), Victoria García Sakai (ISIS, Chilton), Cristina Gómez-Polo (UPNa, Pamplona), Miguel Ángel González (ILL, Grenoble), Pedro Gorría (Universidad Oviedo), Jon Gutiérrez Echevarría (EHU/UPV, Bilbao), J. Iñaki Pérez Landazábal (UPNa, Pamplona), Vicente Recarte (UPNa, Pamplona), Jesús Ruíz Hervías (UPM, Madrid), Vicente Sánchez-Alarcos (UPNa, Pamplona), Antonio Urbina (UPC, Cartagena) Organizing Committee J. Iñaki Pérez Landazábal (Co-Chair), Vicente Recarte ( Co-Chair), Cristina Gómez-Polo, Silvia Larumbe Abuin, Vicente Sánchez-Alarcos Editors of the Proceedings J. Iñaki Pérez Landazábal, Vicente Recarte Plenary speakers Charles Simon (Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France), Miguel Angel Alario Franco (Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain), Dieter Richter (Jülich Centre for Neutron Science, Jülich, Germany), James Yeck (European Spallation Source, Lund, Sweden) Invited speakers Manu Barandiarán (BCMaterials & EHU/UPV), Arantxa Arbe (MFC, CSIC- UPV/EHU), José Luis Martínez (Consorcio ESS-Bilbao), Marta Castellote, IETcc-CSIC), Josep Lluis Tamarit (UPC), Diego Alba-Venero (ISIS), Elizabeth Castillo (CIC Energigune), Josu M. Igartua (EHU/UPV), Antonio Dos Santos (UPM), Alex Masalles (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya), José Abad (UPCT), Claudia Mondelli (ILL), Oscar Fabelo (ILL), Aurora Nogales (IEM-CSIC), Jesús Rodríguez (UC), Gerardo

A systematic review of RCTs and quasi-RCTs on traditional Chinese patent medicines for treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

PubMed

Zhan, Tao; Wei, Xing; Chen, Ze-Qi; Wang, Dong-Sheng; Dai, Xing-Ping

2011-12-01

Traditional Chinese patent medicines (TCPMs) are widely used for treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China. To estimate the overall effectiveness of TCPMs for CHB, we performed a systematic review of clinical reports designed as randomized controlled trials (RCTs). One hundred and thirty-eight available RCTs and quasi-RCTs on 62 TCPMs, involving 16,393 patients, were included. The methodological quality of these trials was generally "poor". Few trials (6.52%) reported the methods of randomization correctly. Another common problem was the lack of allocation concealment, proper blinding, and the reporting of lost cases and dropouts. Forty-two trials (30.43%) on 27 TCPMs reported some anti-viral effect of TCPMs. Others reported beneficial aspects, including improvements of liver function (79.71% of the studies), liver fibrosis (29.99%), and CHB symptoms (92.75%). Forty-one articles (29.71%) reported mild adverse events with TCPMs but these occurred infrequently. In summary, the outcome of the report on currently registered TCPMs may be biased due to poor methodology. The data from these trials, therefore, is too weak to use in forming a recommendation for treatment of CHB. Nevertheless, five drugs (Dan Shen agents, Da Huang Zhe Chong pill/capsule, Shuang Hu Qing Gan granule, Fu Zheng Hua Yu granule and Cao Xian Yi Gan capsule) appear to be more effective than the other TCPMs.

Comparison of gene co-networks reveals the molecular mechanisms of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) response to Rhizoctonia solani AG1 IA infection.

PubMed

Zhang, Jinfeng; Zhao, Wenjuan; Fu, Rong; Fu, Chenglin; Wang, Lingxia; Liu, Huainian; Li, Shuangcheng; Deng, Qiming; Wang, Shiquan; Zhu, Jun; Liang, Yueyang; Li, Ping; Zheng, Aiping

2018-05-05

Rhizoctonia solani causes rice sheath blight, an important disease affecting the growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Attempts to control the disease have met with little success. Based on transcriptional profiling, we previously identified more than 11,947 common differentially expressed genes (TPM > 10) between the rice genotypes TeQing and Lemont. In the current study, we extended these findings by focusing on an analysis of gene co-expression in response to R. solani AG1 IA and identified gene modules within the networks through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). We compared the different genes assigned to each module and the biological interpretations of gene co-expression networks at early and later modules in the two rice genotypes to reveal differential responses to AG1 IA. Our results show that different changes occurred in the two rice genotypes and that the modules in the two groups contain a number of candidate genes possibly involved in pathogenesis, such as the VQ protein. Furthermore, these gene co-expression networks provide comprehensive transcriptional information regarding gene expression in rice in response to AG1 IA. The co-expression networks derived from our data offer ideas for follow-up experimentation that will help advance our understanding of the translational regulation of rice gene expression changes in response to AG1 IA.

Distribution and Diversity of Bacteria and Fungi Colonization in Stone Monuments Analyzed by High-Throughput Sequencing.

PubMed

Li, Qiang; Zhang, Bingjian; He, Zhang; Yang, Xiaoru

The historical and cultural heritage of Qingxing palace and Lingyin and Kaihua temple, located in Hangzhou of China, include a large number of exquisite Buddhist statues and ancient stone sculptures which date back to the Northern Song (960-1219 A.D.) and Qing dynasties (1636-1912 A.D.) and are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient stone sculpting techniques. They were added to the World Heritage List in 2011 because of their unique craftsmanship and importance to the study of ancient Chinese Buddhist culture. However, biodeterioration of the surface of the ancient Buddhist statues and white marble pillars not only severely impairs their aesthetic value but also alters their material structure and thermo-hygric properties. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was utilized to identify the microbial communities colonizing the stone monuments. The diversity and distribution of the microbial communities in six samples collected from three different environmental conditions with signs of deterioration were analyzed by means of bioinformatics software and diversity indices. In addition, the impact of environmental factors, including temperature, light intensity, air humidity, and the concentration of NO2 and SO2, on the microbial communities' diversity and distribution was evaluated. The results indicate that the presence of predominantly phototrophic microorganisms was correlated with light and humidity, while nitrifying bacteria and Thiobacillus were associated with NO2 and SO2 from air pollution.

Discriminative feature representation: an effective postprocessing solution to low dose CT imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yang; Liu, Jin; Hu, Yining; Yang, Jian; Shi, Luyao; Shu, Huazhong; Gui, Zhiguo; Coatrieux, Gouenou; Luo, Limin

2017-03-01

This paper proposes a concise and effective approach termed discriminative feature representation (DFR) for low dose computerized tomography (LDCT) image processing, which is currently a challenging problem in medical imaging field. This DFR method assumes LDCT images as the superposition of desirable high dose CT (HDCT) 3D features and undesirable noise-artifact 3D features (the combined term of noise and artifact features induced by low dose scan protocols), and the decomposed HDCT features are used to provide the processed LDCT images with higher quality. The target HDCT features are solved via the DFR algorithm using a featured dictionary composed by atoms representing HDCT features and noise-artifact features. In this study, the featured dictionary is efficiently built using physical phantom images collected from the same CT scanner as the target clinical LDCT images to process. The proposed DFR method also has good robustness in parameter setting for different CT scanner types. This DFR method can be directly applied to process DICOM formatted LDCT images, and has good applicability to current CT systems. Comparative experiments with abdomen LDCT data validate the good performance of the proposed approach. This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation under grants (81370040, 81530060), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the Qing Lan Project in Jiangsu Province.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in urban and suburban rivers of Beijing, China: occurrence, source apportionment and potential ecological risk.

PubMed

Dai, Guohua; Wang, Bin; Fu, Chaochen; Dong, Rui; Huang, Jun; Deng, Shubo; Wang, Yujue; Yu, Gang

2016-04-01

This study analyzed 15 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in two rivers with different urbanization levels in the surrounding watershed (urban and suburb) in Beijing, China. Along the rivers, effluent samples from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and wastewater samples from direct discharge outlets were also collected to reveal their possible contribution to the occurrence of PPCPs in these two rivers. Among the 15 PPCPs, 14 compounds were detected with caffeine (maximum 11,900 ng L(-1)) being the dominant compound. The total concentration of the detected PPCPs in direct discharge outlets (median 4706 ng L(-1)) was much higher than that in river waters (2780 ng L(-1)) and WWTP effluents (1971 ng L(-1)). The suburban-influenced Liangshui River had significantly higher PPCP concentrations compared to the urban-influenced Qing River due to more input of untreated wastewater from direct discharge outlets. Source apportionment showed that approximately 55% of the total PPCPs were contributed by untreated wastewater in the suburban-influenced river. Finally, ecological risk assessment has been regarded as a necessary part of general research. According to the environmental risk assessment results, caffeine, trimethoprim and metoprolol were found to be the most critical compounds, due to their high risk quotient values. The results of the present study can provide useful information for future PPCP pollution control and sustainable water management in Beijing, China.

Broadband enhanced transmission of acoustic waves through serrated metal gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Dong-Xiang; Fan, Ren-Hao; Deng, Yu-Qiang; Peng, Ru-Wen; Wang, Mu; Jiangnan University Collaboration

In this talk, we present our studies on broadband properties of acoustic waves through metal gratings. We have demonstrated that serrated metal gratings, which introduce gradient coatings, can give rise to broadband transmission enhancement of acoustic waves. Here, we have experimentally and theoretically studied the acoustic transmission properties of metal gratings with or without serrated boundaries. The average transmission is obviously enhanced for serrated metal gratings within a wide frequency range, while the Fabry-Perot resonance is significantly suppressed. An effective medium hypothesis with varying acoustic impedance is proposed to analyze the mechanism, which was verified through comparison with finite-element simulation. The serrated boundary supplies gradient mass distribution and gradient normal acoustic impedance, which could efficiently reduce the boundary reflection. Further, by increasing the region of the serrated boundary, we present a broadband high-transmission grating for wide range of incident angle. Our results may have potential applications to broadband acoustic imaging, acoustic sensing and new acoustic devices. References: [1] Dong-Xiang Qi, Yu-Qiang Deng, Di-Hu Xu, Ren-Hao Fan, Ru-Wen Peng, Ze-Guo Chen, Ming-Hui Lu, X. R. Huang and Mu Wang, Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 011906 (2015); [2] Dong-Xiang Qi, Ren-Hao Fan, Ru-Wen Peng, Xian-Rong Huang, Ming-Hui Lu, Xu Ni, Qing Hu, and Mu Wang, Applied Physics Letters 101, 061912 (2012).

Omega-3 supplementation effects on body weight and depression among dieter women with co-morbidity of depression and obesity compared with the placebo: A randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Keshavarz, Seyed Ali; Mostafavi, Seyed-Ali; Akhondzadeh, Shahin; Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza; Hosseini, Saeed; Eshraghian, Mohammad Reza; Chamari, Maryam

2018-06-01

We aimed to evaluate the effects of the omega-3 supplementation on body weight and depression among women with co-morbidity of depression and obesity seeking weight reduction compared with the placebo. Sixty five patients with co-morbidity of depression and overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25) signed the informed consent form and enrolled into this 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical Trial. Subsequently, participants randomly assigned into one of the two groups receiving daily 6 capsules of omega-3 (each capsule containing 180 mg EPA, and 120 mg DHA) or 6 capsules of placebo (two with each meal). We performed body composition assessments and Beck depression inventory at the baseline, and weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12 after the start of the study. One month after stopping the capsules at the follow-up visit, weight was measured to compare weight relapse between the two groups. Forty five patients finished the study. No significant differences were seen between groups regarding demographic and clinical variables at baseline. Using repeated measures ANOVA, omega-3 significantly reduced depression compared with the placebo (P = 0.05). Mean ± SD weight reduction in omega-3 group 3.07 ± 3.4 kg and in the placebo group was 1.16 ± 2.7 kg and the difference between groups was significant using independent sample t-test (p = 0.049). Patients in the omega-3 group did not show significantly more side effects compared to the placebo but they were not successful in preventing weight regain one month after the end of the study. Based on our findings omega-3 capsule as a safe over-the-counter supplement might be helpful in reducing the signs of depression and also body weight in patients with co-morbidity of depression and obesity. Copyright © 2018 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photodissociation of Small Molecules and Photoionization of Free Radicals Using the VUV Velocity-Map Imaging Photoion and Photoelectron Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Hong

(2012). (Chapter 2) 2. Hong Gao, Yu Song, Lei Yang, Xiaoyu Shi, Qing-Zhu Yin, C. Y. Ng and William M. Jackson. "Branching ratio measurements of the predissociation of 12C16O by time-slice velocity-map ion imaging in the energy region from 108,000 to 110,500 cm-1", the Journal of Chemical Physics, 137, 034305 (2012). (Chapter 3) 3. Hong Gao, Yu Song, Yih-Chung Chang, Xiaoyu Shi, Qing-Zhu Yin, Roger C. Wiens, William M. Jackson, C. Y. Ng, "Branching Ratio Measurements for Vacuum Ultraviolet Photodissociation of 12C16O", the Journal of Physical Chemistry A. (article online ASAP). (Chapter 4) 4. Hong Gao, Yu Song, C. Y. Ng, William M. Jackson, " Communication: State-to-state photodissociation study by the two-color VUV-VUV laser pump-probe time-slice velocity-map-imaging-photoion method", the Journal of Chemical Physics, 138, 191102(2013). (Chapter 5) 5. Hong Gao, Zhou Lu, Lei Yang, Jingang Zhou, C. Y. Ng, "Communication: A vibrational study of propargyl cation using the vacuum ultraviolet laser velocity-map imaging photoelectron method", the Journal of Chemical Physics, 137, 161101(2012). (Chapter 6)

[Herbal textual research on Chinese medicine "Huangjing" (Polygonati Rhizoma)and some enlightenments].

PubMed

Liu, Jing-Jing; Si, Jin-Ping

2018-02-01

To clarify the change and development of the original plants， medicinal organs， traditional functions， resource distribution of "Huangjing"(Polygonati Rhizome)， a traditional Chinese medicine， we investigated Polygonatum species on the ancient Chinese herbal texts. The name of "Nüwei" was first carried out in the book of Sheng Nong's Herbal Classic. Its effects included two aspects： one was similar to "Weirui"(Polygonati Odorati Rhizome， "Yuzhu")， that was tonifying， nourishing one's vitality， removing wind and dampness， settling five organs， making body lightness， keeping longevity and not being hungry; the second was alike to "Huangjing" recorded in the book of Ming Yi Bie Lu(Appendant Records of Famous Physicians). Specifically， "Weirui" possesses the therapeutic effect of "Nüwei"， while "Huangjing" possesses the tonic effect of " Nüwei". Thereafter， the following ancient Chinese herbal texts kept those two names and function records. Accordingly， we hold the point of view that "Huangjing" was first carried out in the book of Sheng Nong's Herbal Classic in the synonym of "Nüwei". "Yuzhu" included the "Huangjing" in ancient herbal text before Qing Dynasty， that was further confirmed by the research on change and development of the original plants. The identification between "Yuzhu" and "Huangjing" was based on the shape of rhizome and size before early Tang Dynasty. The shape was a key character and used up to now， but size was not reasonable. The opposite phyllotaxy was an important character of authentic "Huangjing" from Tang to Qing Dynasty. The seedling of Polygonatum sibiricum and P. kingianum， the adult plant of P. cyrtonema with alternate leaves were misused as "Yuzhu"("Nüwei" and "Weirui") at that time. Therefore， both "Yuzhu" and "Huangjing" should be used as key words during the search of ancient prescriptions and development of new drugs and health foods. The leaves， flowers， fruits and seedlings could

Identification and validation of QTLs associated with concentrations of mineral nutrients in unmilled grain of two mapping populations derived from 'Lemont' × 'TeQing'

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Research into the mineral contents of cereal grains and vegetables is motivated by interest in improving their nutritional value. Biofortification refers to natural enhancement of the grain/food product through traditional breeding. Since it does not require genetic engineering, it is acceptable t...

You are what you choose to eat: factors influencing young adults' food selection behaviour.

PubMed

Hebden, L; Chan, H N; Louie, J C; Rangan, A; Allman-Farinelli, M

2015-08-01

Young or 'emerging' adulthood (ages 18-24 years) is a life-stage characterised by rapid weight gain, particularly among those born in recent decades, when environments have become saturated with cheap, highly palatable, processed foods. Although intervening in the immediate food environments of emerging adults is indicated, little is known about the factors influencing their food selection. The present study aimed to: (i) measure the relative importance of different influences on foods selected by emerging adults for consumption from a tertiary education setting and (ii) examine whether these influences differ according to gender, adiposity status, perceived stress and dieting or physical activity behaviours. An online survey was administered with 112 emerging adults aged 19-24 years assessing demographics, perceived stress, dieting, physical activity and influences on food selection. Adiposity indicators (body mass index and waist circumference) were measured. Analyses compared the importance of influences on food selection by gender, adiposity, perceived stress, dieting and physical activity. Taste was the most important influence on food selection, followed by convenience (availability), cost, nutrition/health value, smell and stimulatory properties (alertness). Participants with an elevated waist circumference selected foods to help them cope with stress and control their weight. Those reporting a higher level of physical activity placed greater importance on nutritional/health value of foods but less importance on taste. Female dieters also placed less importance on taste and value for money. Health promotion strategies addressing tertiary education food environments of emerging adults should ensure the ready availability of tasty and nutritious foods at a low cost. © 2015 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

AGU elects 1986 Fellows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eighteen distinguished scientists have been elected Fellows of AGU. The total number of Fellows elected each year may not exceed 0.1% of the total membership at the time of election.The newly elected Fellows are John D. Bossier, Office of Charting and Geodetic Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rockville, Md.Ian S. Carmichael, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley.Paul J. Crutzen, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany.Dieter H. Ehhalt, Institute of Atmospheric Chemistry, Jülich, and Department of Geophysics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Federal Republic of Germany.Thomas C. Hanks, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif.C. G. A. Harrison, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Fla.Stanley R. Hart, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.Charles W. Howe, Department of Economics, University of Colorado, Boulder.Charlotte E. Keen, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.T. J. Kukkamäki, Finnish Geodetic Institute, Helsinki.Ronald T. Merrill, Geophysics Program, University of Washington, Seattle.Pearn P. Niiler, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif.Mervyn S. Paterson, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra.Joseph Pedlosky, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass.W. R. Peltier, Department of Physics, University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada.Raymond G. Roble, Solar Variability Section, High-Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo.David J. Stevenson, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.David A. Woolhiser, Southwest Watershed Research Center, Tucson, Ariz.

The Physics and Applications of High Brightness Beams: Working Group C Summary on Applications to FELS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nuhn, Heinz-Dieter

2003-03-19

This is the summary of the activities in working group C, ''Application to FELs,'' which was based in the Bithia room at the Joint ICFA Advanced Accelerator and Beam Dynamics Workshop on July 1-6, 2002 in Chia Laguna, Sardinia, Italy. Working group C was small in relation to the other working groups at that workshop. Attendees include Enrica Chiadroni, University of Rome ape with an identical pulse length. ''La Sapienza'', Luca Giannessi, ENEA, Steve Lidia, LBNL, Vladimir Litvinenko, Duke University, Patrick Muggli, UCLA, Alex Murokh, UCLA, Heinz-Dieter Nuhn, SLAC, Sven Reiche, UCLA, Jamie Rosenzweig, UCLA, Claudio Pellegrini, UCLA, Susan Smith,more » Daresbury Laboratory, Matthew Thompson, UCLA, Alexander Varfolomeev, Russian Research Center, plus a small number of occasional visitors. The working group addressed a total of nine topics. Each topic was introduced by a presentation, which initiated a discussion of the topic during and after the presentation. The speaker of the introductory presentation facilitated the discussion. There were six topics that were treated in stand-alone sessions of working group C. In addition, there were two joint sessions, one with working group B, which included one topic, and one with working group C, which included two topics. The presentations that were given in the joint sessions are summarized in the working group summary reports for groups B and D, respectively. This summary will only discuss the topics that were addressed in the stand-alone sessions, including Start-To-End Simulations, SASE Experiment, PERSEO, ''Optics Free'' FEL Oscillators, and VISA II.« less

Coastal environmental monitoring using remotely sensed data and GIS techniques in the Modern Yellow River delta, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Yang

2011-08-01

On the basis of remote sensing and GIS techniques, the Landsat data obtained in 1987, 1996, and 2008 were used to examine coastline changes in the Modern Yellow River (MYR) delta in China. The coastal land lost and gained illustrations were derived, the rates of coastal change were estimated, and the coastal parts that experienced severe changes were identified. The results revealed that the accretion rates in the MYR delta coast has been decelerating while the accretion effect remained. Taken the artificial coast from the south of ShenXianGou (SXG) to Gudong Oil Field (GOF) as the landmark, the coast in the south of the landmark showed an accretion pattern, while the coast in the west of the landmark showed an erosion pattern. Wherein, the coast from Chao River Estuary (CRE) to Zhuang 106 (Z106) showed an erosion pattern with the transition from erosion to accretion and the accelerated rates from east to west. The coast from Z106 to the south border of GOF also showed erosion pattern but significant differences existed among the internal coastal parts. The coast from the south border of GOF to XiaoDao River Estuary (XDRE) showed a pattern from rapid accretion to dynamic balance of accretion/erosion, and the trend towards erosion. The coast from XDRE to XiaoQing River Estuary (XQRE) showed slow accretion pattern. Human activities have heavily influenced the natural evolution of the MYR delta coast.

Effectiveness of influenza vaccination for preventing influenza-related complications in people with asthma: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Vasileiou, Eleftheria; Sheikh, Aziz; Butler, Chris; von Wissmann, Beatrix; McMenamin, Jim; Ritchie, Lewis; Tian, Lilly; Simpson, Colin

2016-03-29

Influenza vaccination is administered annually as a preventive measure against influenza infection and influenza-related complications in high-risk individuals, such as those with asthma. However, the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in people with asthma against influenza-related complications is still not well established. We will search the following databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Web of Science Core Collection, Science direct, WHO Library Information System (WHOLIS), Global Health Library and Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang and ChongQing VIP) from Jan 1970 to Jan 2016 for observational and experimental studies on effectiveness of influenza vaccine in people with asthma. The identification of studies will be complemented with the searching of the reference lists and citations, and contacting influenza vaccine manufacturers to identify unpublished or ongoing studies. Two reviewers will extract data and appraise the quality of each study independently. Separate meta-analyses will be undertaken for observational and experimental evidence using fixed-effect or random-effects models, as appropriate. Formal ethical approval is not required, as primary data will not be collected. The review will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Spatial cyberinfrastructures, ontologies, and the humanities.

PubMed

Sieber, Renee E; Wellen, Christopher C; Jin, Yuan

2011-04-05

We report on research into building a cyberinfrastructure for Chinese biographical and geographic data. Our cyberinfrastructure contains (i) the McGill-Harvard-Yenching Library Ming Qing Women's Writings database (MQWW), the only online database on historical Chinese women's writings, (ii) the China Biographical Database, the authority for Chinese historical people, and (iii) the China Historical Geographical Information System, one of the first historical geographic information systems. Key to this integration is that linked databases retain separate identities as bases of knowledge, while they possess sufficient semantic interoperability to allow for multidatabase concepts and to support cross-database queries on an ad hoc basis. Computational ontologies create underlying semantics for database access. This paper focuses on the spatial component in a humanities cyberinfrastructure, which includes issues of conflicting data, heterogeneous data models, disambiguation, and geographic scale. First, we describe the methodology for integrating the databases. Then we detail the system architecture, which includes a tier of ontologies and schema. We describe the user interface and applications that allow for cross-database queries. For instance, users should be able to analyze the data, examine hypotheses on spatial and temporal relationships, and generate historical maps with datasets from MQWW for research, teaching, and publication on Chinese women writers, their familial relations, publishing venues, and the literary and social communities. Last, we discuss the social side of cyberinfrastructure development, as people are considered to be as critical as the technical components for its success.

[The origin and development of fragrance activity in Chinese ancient times].

PubMed

Ding, Jie-yun; Jin, Zhi-jun

2010-05-01

It has a long history of the fragrance activities in the ancient China. During the period of pre-Qin, it was mainly used in the therapy and worship. Until the Three Kingdoms, the crowd using the fragrance expanded from the royal to the literati and the general officials. People applied the spices to incense clothes, purify rooms, prevent and treat epidemic diseases in daily. In the worship, the spices were dedicated to Gods and other fairies. The fragrance was developed quickly during the period from Wei Dynasty to South and North Dynasties. People had more experiences of spices used as medicines, the formula of spices were used more widely. Then, during the period from Sui Dynasty to Song Dynasty, the fragrance activities climbed to the peak. The fragrance activities were institutionalized, when nobility matched their spices each other. The Literati made spice products and enjoyed the fragrance activities. Doctors knew more than before in the application experiences and species of spices. In the times of Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty, the fragrance activities spread among the public. The spices appeared in each side of the daily life of nobility, when natural fruits appeared in the fragrance activities. External therapy with spices appeared in the clinical. In addition to prevention and therapy, spices should be used in the embalming. After a long period, the fragrance activities had gradually developed into a kind of culture.

[Elementary exploration of the origin and development of marine Chinese materia medica].

PubMed

Guan, Hua-Shi; Fu, Xian-Jun; Wu, Qiang-Ming; Wang, Chang-Yun; Wang, Yu; Jiang, Deng-Zhao

2009-05-01

According to archaeological discoveries, humans began to make use of marine natural resources early in the Palaeolithic era. In the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period, they began to use marine life as medicines and also had simple cognitions on their efficacy and processing. In the Qin and Han dynasties, people further deepened the understanding of the marine Chinese materia medica and created prescriptions making use of marine drugs. In the Tang and Song period, the number of marine Chinese materia medica species and corresponding prescriptions apparently increased. The cognitions of the property, flavor, efficacy as well as the compatible principle of marine Chinese materia medica was further deepened and the scope of their treatment also significantly expanded. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the cognition of the marine Chinese materia medica was mainly the conclusions of the previous experience. After the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), with the development of science and technologies, the ability of exploiting and utilizing the marine Chinese materia medica by people dramatically increased, and the species of marine Chinese materia medica reached more than one thousand. However, the development of marine Chinese materia medica is confronted with new problems; although the number of species of marine Chinese materia medica increased, the understanding of their property and flavor is obviously lagging behind, which seriously affects the clinical application of marine Chinese materia medica.

Spatial cyberinfrastructures, ontologies, and the humanities

PubMed Central

Sieber, Renee E.; Wellen, Christopher C.; Jin, Yuan

2011-01-01

We report on research into building a cyberinfrastructure for Chinese biographical and geographic data. Our cyberinfrastructure contains (i) the McGill-Harvard-Yenching Library Ming Qing Women's Writings database (MQWW), the only online database on historical Chinese women's writings, (ii) the China Biographical Database, the authority for Chinese historical people, and (iii) the China Historical Geographical Information System, one of the first historical geographic information systems. Key to this integration is that linked databases retain separate identities as bases of knowledge, while they possess sufficient semantic interoperability to allow for multidatabase concepts and to support cross-database queries on an ad hoc basis. Computational ontologies create underlying semantics for database access. This paper focuses on the spatial component in a humanities cyberinfrastructure, which includes issues of conflicting data, heterogeneous data models, disambiguation, and geographic scale. First, we describe the methodology for integrating the databases. Then we detail the system architecture, which includes a tier of ontologies and schema. We describe the user interface and applications that allow for cross-database queries. For instance, users should be able to analyze the data, examine hypotheses on spatial and temporal relationships, and generate historical maps with datasets from MQWW for research, teaching, and publication on Chinese women writers, their familial relations, publishing venues, and the literary and social communities. Last, we discuss the social side of cyberinfrastructure development, as people are considered to be as critical as the technical components for its success. PMID:21444819

[Surveys on resources and varieties on Chinese markets of crude drug mahuang].

PubMed

Hong, Hao; Chen, Hubiao; Xu, Feng; Zang, Xinyu; Yang, Donghui; Wang, Xuan; Cai, Shaoqing; Mikage, Masayuki

2011-05-01

Many species of the genus Ephedra plants are used as Chinese traditional medicines, in Chinese which are known as "Mahuang" (Ephedrae Herba). In order to get a clear picture of resources distribution and varieties on Chinese markets of the crude drug Mahuang and provide scientific basis for their resource conservation and sustainable use, during recent years we conducted field investigations and market researches many times. The results showed that the most common species on the Chinese markets was E. sinica (33/38 commercial samples), followed by E. intermedia (5/38 commercial samples), which was also used in local clinics in Qing-hai, Gansu and Xinjiang province, no E. equisetina was found in the market. We noticed that the resources of both official and non-official plants of Mahuang, especially Zhong-Mahuang and Muzei-Mahuang, were seriously damaged in the past decade because of the ecological environment damage and over-digging. Zhong-Mahuang was distinguished in Ningxia and north Gansu, which was once one of the most distribution areas and contains more than 10,000 t Zhong-Mahuang. Muzei-Mahuang was distinguished in most places and distributed sparsely around Altay Mountains in northeast in Xinjiang. Thus, Cultivation of Mahuang, especially Zhong-Mahuang and Muzei-Mahuang should be greatly developed. At the same time, wild resources of Mahuang must be preserved strictly, i.e., proper method of cutting Ephedra plant could prevent the damage of the resource.

Top-up operation at Pohang Light Source-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, I.; Huang, J. Y.; Kim, M.; Lee, B.-J.; Kim, C.; Choi, J.-Y.; Kim, M.-H.; Lee, H. S.; Moon, D.; Lee, E. H.; Kim, D.-E.; Nam, S. H.; Shin, S.; Cho, Moohyun

2014-05-01

After three years of upgrading work, PLS-II (S. Shin, Commissioning of the PLS-II, JINST, January 2013) is now successfully operating. The top-up operation of the 3 GeV linear accelerator had to be delayed because of some challenges encountered, and PLS-II was run in decay mode at the beginning in March 2012. The main difficulties encountered in the top-up operation of PLS-II are different levels between the linear accelerator and the storage ring, the 14 narrow gap in-vacuum undulators in operation, and the full energy injection by 3 GeV linear accelerator. Large vertical emittance and energy jitter of the linac were the major obstacles that called for careful control of injected beam to reduce beam loss in the storage ring during injection. The following measures were taken to resolve these problems: (1) The high resolution Libera BPM (see http://www.i-tech.si) was implemented to measure the beam trajectory and energy. (2) Three slit systems were installed to filter the beam edge. (3) De-Qing circuit was applied to the modulator system to improve the energy stability of injected beam. As a result, the radiation by beam loss during injection is reduced drastically, and the top-up mode has been successfully operating since 19th March 2013. In this paper, we describe the experimental results of the PLS-II top-up operation and the improvement plan.

[Characteristics of acupoint selection of acupuncture-moxibustion for vertigo in history: a data mining research].

PubMed

Li, Xiang; Shou, Yi-Xia; Ren, Yu-Lan; Liang, Fan-Rong

2014-05-01

The data mining technique is adopted to analyze characteristics and rules of acupoint and meridian selection of acupuncture-moxibustion for treatment of vertigo at different time periods in the ancient. The data is collected from literature regarding acupuncture-moxibustion from the pre-Qin period to the end of Qing Dynasty, so as to establish a clinical literature database of ancient acupuncture-moxibustion for treatment of vertigo. Data mining method is applied to analyze the commonly used meridians, acupoints and special acupoints in different dynasties, also possible rules are explored. Totally 82 pieces of prescription of acupuncture-moxibustion for treatment of vertigo are included. In the history the leading selection of acupoitns are Fengchi (GB 20), Hegu (LI 4), Shangxing (GV 23) and Jiexi (ST 41) while that of meridians are mainly three yang meridians of foot and the Governor Vessel, especially the acupoints on the Bladder Meridian of foot yangming had the highest utilization rate, accounting for 23.04%. The acupoint selection is characterized by special acupoint, accounting for 80.6%, among which the crossing points are the most common choice. Distal-proximal acupoints combination is the most frequent method. The results indicate that the ancient acupuncture-moxibustion for treatment of vertigo focused on acupoints in the yang meridians, and the specific acupoints play an essential role in prescription; also the principle of syndrome differentiation and selecting acupoints along the meridians could be seen.

Top-up operation at Pohang Light Source-II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hwang, I.; Huang, J. Y.; Kim, M.

2014-05-15

After three years of upgrading work, PLS-II (S. Shin, Commissioning of the PLS-II, JINST, January 2013) is now successfully operating. The top-up operation of the 3 GeV linear accelerator had to be delayed because of some challenges encountered, and PLS-II was run in decay mode at the beginning in March 2012. The main difficulties encountered in the top-up operation of PLS-II are different levels between the linear accelerator and the storage ring, the 14 narrow gap in-vacuum undulators in operation, and the full energy injection by 3 GeV linear accelerator. Large vertical emittance and energy jitter of the linac weremore » the major obstacles that called for careful control of injected beam to reduce beam loss in the storage ring during injection. The following measures were taken to resolve these problems: (1) The high resolution Libera BPM (see http://www.i-tech.si ) was implemented to measure the beam trajectory and energy. (2) Three slit systems were installed to filter the beam edge. (3) De-Qing circuit was applied to the modulator system to improve the energy stability of injected beam. As a result, the radiation by beam loss during injection is reduced drastically, and the top-up mode has been successfully operating since 19th March 2013. In this paper, we describe the experimental results of the PLS-II top-up operation and the improvement plan.« less

Traffic signal design and simulation for vulnerable road users safety and bus preemption

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lo, Shih-Ching; Huang, Hsieh-Chu

Mostly, pedestrian car accidents occurred at a signalized interaction is because pedestrians cannot across the intersection safely within the green light. From the viewpoint of pedestrian, there might have two reasons. The first one is pedestrians cannot speed up to across the intersection, such as the elders. The other reason is pedestrians do not sense that the signal phase is going to change and their right-of-way is going to be lost. Developing signal logic to protect pedestrian, who is crossing an intersection is the first purpose of this study. In addition, to improve the reliability and reduce delay of publicmore » transportation service is the second purpose. Therefore, bus preemption is also considered in the designed signal logic. In this study, the traffic data of the intersection of Chong-Qing North Road and Min-Zu West Road, Taipei, Taiwan, is employed to calibrate and validate the signal logic by simulation. VISSIM 5.20, which is a microscopic traffic simulation software, is employed to simulate the signal logic. From the simulated results, the signal logic presented in this study can protect pedestrians crossing the intersection successfully. The design of bus preemption can reduce the average delay. However, the pedestrian safety and bus preemption signal will influence the average delay of cars largely. Thus, whether applying the pedestrian safety and bus preemption signal logic to an intersection or not should be evaluated carefully.« less

Life cycle assessment of manure management and nutrient recycling from a Chinese pig farm.

PubMed

Luo, Yiming; Stichnothe, Heinz; Schuchardt, Frank; Li, Guoxue; Huaitalla, Roxana Mendoza; Xu, Wen

2014-01-01

Driven by the growing numbers of intensified pig farms around cities in China, there are problems of nutrient surplus and shortage of arable land for utilising the manure. Hence, sustainable livestock systems with effective manure management are needed. The objective of this study is to compare the existing manure treatment of a typical pig farm in Beijing area (separate collection of faeces; 'Gan qing fen' system) with an alternative system and to identify the nutrients flow of the whole farm in order to quantify environmental burdens and to estimate the arable land required for sustainable nutrients recycling. Life cycle assessment is used for this purpose. Acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP) and global warming potential (GWP) are analysed in detail; the functional unit is the annual production of the pig farm. The results show that the cropland area demand for sustainable land application of the effluent can be reduced from 238 to 139 ha with the alternative system. It is possible to transfer 29% of total nitrogen, 87% of phosphorus, 34% of potassium and 75% of magnesium to the compost, and to reduce the total AP, EP and GWP of manure management on the farm by 64.1%, 96.7% and 22%, respectively, compared with the current system. Besides an effective manure management system, a full inventory of the regional nutrients flow is needed for sustainable development of livestock systems around big cities in China.

Historical anthropogenic contributions to mercury accumulation recorded by a peat core from Dajiuhu montane mire, central China.

PubMed

Li, Yuanping; Ma, Chunmei; Zhu, Cheng; Huang, Run; Zheng, Chaogui

2016-09-01

Mercury (Hg) accumulation records spanning the last 16,000 years before present (yr BP, relative to AD 1950) were derived from a peat core collected from Dajiuhu mire, central China. The natural Hg concentration and accumulation rate (free from anthropogenic influence) were 135.5 ± 53.9 ng g(-1) and 6.5 ± 4.5 μg m(-2) yr(-1), respectively. The increase in Hg flux that started from a core depth of 96.5 cm (3358 cal yr BP) is independent of soil erosion and organic matter content. We attribute this to an increase in atmospheric Hg deposition derived from regional anthropogenic activities. Anthropogenic Hg accumulation rates (Hg-ARA) in the pre-industrial period peaked during the Ming and the early Qing dynasties (582-100 cal yr BP), with Hg-ARA of 9.9-24.6 and 10.7-24.4 μg m(-2) yr(-1), respectively. In the industrial interval (post∼1850 AD), Hg-ARA increased progressively and reached 32.7 μg m(-2) yr(-1) at the top of the core. Our results indicate the existence of regional atmospheric Hg pollution spanning the past ∼3400 years, and place recent Hg enrichment in central China in a broader historical context. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health risks of heavy metals to the general public in Tianjin, China via consumption of vegetables and fish.

PubMed

Wang, Xilong; Sato, T; Xing, Baoshan; Tao, S

2005-11-01

Consumption of vegetables and fish contaminated with the heavy metals Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg, and Cr is the most likely route for human exposure in Tianjin, China. Health risks associated with these heavy metals were assessed based on the target hazard quotients (THQs), which can be derived from concentrations of heavy metals in vegetables and fish consumed in four districts (Dong Li, Xi Qing, Jin Nan, and Bei Chen) and the urban area of Tianjin, China. Individual metal THQ (<1) values indicate the relative absence of health risks associated with intake of a single heavy metal through consumption of either contaminated vegetables or fish only. However, consumption of both vegetables and fish would lead to potential health risks especially for children, since individual THQs for vegetables and fish would sum up to almost 1. If individual THQs resulting from crops consumption are considered, the health risks would be greater for children since the THQ values will always be >1. Risk contribution from Cr is minimal compared to the other elements. Hg is the major risk contributor for children in Bei Chen since the THQ contribution amounts to about 45% of the total THQ values due to vegetables and fish consumption. The health risk to adults in Ding Li is ascribed mainly to the intake of Cd by vegetables and fish consumption, which contributes a substantial fraction to the total THQ (about 51%).

Effects of anti-glare particles on sedation in mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hongyu; Hao, Shaojun; Liu, Xiaobin; Kong, Xuejun; Wang, Xidong; Li, Wenjun; Zhang, Zhengchen

2018-04-01

To investigate the effect of anti-glare particles on sedation of mice, 60 mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, were fed by Ant-dizzy Granule Suspension, saline, Yang Xue Qing Nao Granule suspension and the same volume of saline, and administered 1 times daily, for 7 days. The mice in the wilderness box, hang - 150W light bulbs in the box above, the light recording activities within 2 minutes. The wilderness box into the box after the number of mice, mice with limbs went to the 1 squares is around 1 in the same case, mouse location and method of wilderness case; each group was placed in the turn/bar with rotating speed of 40RPM, each time 5 Parallel experiment recorded the mouse stay time on the rotating rod, if the mouse fell within 2 minutes, immediately put it on the rotating rod to continue the experiment, recorded the mouse on the rotating rod accumulated stay time. If 10 minutes did not drop, press 10 minutes; eighty mice were divided into 5 groups. The number of each rat injected subthreshold dose of pentobarbital sodium in mice. The sleep recording liquid were recorded sleep latency and sleep time. The anti-vertigo granule can obviously reduce the spontaneous activity of mice (P<0.05), can significantly increase the residence time of mice on the rotating rod (P<0.05) have obvious synergistic effect (P<0.05). Anti-glare particles have good sedative effect.

From the Beginning: Archiving the History of NRAO and US Radio Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouton, E. N.

2005-12-01

In 2006 the National Radio Astronomy Observatory will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Before 2003, there were neither archives nor a formal archiving program at NRAO; institutional records were located at any of the four NRAO sites in four different states, and there was no record of the materials that we had. In mid-2003, the long-time NRAO librarian retired and began part time work as NRAO's first archivist. With the completion of an addition to the headquarters building in Charlottesville in spring 2005, the fledgling NRAO Archives moved into a new 1400 sq ft space. In addition to NRAO materials, the Archives also collects papers of individuals. Grote Reber, who built the first radio telescope in his backyard in Wheaton IL in 1937, had in 1995, donated many of his personal papers to NRAO, and these papers have been indexed and are available to researchers. We continue to receive additional materials from his estate in Tasmania. The complete papers of John Kraus, author, researcher, and professor in radio astronomy and engineering at Ohio State University for many years, were donated to the NRAO Archives by his son and estate executor in spring 2005. The NRAO Archives has also mounted Web resources with texts written by Nan Dieter Conklin and by Doc Ewen describing their work in the developing years of US radio astronomy. This talk will present the highlights of how, on a limited budget but with broad support of NRAO staff, the NRAO Archives has begun a program to gather and organize materials on institutional history as well as the personal papers and recollections of contributors to US radio astronomy history.

When times get tough, what happens to TQM? Case study.

PubMed

Niven, D

1993-01-01

When Mueller Chemical Company's biggest customer, Ameriton, demanded that MCC install a total quality management system five years ago, the effort seemed worth it. Morale improved dramatically at the German company, as did quality and productivity. But now, in this fictional case study, Ameriton has gone bankrupt. As a result, MCC has had to cut its work force, and senior managers are meeting to decide whether TQM should be part of the downsized MCC. Horst Koblitz, director of TQM, and Division Manager Eva Stichen both vote yes. Stichen's division, which never supplied Ameriton, has turned its process-control system into the company's best thanks to TQM. The division is more cost-efficient, product defects are nearly nonexistent, and its safety record is spotless. As Koblitz notes, Ameriton's failure is no reason to abandon all that MCC has built. Furthermore, shareholders and customers would think that MCC was panicking. MCC just needs to tailor its TQM program to a smaller organization. But CFO Georg Becker doesn't think MCC has the time or resources for fine-tuning. And as he sees it, that might be just as well. The distractions that came with TQM took MCC away from its goal of becoming the chemicals market leader in Europe. While the company organized teams, developed measurement systems, and filled out quality reports, its competitors took away much of the market share MCC was after. TQM was a good long-term approach, but it didn't come with a plan for MCC's current situation. And CEO and Chairman Dieter Mueller won't compromise; TQM must either stay or go.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Influences of oxygen content on characteristics of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in argon/oxygen mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Zhi; Shao, Tao; Wang, Ruixue; Yang, Jing; Zhang, Cheng

2016-04-01

The dielectric barrier discharge generated in argon/oxygen mixtures at atmospheric pressure is investigated, and the effect of oxygen content on discharge characteristics at applied voltage of 4.5 kV is studied by means of electrical measurements and optical diagnostics. The results show that the filaments in the discharge regime become more densely packed with the increasing in the oxygen content, and the distribution of the filaments is more uniform in the gap. An increase in the oxygen content results in a decrease in the average power consumed and transported charges, while there exists an optimal value of oxygen content for the production of oxygen radicals. The maximal yield of oxygen radicals is obtained in mixtures of argon with 0.3% oxygen addition, and the oxygen radicals then decrease with the further increase in the oxygen content. The oxygen/argon plasma is employed to modify surface hydrophilicity of the PET films to estimate the influence of oxygen content on the surface treatment, and the static contact angles before and after the treatments are measured. The lowest contact angle is obtained at a 0.3% addition of oxygen to argon, which is in accordance with the optimum oxygen content for oxygen radicals generation. The electron density and electron temperature are estimated from the measured current and optical emission spectroscopy, respectively. The electron density is found to reduce significantly at a higher oxygen content due to the increased electron attachment, while the estimated electron temperature do not change apparently with the oxygen content. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Recent Breakthroughs in Microplasma Science and Technology", edited by Kurt Becker, Jose Lopez, David Staack, Klaus-Dieter Weltmann and Wei Dong Zhu.

The dopamine β-hydroxylase inhibitor, nepicastat, suppresses chocolate self-administration and reinstatement of chocolate seeking in rats.

PubMed

Zaru, Alessandro; Maccioni, Paola; Colombo, Giancarlo; Gessa, Gian Luigi

2013-10-01

Craving for chocolate is a common phenomenon, which may evolve to an addictive-like behaviour and contribute to obesity. Nepicastat is a selective dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) inhibitor that suppresses cocaine-primed reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats. We verified whether nepicastat was able to modify the reinforcing and motivational properties of a chocolate solution and to prevent the reinstatement of chocolate seeking in rats. Nepicastat (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) produced a dose-related inhibition of operant self-administration of the chocolate solution in rats under fixed-ratio 10 (FR10) and progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement, measures of the reinforcing and motivational properties of the chocolate solution, respectively. The effect of nepicastat on the reinstatement of chocolate seeking was studied in rats in which lever-responding had been extinguished by removing the chocolate solution for approximately 8 d. Nepicastat dose-dependently suppressed the reinstatement of lever-responding triggered by a 'priming' of the chocolate solution together with cues previously associated with the availability of the reward. In a separate group of food-restricted rats trained to lever-respond for regular food pellets, nepicastat reduced FR10 lever-responding with the same potency as for the chocolate solution. Spontaneous locomotor activity was not modified by nepicastat doses that reduced self-administration of the chocolate solution and regular food pellets and suppressed the reinstatement of chocolate seeking. The results indicate that nepicastat reduces motivation to food consumption sustained by appetite or palatability. Moreover, the results suggest that DBH inhibitors may be a new class of pharmacological agents potentially useful in the prevention of relapse to food seeking in human dieters.

A practical guide to fad diets.

PubMed

Porcello, L A

1984-07-01

This discussion of fad diets may be concluded by comparing the 14 selected diets with the standards previously outlined for desirable weight reducing plans. Many of the popular diets supply large quantities of saturated fat and cholesterol, which are dietary components that have been associated with cardiovascular disease. Ketogenic diets are not appropriate for athletes because of problems with secondary dehydration and hyponatremia. Almost all of the diets are nutritionally inadequate. The rate of anticipated weight loss will vary according to the age, sex, weight, basal energy requirement, and activity level of an individual. However, it is expected that weight loss will be excessively rapid if a competitive athlete consumes a diet of less than 1000 calories per day. These hypocaloric diets cannot meet the training demands of athletes and will promote loss of lean body mass and carbohydrate stores. Many of the ketogenic diets do not restrict calories; therefore, weight loss will depend upon individual daily caloric consumption. The Cambridge Diet and starvation diets produce weight loss far in excess of that desired for an athlete in training. Long-term eating patterns to maintain weight loss are not encouraged in any of the 14 selected fad diets. In fact, most of these diets promote patterns of poor nutrition. Not one of the diets provides options or choices for dieters to use in accommodating food preference and lifestyle patterns. Some of the diets are fairly easy to comply with and others require special foods and supplements. None of the 14 diets reviewed fulfull all of the standards for a sound weight reduction diet plan.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Oil and wasser.

PubMed

Reimus, Byron

2004-05-01

It was supposed to be an amicable "merger of equals," an example of European togetherness, a synergistic deal that would create the world's second-largest consumer foods company out of two former competitors. But the marriage of entrepreneurial powerhouse Royal Biscuit and the conservative, family-owned Edeling GmbH is beginning to look overly ambitious. Integration planning is way behind schedule. Investors seem wary. But for Royal Biscuit HR head Michael Brighton, the most immediate problem is that he can't get his German counterpart, Dieter Wallach, to collaborate on a workable leadership development plan for the merged company's executives. And stockholders have been promised details of the new organizational structure, including a precise timetable, in less than a month. The CEO of the British company--and of the postmerger Royal Edeling--is furious. It's partly a culture clash, but the problems may run deeper than that. The press is harping on details that counter the official merger-of-equals line. For instance, seven of the ten seats on the new company's management board will be held by Royal Biscuit executives. Will the clash of cultures undermine this cross-border merger? Commenting on the fictional case study are Robert F. Bruner, the executive director of the Batten-Institute at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration in Charlottesville; Leda Cosmides and John Tooby, the codirectors of the Center for Evolutionary Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Michael Pragnell, the CEO and director of the board for the agribusiness firm Syngenta, based in Basel, Switzerland; and David Schweiger, the president of the Columbia, South Carolina--based management consulting firm Schweiger and Associates.

Nanosecond Enhancements of the Atmospheric Electron Density by Extensive Air Showers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutjes, C.; Camporeale, E.; Ebert, U.; Buitink, S.; Scholten, O.; Trinh, G. T. N.; Witteveen, J.

2015-12-01

As is well known a sufficient density of free electrons and strong electric fields are the basic requirements to start any electrical discharge. In the context of thunderstorm discharges it has become clear that in addition droplets and or ice particles are required to enhance the electric field to values above breakdown. In our recent study [1] we have shown that these three ingredients have to interplay to allow for lightning inception, triggered by an extensive air shower event. The extensive air showers are a very stochastic natural phenomenon, creating highly coherent sub-nanosecond enhancements of the atmospheric electron density. Predicting these electron density enhancements accurately one has to take the uncertainty of the input variables into account. For this study we use the initial energy, inclination and altitude of first interaction, which will influence the evolution of the shower significantly. To this end, we use the stochastic collocation method, [2] to post-process our detailed Monte Carlo extensive air shower simulations, done with the CORSIKA [3] software package, which provides an efficient and elegant way to determine the distribution of the atmospheric electron density enhancements. [1] Dubinova, A., Rutjes, C., Ebert, E., Buitink, S., Scholten, O., and Trinh, G. T. N. "Prediction of Lightning Inception by Large Ice Particles and Extensive Air Showers." PRL 115 015002 (2015)[2] G.J.A. Loeven, J.A.S. Witteveen, H. Bijl, Probabilistic collocation: an efficient nonintrusive approach for arbitrarily distributed parametric uncertainties, 45th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, Nevada, 2007, AIAA-2007-317[3] Heck, Dieter, et al. CORSIKA: A Monte Carlo code to simulate extensive air showers. No. FZKA-6019. 1998.

PREFACE: Symmetries in Science XVI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-10-01

This volume of the proceedings ''Symmetries in Science XVI'' is dedicated to the memory of Miguel Lorente and Allan Solomon who both participated several times in these Symposia. We lost not only two great scientists and colleagues, but also two wonderful persons of high esteem whom we will always remember. Dieter Schuch, Michael Ramek There is a German saying ''all good things come in threes'' and ''Symmetries in Science XVI'', convened July 20-26, 2013 at the Mehrerau Monastery, was our third in the sequel of these symposia since taking it over from founder Bruno Gruber who instigated it in 1988 (then in Lochau). Not only the time seemed to have been perfect (one week of beautiful sunshine), but also the medley of participants could hardly have been better. This time, 34 scientists from 16 countries (more than half outside the European Union) came together to report and discuss their latest results in various fields of science, all related to symmetries. The now customary grouping of renowned experts and talented newcomers was very rewarding and stimulating for all. The informal, yet intense, discussions at ''Gasthof Lamm'' occurred (progressively later) each evening till well after midnight and finally till almost daybreak! However, prior to the opening ceremony and during the conference, respectively, we were informed that Miguel Lorente and Allan Solomon had recently passed away. Both attended the SIS Symposia several times and had many friends among present and former participants. Professor Peter Kramer, himself a long-standing participant and whose 80th birthday commemoration prevented him from attending SIS XVI, kindly agreed to write the obituary for Miguel Lorente. Professors Richard Kerner and Carol Penson (both also former attendees) penned, at very short notice, the tribute to Allan Solomon. The obituaries are included in these Proceedings and further tributes have been posted to our conference website. In 28 lectures and an evening poster

Lessons in ambivalence: The Shanghai Municipal Council's opium policies, 1906-1917.

PubMed

Zhang, Yong-An; Du, Yilun

2016-11-01

Shanghai was considered to be a "capital of opium" in modern China, hence the history of opium in the city has received significant attention. In the Shanghai International Settlement, where Chinese and foreigners lived as neighbours, drugs were considered by the administration as both "trouble maker", and important financial resource. This paper explores how the Shanghai Municipal Council (SMC), the most senior governing body in the settlement, used its position to maximize political and economic profit from the trade and consumption of opium. The paper is based on documentary analysis of records of the SMC board meetings and other related material stored at Shanghai Municipal Archives. Interpretive approaches were used to analyze the shifting SMC strategies on opium consumption, the competing power relations and the way they were negotiated between actors with a stake in the region, including semi-colonialism and world systems analysis. With the dual purpose of preventing damage and enhancing municipal management, the SMC introduced a licensing system permitting the consumption and trade of drugs. However, the anti-opium policies of the late Qing government and the Anglo-Chinese 10 Year Agreement meant SMC had to shut down opium "houses" (opium dens) and "shops" (for the sale of opium to be consumed off the premises). Over almost a decade, the SMC shifted emphasis from political regulation of a social, recreational practice to maximizing financial benefit. In the process, SMC made full use of the opportunities it gained from a period of ambivalent Chinese and British power relations and local community rule. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925), a man to cure patients and the nation - his early years and medical career.

PubMed

Ma, K W

1996-08-01

"The top physician cures the nation first, and then the people." This is a saying recorded in the Guo Yu, the ancient Chinese book of history. Another saying is that one may choose "To be either a good prime minister or a good doctor", by Fan Zhong-Yan (989-1052), a high official. Such sayings reflect the aspirations of many Chinese literary men in the past. This aspiration to high office had been particularly popular among the Confucian physicians since the eleventh century AD, underlining the point of view that the curing of patients by a good physician was just like a good prime minister administering a nation. Hence, many Confucian scholars and men of letters took medicine either as a career or as a charitable exercise as well as a way to fulfil filial piety for preserving themselves and their families, especially if they had failed to be a candidate for an official position. Quite a few officials also followed suit, especially when they experienced difficulties in their posts, like being demoted, or sacked. However, none of them had ever become head of the nation, or a revolutionary, or exerted so profound an influence upon the history of China as Sun Yat-Sen, who started his career as a physician, became a democratic revolutionary and overthrew the Qing monarchy and founded the republic, is not only unique in the history of China, but in the history of medicine as well. The year 1996 is the hundred and thirtieth anniversary of his birth. This article marks this occasion.

Characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine use for children with allergic rhinitis: a nationwide population-based study.

PubMed

Yen, Hung-Rong; Liang, Kai-Li; Huang, Tzu-Ping; Fan, Ji-Yu; Chang, Tung-Ti; Sun, Mao-Feng

2015-04-01

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disorder in children, some of whom seek complementary treatments, including acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Little, however, is known about the treatment of pediatric AR with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). To characterize TCM use in pediatric AR, we conducted a nationwide population-based study. We screened one million randomly sampled beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Program in Taiwan from 2002 to 2010 to identify children <18 years of age with newly diagnosed allergic rhinitis (ICD-9 code 477.9). The subjects were categorized according to their use of TCM. We identified 97,401 children newly diagnosed with AR for inclusion in the study. Among these children, 63.11% (N=61,472) had used TCM. There were significantly more TCM users than non-users among school-age children and adolescents (P<0.001). Most (99.1%) pediatric TCM users received Chinese herbal remedies (99.1%); only 0.9% received acupuncture or manipulative therapies. Xin-Yi-Qing-Fei-Tang (Magnolia Flower Lung-Clearing Decoction) was the most frequently prescribed TCM formulation (23.44%), and the most commonly prescribed single herb was Chan-Tui (Periostracum cicadae; 13.78%). Regarding syndrome differentiation (ZHENG) according to TCM theory, prescriptions for the Cold Syndrome exceeded those for the Hot Syndrome throughout the year in Taiwan. We found that approximately two-thirds of pediatric AR patients were prescribed TCM treatments in Taiwan. Further research is warranted to examine the efficacy and safety of TCM for pediatric AR patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Matsu Cultural Heritage and Its Conservation in Bohai Rim - Case Study on the Hall of Fujian in Yantai

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, S.

2015-08-01

Since the Yuan Dynasty, the belief of Matsu had started to spread from the birthplace to the northern coastal areas in China. Matsu worship developed to the pinnacle with the official promotion on account of the government's dependence on grain transported by sea since the mid-Qing Dynasty. A large amount of Matsu temples emerged in coastal cities of Bohai Rim where it still keeps a large number of them until now. It has much relationship between the spread of Matsu culture and the flow of Fujian population. It was one of the main building way that the Matsu temples attached to the local hall of Fujian in Bohai Rim. The Hall of Fujian in Yantai, Which was built with materials taken from Fujian, in the feature of traditional architectural style from QuanZhou, is very different from the local building style of Yantai. This case indicates that maritime culture of the south area had spread and developed in the north areas under the promotion of the population flow and the economic transaction. The essay introduces briefly about the development of Matsu culture in Bohai Rim and takes the case study of the Hall of Fujian in Yantai analyzing its causes and features, and the value as Matsu heritage. Then the paper will discuss the conservation of Matsu culture mere include the tangible and the intangible culture heritage around the origin area, the heritages of the spread area also have the same importance significance. With the evolution of the society, it calls urgent attention and protection of Matsu culture in Bohai Rim.

The Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

PubMed

Liao, Yen-Nung; Hu, Wen-Long; Chen, Hsuan-Ju; Hung, Yu-Chiang

2017-01-01

In Oriental countries, combinations of Chinese herbal products (CHPs) are often utilized as therapeutic agents for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The effects of CHPs on COPD have been previously reported. This study aimed to analyze the frequency of prescription and usage of CHPs in patients with COPD in Taiwan. In this nationwide population-based cross-sectional study, 19,142 patients from a random sample of one million individuals in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID 2000) of the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) were enrolled from 2000 to 2011. The multiple logistic regression method was used to evaluate the adjusted odds ratios for the utilization of CHPs. For patients with COPD, there was an average of 6.31 CHPs in a single prescription. The most frequently prescribed CHP for COPD was Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang (XQLT) (2.6%), and the most commonly used combination of two formula CHPs was XQLT with Ma-Xing-Gan-Shi-Tang (MXGST) (1.28%). The most commonly used single CHP for COPD was Bulbus Fritillariae (3.65%), and the most commonly used combination of two single CHPs was Bulbus Fritillariae with Puerariae Lobatae (1.09%). These results provide information regarding personalized therapies and may promote further clinical experiments and pharmacologic research on the use of CHPs for the management of COPD. Furthermore, we found that TCM usage was more prevalent among men, younger, manual workers, residents of Northern Taiwan, and patients with chronic bronchitis and asthma. This information on the distribution of TCM usage around the country is valuable to public health policymakers and clinicians.

Magnetostructural transformation and magnetocaloric effect in Mn48‑x V x Ni42Sn10 ferromagnetic shape memory alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Najam ul; Shah, Ishfaq Ahmad; Khan, Tahira; Liu, Jun; Gong, Yuanyuan; Miao, Xuefei; Xu, Feng

2018-03-01

In this work, we tuned the magnetostructural transformation and the coupled magnetocaloric properties of Mn48‑x V x Ni42Sn10 (x = 0, 1, 2, and 3) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys prepared by means of partial replacement of Mn by V. It is observed that the martensitic transformation temperatures decrease with the increase of V content. The shift of the transition temperatures to lower temperatures driven by the applied field, the metamagnetic behavior, and the thermal hysteresis indicates the first-order nature for the magnetostructural transformation. The entropy changes with a magnetic field variation of 0–5 T are 15.2, 18.8, and 24.3 {{J}}\\cdot {kg}}-1\\cdot {{{K}}}-1 for the x = 0, 1, and 2 samples, respectively. The tunable martensitic transformation temperature, enhanced field driving capacity, and large entropy change suggest that Mn48‑x V x Ni42Sn10 alloys have a potential for applications in magnetic cooling refrigeration. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51601092, 51571121, and 11604148), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (Grant Nos. 30916011344 and 30916011345), the Fund Program for the Scientific Activities of Selected Returned Overseas Professionals in Shanxi Province, China, the Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (Grant No. 2016M591851), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant Nos. BK20160833, 20160829, and 20140035), the Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and Shanxi Scholarship Council of China (Grant No. 2016-092).

On the origin of life in the Zinc world: 1. Photosynthesizing, porous edifices built of hydrothermally precipitated zinc sulfide as cradles of life on Earth

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Eugene Koonin) and Dieter Braun (nominated by Sergey Maslov). PMID:19703272

A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity.

PubMed

Foster, Gary D; Wyatt, Holly R; Hill, James O; McGuckin, Brian G; Brill, Carrie; Mohammed, B Selma; Szapary, Philippe O; Rader, Daniel J; Edman, Joel S; Klein, Samuel

2003-05-22

Despite the popularity of the low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat (Atkins) diet, no randomized, controlled trials have evaluated its efficacy. We conducted a one-year, multicenter, controlled trial involving 63 obese men and women who were randomly assigned to either a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet or a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate, low-fat (conventional) diet. Professional contact was minimal to replicate the approach used by most dieters. Subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet had lost more weight than subjects on the conventional diet at 3 months (mean [+/-SD], -6.8+/-5.0 vs. -2.7+/-3.7 percent of body weight; P=0.001) and 6 months (-7.0+/-6.5 vs. -3.2+/-5.6 percent of body weight, P=0.02), but the difference at 12 months was not significant (-4.4+/-6.7 vs. -2.5+/-6.3 percent of body weight, P=0.26). After three months, no significant differences were found between the groups in total or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. The increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations and the decrease in triglyceride concentrations were greater among subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet than among those on the conventional diet throughout most of the study. Both diets significantly decreased diastolic blood pressure and the insulin response to an oral glucose load. The low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater weight loss (absolute difference, approximately 4 percent) than did the conventional diet for the first six months, but the differences were not significant at one year. The low-carbohydrate diet was associated with a greater improvement in some risk factors for coronary heart disease. Adherence was poor and attrition was high in both groups. Longer and larger studies are required to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets. Copyright 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society

Analysis of the cochlear amplifier fluid pump hypothesis.

PubMed

Zagadou, Brissi Franck; Mountain, David C

2012-04-01

We use analysis of a realistic three-dimensional finite-element model of the tunnel of Corti (ToC) in the middle turn of the gerbil cochlea tuned to the characteristic frequency (CF) of 4 kHz to show that the anatomical structure of the organ of Corti (OC) is consistent with the hypothesis that the cochlear amplifier functions as a fluid pump. The experimental evidence for the fluid pump is that outer hair cell (OHC) contraction and expansion induce oscillatory flow in the ToC. We show that this oscillatory flow can produce a fluid wave traveling in the ToC and that the outer pillar cells (OPC) do not present a significant barrier to fluid flow into the ToC. The wavelength of the resulting fluid wave launched into the tunnel at the CF is 1.5 mm, which is somewhat longer than the wavelength estimated for the classical traveling wave. This fluid wave propagates at least one wavelength before being significantly attenuated. We also investigated the effect of OPC spacing on fluid flow into the ToC and found that, for physiologically relevant spacing between the OPCs, the impedance estimate is similar to that of the underlying basilar membrane. We conclude that the row of OPCs does not significantly impede fluid exchange between ToC and the space between the row of OPC and the first row of OHC-Dieter's cells complex, and hence does not lead to excessive power loss. The BM displacement resulting from the fluid pumped into the ToC is significant for motion amplification. Our results support the hypothesis that there is an additional source of longitudinal coupling, provided by the ToC, as required in many non-classical models of the cochlear amplifier.

Gliogenesis: historical perspectives, 1839-1985.

PubMed

Webster, Henry deF; Aström, Karl E

2009-01-01

This historical review of gliogenesis begins with Schwann's introduction of the cell doctrine in 1839. Subsequent microscopic studies revealed the cellular structure of many organs and tissues, but the CNS was thought to be different. In 1864, Virchow created the concept that nerve cells are held together by a "Nervenkitte" which he called"glia" (for glue). He and his contemporaries thought that "glia" was an unstructured, connective tissue-like ground substance that separated nerve cells from each other and from blood vessels. Dieters, a pupil of Virchow, discovered that this ground substance contained cells, which he described and illustrated. Improvements in microscopes and discovery of metallic impregnation methods finally showed convincingly that the "glia" was not a binding substance. Instead, it was composed of cells, each separate and distinct from neighboring cells and each with its own characteristic array of processes. Light microscopic studies of developing and mature nervous tissue led to the discovery of different types of glial cells-astroglia, oligodendroglia, microglia, and ependymal cells in the CNS, and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Subsequent studies characterized the origins and development of each type of glial cell. A new era began with the introduction of electron microscopy, immunostaining, and in vitro maintenance of both central and peripheral nervous tissue. Other methods and models greatly expanded our understanding of how glia multiply, migrate, and differentiate. In 1985, almost a century and a half of study had produced substantial progress in our understanding of glial cells, including their origins and development. Major advances were associated with the discovery of new methods. These are summarized first. Then the origins and development of astroglia, oligodendroglia, microglia, ependymal cells, and Schwann cells are described and discussed. In general, morphology is emphasized. Findings related to

Meal timing and composition influence ghrelin levels, appetite scores and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults.

PubMed

Jakubowicz, Daniela; Froy, Oren; Wainstein, Julio; Boaz, Mona

2012-03-10

Although dietary restriction often results in initial weight loss, the majority of obese dieters fail to maintain their reduced weight. Diet-induced weight loss results in compensatory increase of hunger, craving and decreased ghrelin suppression that encourage weight regain. A high protein and carbohydrate breakfast may overcome these compensatory changes and prevent obesity relapse. In this study 193 obese (BMI 32.2±1.0kg/m(2)), sedentary non diabetic adult men and women (47±7years) were randomized to a low carbohydrate breakfast (LCb) or an isocaloric diet with high carbohydrate and protein breakfast (HCPb). Anthropometric measures were assessed every 4weeks. Fasting glucose, insulin, ghrelin, lipids, craving scores and breakfast meal challenge assessing hunger, satiety, insulin and ghrelin responses, were performed at baseline, after a Diet Intervention Period (Week 16) and after a Follow-up Period (Week 32). At Week 16, groups exhibited similar weight loss: 15.1±1.9kg in LCb group vs. 13.5±2.3kg in HCPb group, p=0.11. From Week 16 to Week 32, LCb group regained 11.6±2.6kg, while the HCPb group lost additional 6.9±1.7kg. Ghrelin levels were reduced after breakfast by 45.2% and 29.5% following the HCPb and LCb, respectively. Satiety was significantly improved and hunger and craving scores significantly reduced in the HCPb group vs. the LCb group. A high carbohydrate and protein breakfast may prevent weight regain by reducing diet-induced compensatory changes in hunger, cravings and ghrelin suppression. To achieve long-term weight loss, meal timing and macronutrient composition must counteract these compensatory mechanisms which encourage weight regain after weight loss. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping Galactic 60Fe Synthesis in Cen CIR Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woosley, Stanford

2005-01-01

This included a 1 year no cost time extension. The grant was for research into the origin of radioactive 60Fe, whose detection was a mission goal for INTEGRAL and RHESSI. During the grant period, both missions ultimately discovered gamma-line emission from this long lived radioactivity at precisely the value that had been predicted years before by Timmes and Woosley (ApJ, 449,204 (1995)). Unfortunately, using "revised" stellar models and cross sections Rauscher et a1 (ApJ, 576, 323 (2002)), had meanwhile predicted a much larger value. During the grant period, Dieter Hartmann (PI on the complementary grant at Clemson) and Woosley corresponded on this discrepancy and Hartmann visited Santa Cruz (November 20 - 28,2004). All of the grant funds in NAG513659 paid for the expenses of that visit. Subsequently, partly motivated by conversations with Hartmann and Diehl, Woosley re-investigated the production of 60Fe and 26A1 in massive stars from 12 - 120 solar masses, with an eye towards determining the relevant, uncertain physics. The chief changes in Rauscher et a1 were "new" Hauser Feshbach cross sections for 59,60Fe(ng) and 26Al(np)26Mg. The latter has an experimental evaluation which was actually better represented in the study of Timmes and Woosley. The iron (ng) cross sections are from theory and the Timmes and Woosley values were just as reliable as those from Rauscher. Experiments need to be done to resolve who is right. In addition uncertainties in stellar winds, opacities and the IMF were explored. The bottom line is that the value predicted by Timmes and Woosley could well be the correct one, but the experimental error bar is larger than was realized. At least half of the uncertainty is nuclear cross sections that can, and should be measured in the laboratory.

The weight management strategies inventory (WMSI). Development of a new measurement instrument, construct validation, and association with dieting success.

PubMed

Keller, Carmen; Siegrist, Michael

2015-09-01

In an obesogenic environment, people have to adopt effective weight management strategies to successfully gain or maintain normal body weight. Little is known about the strategies used by the general population in daily life. Due to the lack of a comprehensive measurement instrument to assess conceptually different strategies with various scales, we developed the weight management strategies inventory (WMSI). In study 1, we collected 19 weight management strategies from research on self-regulation of food intake and successful weight loss and maintenance, as well as from expert interviews. We classified them under the five main categories of health self-regulation strategies - goal setting and monitoring, prospection and planning, automating behavior, construal, and inhibition. We formulated 93 items. In study 2, we developed the WMSI in a random sample from the general population (N = 658), using reliability and exploratory factor analysis. This resulted in 19 factors with 63 items, representing the 19 strategies. In study 3, we tested the 19-factor structure in a quota (age, gender) sample from the general population (N = 616), using confirmatory factor analysis. A good model fit (CFI = .918; RMSEA = .043) was revealed. Reliabilities and construct validity were high. Positive correlations of most strategies with dieting success and negative correlations of some strategies with body mass index were found among dieters (N = 292). Study 4 (N = 162) revealed a good test-retest reliability. The WMSI assesses theoretically derived, evidence-based, and conceptually different weight management strategies with different scales that have good psychometric characteristics. The scales can also be used for pre- and post measures in intervention studies. The scales provide insights into the general population's weight management strategies and facilitate tailoring and evaluating health communication. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating sex differences in psychological predictors of snack intake among a large representative sample.

PubMed

Adriaanse, Marieke A; Evers, Catharine; Verhoeven, Aukje A C; de Ridder, Denise T D

2016-03-01

It is often assumed that there are substantial sex differences in eating behaviour (e.g. women are more likely to be dieters or emotional eaters than men). The present study investigates this assumption in a large representative community sample while incorporating a comprehensive set of psychological eating-related variables. A community sample was employed to: (i) determine sex differences in (un)healthy snack consumption and psychological eating-related variables (e.g. emotional eating, intention to eat healthily); (ii) examine whether sex predicts energy intake from (un)healthy snacks over and above psychological variables; and (iii) investigate the relationship between psychological variables and snack intake for men and women separately. Snack consumption was assessed with a 7d snack diary; the psychological eating-related variables with questionnaires. Participants were members of an Internet survey panel that is based on a true probability sample of households in the Netherlands. Men and women (n 1292; 45 % male), with a mean age of 51·23 (sd 16·78) years and a mean BMI of 25·62 (sd 4·75) kg/m2. Results revealed that women consumed more healthy and less unhealthy snacks than men and they scored higher than men on emotional and restrained eating. Women also more often reported appearance and health-related concerns about their eating behaviour, but men and women did not differ with regard to external eating or their intentions to eat more healthily. The relationships between psychological eating-related variables and snack intake were similar for men and women, indicating that snack intake is predicted by the same variables for men and women. It is concluded that some small sex differences in psychological eating-related variables exist, but based on the present data there is no need for interventions aimed at promoting healthy eating to target different predictors according to sex.

Detectors for MUSE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirschman, Jack; Muon Scattering Experiment (MUSE) Collaboration

2017-09-01

Until recently, it was thought that the proton radius was known with an uncertainty of 1%. However, experiments carried-out at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) involving muonic hydrogen yielded a radius 4% smaller with an uncertainty of .1%, a 7.9 σ inconsistency. This problem of properly measuring the radius now requires new and different measurements. The Muon Scattering Experiment (MUSE) will thus be the first to utilize elastic muon scattering with sufficient precision to address the proton radius measurement. MUSE will run in PSI's PiM1 beamline, using a stack of GEM chambers and thin scintillation detectors to identify and track the beam particle species in this mixed e, pi, mu beam. Scattered particles will be measured in two arms with ten layers of Straw Tube Tracking (STT) detectors and a double plastic scintillator wall for timing of and triggering on scattered particles. The STT chambers will employ the anti-Proton Annihilations at Darmstadt (PANDA) design. Each straw consists of a thin wire with high voltage surrounded by an aluminized Mylar tube inflated with a mix of Argon and Carbon Dioxide, the ratio of which is important for optimal operation. The Argon gas, ionized by incoming charged particles, releases electrons which attract to the central wire. The CO2 acts as a quencher, taking-up electrons to prevent an unstable avalanche effect. This project will investigate the effects of altering the gas mixture in the STTs on signal size and timing. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OISE-1358175, PHY-1614850, and PHY-1614938. Thank you to the teams at HUJI and PSI, in particular, Dr. G. Ron, Dr. T. Rostomyan, Dr. K. Dieters, and D. Cohen.

A qualitative study of the determinants of dieting and non-dieting approaches in overweight/obese Australian adults

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Dieting has historically been the main behavioural treatment paradigm for overweight/obesity, although a non-dieting paradigm has more recently emerged based on the criticisms of the original dieting approach. There is a dearth of research contrasting why these approaches are adopted. To address this, we conducted a qualitative investigation into the determinants of dieting and non-dieting approaches based on the perspectives and experiences of overweight/obese Australian adults. Methods Grounded theory was used inductively to generate a model of themes contrasting the determinants of dieting and non-dieting approaches based on the perspectives of 21 overweight/obese adults. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews to elicit in-depth individual experiences and perspectives. Results Several categories emerged which distinguished between the adoption of a dieting or non-dieting approach. These categories included the focus of each approach (weight/image or lifestyle/health behaviours); internal or external attributions about dieting failure; attitudes towards established diets, and personal autonomy. Personal autonomy was also influenced by another category; the perceived knowledge and self-efficacy about each approach, with adults more likely to choose an approach they knew more about and were confident in implementing. The time perspective of change (short or long-term) and the perceived identity of the person (fat/dieter or healthy person) also emerged as determinants of dieting or non-dieting approaches respectively. Conclusions The model of determinants elicited from this study assists in understanding why dieting and non-dieting approaches are adopted, from the perspectives and experiences of overweight/obese adults. Understanding this decision-making process can assist clinicians and public health researchers to design and tailor dieting and non-dieting interventions to population subgroups that have preferences and characteristics

Fluoroquinolones in the Wenyu River catchment, China: Occurrence simulation and risk assessment.

PubMed

Hao, Xuewen; Cao, Yan; Zhang, Lai; Zhang, Yongyong; Liu, Jianguo

2015-12-01

Concern is increasing regarding the environmental impact of the high usage rate and intensive release of antibiotics used for human and animal therapy in major urban areas of China. In the present study, regional environmental distribution simulations and risk assessments for 3 commonly used fluoroquinolones in the Wenyu River catchment were conducted using a typical catchment model widely used in Europe. The fluoroquinolone antibiotics investigated (ofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin) are consumed at high levels for personal health care in China. These antibiotics were simulated in the aquatic environment of the Wenyu River catchment across the Beijing City area for annual average concentrations, with regional predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of approximately 711 ng/L, 55.3 ng/L, and 22.2 ng/L and local PECs up to 1.8 µg/L, 116 ng/L, and 43 ng/L, respectively. Apart from hydrological conditions, the concentrations of fluoroquinolones were associated closely with the sewage treatment plants (STPs) and their serving population, as well as hospital distributions. The presence of these fluoroquinolones in the catchment area of the present study showed significant characteristics of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment in an urban river, with typical "down-the-drain" chemicals. Significantly high concentrations of specific antibiotics indicated non-negligible risks caused by the intensive use in the local aquatic environment in a metropolitan area, particularly ofloxacin in upstream Shahe Reservoir, middle stream and downstream Qing River, and Liangma River to the Ba River segment. Specific treatment measures for these pharmaceuticals and personal care products in STPs are required for such metropolitan areas. © 2015 SETAC.

Natura-alpha targets forkhead box m1 and inhibits androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cancer growth and invasion.

PubMed

Li, Yirong; Ligr, Martin; McCarron, James P; Daniels, Garrett; Zhang, David; Zhao, Xin; Ye, Fei; Wang, Jinhua; Liu, Xiaomei; Osman, Iman; Mencher, Simon K; Lepor, Hebert; Wang, Long G; Ferrari, Anna; Lee, Peng

2011-07-01

The development of new effective therapeutic agents with minimal side effects for prostate cancer (PC) treatment is much needed. Indirubin, an active molecule identified in the traditional Chinese herbal medicine-Qing Dai (Indigo naturalis), has been used to treat leukemia for decades. However, the anticancer properties of Natura-alpha, an indirubin derivative, are not well studied in solid tumors, particularly in PC. The growth kinetics and invasion ability of on human PC cell lines with or without Natura-alpha treatment were measured by cell proliferation and invasion assays. The antitumor effects of Natura-alpha were examined in nude mice tumor xenograft models, and in a patient with advanced hormone-refractory metastatic PC. Signal network proteins targeted by Natura-alpha were analyzed by using proteomic pathway array analysis (PPAA) on xenografts. Natura-alpha inhibited the growth of both androgen-dependent (LNCaP) and androgen-independent (LNCaP-AI, PC-3, and DU145) PC cells with IC(50) between 4 to 10 mmol/L, and also inhibited invasion of androgen-independent PC cells. Its antitumor effects were further evident in in vivo tumor reduction in androgen-dependent and androgen-independent nude mice tumor xenograft models and reduced tumor volume in the patient with hormone refractory metastatic PC. PPAA revealed that antiproliferative and antiinvasive activities of Natura-alpha on PC might primarily be through its downregulation of Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) protein. Forced overexpression of FOXM1 largely reversed the inhibition of growth and invasion by Natura-alpha. Natura-alpha could serve as a novel and effective therapeutic agent for treatment of both hormone-sensitive and hormone-refractory PC with minimal side effects.

Ecological effect and risk towards aquatic plants induced by perfluoroalkyl substances: Bridging natural to culturing flora.

PubMed

Zhou, Yunqiao; Wang, Tieyu; Jiang, Zhaoze; Kong, Xiaoxiao; Li, Qifeng; Sun, Yajun; Wang, Pei; Liu, Zhaoyang

2017-01-01

In the present study, the concentrations and proportions of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water and sediments (in different seasons) from the Qing River were investigated. The highest concentration of PFASs in water (207.59 ng L -1 ) was found in summer. The composition of PFASs in water changed with time, perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) was the predominant compound in spring and summer, while long-chain PFASs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), started to increase in autumn and winter. The PFASs concentration in sediments ranged from 0.96 to 4.05 ng g -1 dw. The proportion of long-chain PFASs was higher than that of short-chain PFASs in sediments, the dominant component in sediments was PFOA with a contribution of 24.6-75.4% to total PFASs in sediments, followed by PFOS. The concentrations of PFASs in roots of emergent plants were relatively higher than those in submerged plants. However, the translocation effect of PFASs was not remarkable. Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) of the aquatic plants indicated the absorption of PFASs were effective. BAFs in submerged plants basically increased with increasing chain length accordingly. In general, aquatic plants had the absorption preference for long-chain PFASs, especially PFOS, which was the predominant compounds in both submerged and emergent plants. Based on the results above, hornworts were selected to be cultivated indoor in the nutrient solution spiked gradient concentrations of PFOS to assess the general ecological risk. The results revealed that hornworts were resistant to PFOS and might be used as remediation flora to eliminate PFOS contamination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The traditional Chinese medicine prescription patterns for migraine patients in Taiwan: a population-based study.

PubMed

Chang, Yu-Yun; Tsai, Yueh-Ting; Lai, Jung-Nien; Yeh, Chia-Hao; Lin, Shun-Ku

2014-02-12

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), when given for symptom relief, has gained widespread popularity among migraine patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the utilization of TCM among migraine patients in Taiwan. The usage, frequency of service, and the Chinese herbal products prescribed for migraine were evaluated using a representative sample of one million subjects selected at random from the 22 million beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance scheme of Taiwan. Overall, 89.3% (N=12,827) migraine patients utilized TCM and 24.2% of them sought TCM with the intention of treating their migraine-related symptoms. Migraine patients who are living in urban area and those with an episodic migraine pattern (<15 days/month) (aOR=3.18, 95% CI: 2.75-3.67) were more likely to be TCM users than those living in a rural area and those who suffered from chronic migraine (≥15 days/month) (aOR=1.00). Overall, 81.2% of TCM visits involved the prescription of a Chinese herbal remedy or remedies and Chuan-Xiong-Cha-Tiao-San, Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, Ge-Gen-Tang, Xue-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang, Ban-Xia-Bai-Zhu-Tian-Ma-Tang, Qing-Shang-Juan-Tong-Tang, Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang, Tian-Ma-Gou-Teng-Yin, Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang, and Tian-Wang-Bu-Xin-Dan were the ten most frequently prescribed formula for treating migraine based on syndrome differentiation. Chuan-Xiong-Cha-Tiao-San, which contains sedative and anti-inflammatory agents, is the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formula for the treatment of migraine-related phenomena. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Preliminary processing, processing and usage of Dendrobii Caulis in history].

PubMed

Yang, Wen-yu; Tang, Sheng; Shi, Dong-jun; Chen, Xiang-gui; Li, Ming-yuan; Tang, Xian-fu; Yuan, Chang-jiang

2015-07-01

On account of the dense cuticles of the fresh stem and the light, hard and pliable texture of the dried stem, Dendrobii Caulis is difficult to dry or pulverize. So, it is very important to the ancient doctors that Dendrobii Caulis should be properly treated and applied to keep or evoke its medicinal effects. The current textual research results about the preliminary processing, processing and usage methods of Dendrobii Caulis showed that: (1) In history the clinical use of fresh or processed Dendrobii Caulis as teas and tinctures were very common. (2) Its roots and rhizomes would be removed before using. (3) Some ancillary approaches were applied to shorten drying times, such as rinsing with boiling mulberry-ash soup, washing or soaking with liquor, mixing with rice pulp and then basking, etc. (4) According to the ancients knowledge, the sufficient pulverization, by means of slicing, rasping, hitting or pestling techniques, was necessary for Dendrobii Caulis to take its effects. (5) The heat processing methods for Dendrobii Caulis included stir-baking, stir-frying, steaming, decocting and stewing techniques, usually with liquor as an auxiliary material. Among above mentioned, steaming by pretreating with liquor was most commonly used, and this scheme was colorfully drawn in Bu Yi Lei Gong Pao Zhi Bian Lan (Ming Dynasty, 1591 CE) ; moreover, decocting in advance or long-time simmering so as to prepare paste products were recommended in the Qing Dynasty. (6) Some different processing programs involving stir-baking with grit, air-tightly baking with ondol (Kangs), fumigating with sulfur, which appeared in modern times and brought attractive outward appearance of the drug, went against ancients original intentions of ensuring drug efficacy.

Contamination of commercially available seafood by key diarrhetic shellfish poisons along the coast of China.

PubMed

Lin, Chao; Liu, Zeng-Shan; Tan, Cai-Yun; Guo, Yi-Ping; Li, Lin; Ren, Hong-Lin; Li, Yan-Song; Hu, Pan; Gong, Sheng; Zhou, Yu; Lu, Shi-Ying

2015-01-01

With the increasing number of outbreaks of food-borne diseases caused by okadaic acid (OA) and its analogue dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1), two key diarrhetic shellfish poison (DSP) toxins, OA and DTX-1, have become a serious threat to public health and have attracted significant public attention in China. The aim of our study was to monitor OA and DTX-1 contamination in commercially available seafood and to provide references for tracking these toxins and preventing disease outbreaks. From 2010 to 2012, 40 species were collected from six coastal cities of four inland seas in China. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a lateral flow immunochromatographic (LFIC) test strip were used to analyse the samples, and the results were further confirmed using a commercially available ELISA kit. The monitoring results indicated that 23 of 40 species were positive for contamination. In addition, 14 of the positive species were determined to be inedible because the content of OA and DTX-1 was above the regulatory limit. Simultaneously, we verified that the digestive glands of shellfish tended to accumulate toxin, in contrast to the flesh. The highest concentrations of OA and DTX-1 were recorded in Scapharca broughtonii, which was collected from Qing Dao, in relation to the other analysed species. Moreover, the Arca family as well as Mytilus galloprovincialis were severely contaminated by OA and its analogue. The above results indicate that some of the commercially available seafood from the coastal cities in China may be inedible due to serious marine toxin contamination. The results of this study might play an important role in protecting consumer health and safety screening of marine products.

Profile of heating rate due to aerosols using lidar and skyradiometer in SKYNET Hefei site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.; Liu, D.; Xie, C.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric aerosols have a significant impact on climate due to their important role in modifying atmosphere energy budget. On global scale, the direct radiative forcing is estimated to be in the range of -0.9 to -0.1 Wm-2 for aerosols [1]. Yet, these estimates are subject to very large uncertainties because of uncertainties in spatial and temporal variations of aerosols. At local scales, as aerosol properties can vary spatially and temporally, radiative forcing due to aerosols can be also very different and it can exceed the global value by an order of magnitude. Hence, it is very important to investigate aerosol loading, properties, and radiative forcing due to them in detail on local regions of climate significance. Haze and dust events in Hefei, China are explored by Lidar and Skyradiometer. Aerosol optical properties including the AOD, SSA, AAE and size distribution are analysed by using the SKYRAD.PACK [2] and presented in this paper. Furthermore, the radiative forcing due to aerosols and the heating rate in the ATM are also calculated using SBDART model [3]. The results are shown that the vertical heating rate is tightly related to aerosol profile. References: 1. IPCC. 2007. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basic. Contribution of Working Group I Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Solomon S, Qing D H, Manning M, et al. eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, N Y, USA. 2. Nakajima, T., G. Tonna, R. Rao, Y. Kaufman, and B. Holben, 1996: Use of sky brightness measurements from ground for remote sensing of particulate poly dispersions, Appl. Opt., 35, 2672-2686. 3. Ricchiazzi et al 1998. SBDART: a research and teaching software tool for plane-parallel radiative transfer in the Earth's atmosphere,Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society,79,2101-2114.

Interaction of Geohazards and Settlements through the Past Millennium, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieh, K.; Daly, P.; Tai, Y. S.; McKinnon, E. E.; Feener, R. M.; Parnell, A. C.; Ismail, N.

2017-12-01

Geo-archaeological fieldwork conducted between 2010-2012 around Banda Aceh, Indonesia revealed stratigraphic evidence for one (possibly two) historic tsunami occurring in the decades after 1366±3. Between 2015 - 2017 we conducted an extensive landscape archaeology survey in 43 coastal villages spanning over 40 km to see if these past tsunamis impacted coastal settlement. In the first major systemic survey of its kind in Indonesia, we found and documented 995 archaeological sites ranging from the late 10th to 20th centuries CE, containing over 5,000 carved gravestones, and 50,000 ceramic sherds. The distribution of ceramic material suggests seven discrete areas of cultural activity before the 14th century CE tsunami. Our working hypothesis is that six of these sites were villages of local inhabitants who utilized imported ceramics. These started at the end of the 10th century and have evidence for activity through present day. However, detailed analysis of the chronology of the ceramics material strongly suggests that there was a notable reduction of activity between 1360 and 1450 CE (Figure 2), supporting the hypothesis that coastal settlements were disrupted by the historic tsunami. The distribution of ceramic material after 1500 CE across the survey area shows a gradual repopulation of pre-tsunami sites, as well as a significant expansion of activity starting at the end of the 16th Century, for all areas but Lamreh. The density of settlements increases during the late-Ming and Qing period, which corresponds to the rise of the Acehnese sultanate and the formation of the urban center of Banda Aceh, when the coastal settlement patterns closely resembled the areas devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. This poster is a detailed accompaniment

Natura-Alpha Targets Forkhead Box M1 and Inhibits Androgen-Dependent and -Independent Prostate Cancer Growth and Invasion

PubMed Central

Li, Yirong; Ligr, Martin; McCarron, James P; Daniels, Garrett; Zhang, David; Zhao, Xin; Ye, Fei; Wang, Jinhua; Liu, Xiaomei; Osman, Iman; Mencher, Simon K; Lepor, Hebert; Wang, Long G; Lee, Peng

2011-01-01

Purpose The development of new effective therapeutic agents with minimal side effects for prostate cancer treatment is much needed. Indirubin, an active molecule identified in the traditional Chinese herbal medicine – Qing Dai (Indigo Naturalis), has been used to treat leukemia for decades. However, the anti-cancer properties of Natura-alpha, an indirubin derivative, are not well studied in solid tumors, particularly in prostate cancer. Experimental Design Human prostate cancer cell lines were treated with or without Natura-alpha followed by cell growth and invasion assays measured. The anti-tumor effects of Natura-alpha were examined in nude mice tumor xenograft models, as well as in a patient with advanced hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer. Signal network proteins targeted by Natura-alpha were analyzed using Proteomic Pathway Array Analysis (PPAA) on xenografts. Results Natura-alpha inhibited the growth of both androgen-dependent (LNCaP), and androgen-independent (LNCaP-AI, PC-3, and DU145) prostate cancer cells with IC50 between 4 to 10 Μm, also inhibits invasion of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. Its anti-tumor effects were further evident in vivo tumor reduction in androgen-dependent and -independent nude mice tumor xenograft models as well as reduced tumor volume in the patient with hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer. PPAA revealed that anti-proliferative and anti-invasive activities of Natura-alpha on prostate cancer might primarily be through its down-regulation of Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) protein. Forced over-expression of FOXM1 largely reversed the inhibition by Natura-alpha. Conclusion Natura-alpha could serve as a novel and effective therapeutic agent for treatment of both hormone sensitive and hormone refractory prostate cancer with minimal side effects. PMID:21606178

Experimental study of the effect of polyanionic cellulose on process of filtrate loss of low-solids drilling fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

yang, P.

2013-12-01

Experimental study of the effect of polyanionic cellulose on process of filtrate loss of low-solids drilling fluid Ping Yang 1,2, Min-hui Wu2, Xue-wen Zhu2, Tao Deng2, Xue-qing Sun2 1. Key Laboratory of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092,China 2. Department of Geotechnical Engineering,Tongji University,Shanghai 200092,China Abstract The process of filtrate loss of low-solids drilling fluid was tested by changing the polyanionic cellulose content in low-solids drilling fluid. The effect of polyanionic cellulose on process of filtrate loss of low-solids drilling fluid was analyzed. The test results showed that when time of filtration is same, the volume of filtrate loss decreases linearly with increasing polyanionic cellulose content. When polyanionic cellulose content is same, the rate of filtrate loss decreases nonlinearly with increasing time and the rate of filtrate loss will reach a stable value.The volume of filtrate loss in 7 to 8 minutes can reaches half of the total volume of filtrate loss. At the same time, the rate of filtrate loss of drilling fluid decreases nonlinearly with increasing viscosity.When the apparent viscosity is between 3.5~4.15 MPa.s, decrease speed of rate of filtrate loss of drilling fluid is quick. The results are helpful for characteristics evaluation of filtrate loss of drilling fluid and control of filtrate loss. Keyword Polyanionic Cellulose,Drilling Fluid,Process of Filtrate Loss Acknowledgments This investigation was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (projects No. 41002093 and 41072205); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities; the Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (project No. B308), Tongji University; and the Program for Young Excellent Talents, Tongji University. The authors are extremely grateful for the financial support from these five organizations.

Understanding Smart Home Sensor Data for Ageing in Place Through Everyday Household Routines: A Mixed Method Case Study.

PubMed

van Kasteren, Yasmin; Bradford, Dana; Zhang, Qing; Karunanithi, Mohan; Ding, Hang

2017-06-13

An ongoing challenge for smart homes research for aging-in-place is how to make sense of the large amounts of data from in-home sensors to facilitate real-time monitoring and develop reliable alerts. The objective of our study was to explore the usefulness of a routine-based approach for making sense of smart home data for the elderly. Maximum variation sampling was used to select three cases for an in-depth mixed methods exploration of the daily routines of three elderly participants in a smart home trial using 180 days of power use and motion sensor data and longitudinal interview data. Sensor data accurately matched self-reported routines. By comparing daily movement data with personal routines, it was possible to identify changes in routine that signaled illness, recovery from bereavement, and gradual deterioration of sleep quality and daily movement. Interview and sensor data also identified changes in routine with variations in temperature and daylight hours. The findings demonstrated that a routine-based approach makes interpreting sensor data easy, intuitive, and transparent. They highlighted the importance of understanding and accounting for individual differences in preferences for routinization and the influence of the cyclical nature of daily routines, social or cultural rhythms, and seasonal changes in temperature and daylight hours when interpreting information based on sensor data. This research has demonstrated the usefulness of a routine-based approach for making sense of smart home data, which has furthered the understanding of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to make real-time monitoring and effective alerts a reality. ©Yasmin van Kasteren, Dana Bradford, Qing Zhang, Mohan Karunanithi, Hang Ding. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 13.06.2017.

Alkenone temperature and salinity: An evaluation of long chain C37 alkenone in Lake Qinghai, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W.; Liu, Z.; Fu, M.; An, Z.

2007-12-01

In recently years, the alkenone unsaturation index (Uk'37=C37:.2/(C37:2+ C37:3)) has been used to reconstructed paleo-temperature for lacustrine sediments. However, few studies have addressed whether the relative abundance of the C37:4 alkenone to the total C37 production (C37:4 percent) can reflect surface salinity changes in lake systems. Here we present the distribution of C37 long chain alkenone of modern lake sediments in Qinghai Lake, Qing-Tibet Plateau, to evaluate significance of abundance change of long chain C37 alkenone as an indicator of lake paleo-enviromental evolution. A group of surface sediments from different locations in the lake have been analyzed in this study. The results of long chain C37 alkenone from 28 surface sediments analyses shown relative abundance of C37:4 alkenone to total C37 production (C37:4 percent) change from 14.5 to 48.6 percent and the abundance of C37:4 alkenone is increasing with decreasing salinity of lake water. For the salinity lake in land, we suggested the relative abundance of C37:4 alkenone in lake sediments may be a indicator of paleo-silinity; We have also found that Uk'37 values are weakly correlated with salinity and C37:4 percent changes, implying that potential minor contributions of temperature and salinity effects to C37:4 percent and Uk'37 respectively cannot be excluded in this study. However, since these contributions are weak, we suggest that the C37:4 percent proxy can be used to reconstruct paleo-salinity changes at a regional scale, especially in lake systems, while Uk'37 remains as a powerful tool for reconstructions of paleo-temperature changes in the lake systems.

An intuitionistic fuzzy multi-objective non-linear programming model for sustainable irrigation water allocation under the combination of dry and wet conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mo; Fu, Qiang; Singh, Vijay P.; Ma, Mingwei; Liu, Xiao

2017-12-01

Water scarcity causes conflicts among natural resources, society and economy and reinforces the need for optimal allocation of irrigation water resources in a sustainable way. Uncertainties caused by natural conditions and human activities make optimal allocation more complex. An intuitionistic fuzzy multi-objective non-linear programming (IFMONLP) model for irrigation water allocation under the combination of dry and wet conditions is developed to help decision makers mitigate water scarcity. The model is capable of quantitatively solving multiple problems including crop yield increase, blue water saving, and water supply cost reduction to obtain a balanced water allocation scheme using a multi-objective non-linear programming technique. Moreover, it can deal with uncertainty as well as hesitation based on the introduction of intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Consideration of the combination of dry and wet conditions for water availability and precipitation makes it possible to gain insights into the various irrigation water allocations, and joint probabilities based on copula functions provide decision makers an average standard for irrigation. A case study on optimally allocating both surface water and groundwater to different growth periods of rice in different subareas in Heping irrigation area, Qing'an County, northeast China shows the potential and applicability of the developed model. Results show that the crop yield increase target especially in tillering and elongation stages is a prevailing concern when more water is available, and trading schemes can mitigate water supply cost and save water with an increased grain output. Results also reveal that the water allocation schemes are sensitive to the variation of water availability and precipitation with uncertain characteristics. The IFMONLP model is applicable for most irrigation areas with limited water supplies to determine irrigation water strategies under a fuzzy environment.

Mechanism of inhibition of HIV-1 integrase by G-tetrad-forming oligonucleotides in Vitro.

PubMed

Jing, N; Marchand, C; Liu, J; Mitra, R; Hogan, M E; Pommier, Y

2000-07-14

The G-tetrad-forming oligonucleotides and have been identified as potent inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase (HIV-1 IN) activity (Rando, R. F., Ojwang, J., Elbaggari, A., Reyes, G. R., Tinder, R., McGrath, M. S., and Hogan, M. E. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 1754-1760; Mazumder, A., Neamati, N., Ojwang, J. O., Sunder, S., Rando, R. F., and Pommier, Y. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 13762-13771; Jing, N., and Hogan, M. E. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 34992-34999). To understand the inhibition of HIV-1 IN activity by the G-quartet inhibitors, we have designed the oligonucleotides and, composed of three and four G-quartets with stem lengths of 19 and 24 A, respectively. The fact that increasing the G-quartet stem length from 15 to 24 A kept inhibition of HIV-1 IN activity unchanged suggests that the binding interaction occurs between a GTGT loop domain of the G-quartet inhibitors and a catalytic site of HIV-1 IN, referred to as a face-to-face interaction. Docking the NMR structure of (Jing and Hogan (1998)) into the x-ray structure of the core domain of HIV-1 IN, HIV-1 IN-(51-209) (Maignan, S., Guilloteau, J.-P. , Qing, Z.-L., Clement-Mella, C., and Mikol, V. (1998) J. Mol. Biol. 282, 359-368), was performed using the GRAMM program. The statistical distributions of hydrogen bonding between HIV-1 IN and were obtained from the analyses of 1000 random docking structures. The docking results show a high probability of interaction between the GTGT loop residues of the G-quartet inhibitors and the catalytic site of HIV-1 IN, in agreement with the experimental observation.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to ischemic heart disease

PubMed Central

Zhang, Peng; Wu, Xiaomei; Li, Guangxiao; He, Qiao; Dai, Huixu; Ai, Cong; Shi, Jingpu

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: A number of studies had reported the association between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene polymorphisms and ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk. However, the results remained controversial. Therefore, we performed a systematic review with multiple meta-analyses to provide the more precise estimations of the relationship. Methods: We systematically searched electronic databases (PubMed, the Web of Science, EMBASE, Medline, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang and ChongQing VIP Database) for relevant studies published up to February 2017. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for assessing the association. The present meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software. Results: In total, 45 articles with 17,375 cases and 15,375 controls involved were included. Pooled ORs revealed a significant association between TNF-α −308G/A gene polymorphism and IHD (A vs. G: OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.10–1.35; (AA + GA) vs. GG: OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.03–1.36; (AA vs. (GA+GG): OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.08–1.75)), indicating that the TNF-α −308A allele might be an important risk factor for IHD. No association between other TNF-α gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to IHD were observed. No publication bias were found. Sensitivity analyses indicated that our results were stable. Conclusion: The present study indicated a possible association between the TNF-α −308G/A gene polymorphism and IHD risk. However, evidence was limited to confirm the role of TNF-α −238G/A, −857C/T, −863C/A, −1031T/C and other TNF-α gene polymorphisms in the risk of IHD. PMID:28383437

Traditional Chinese medicine as adjunctive therapy improves the long-term survival of lung cancer patients.

PubMed

Liao, Yueh-Hsiang; Li, Chia-Ing; Lin, Cheng-Chieh; Lin, Jaung-Geng; Chiang, Jen-Huai; Li, Tsai-Chung

2017-12-01

Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the popular alternative treatments for cancer, mainly enhancing host immune response and reducing adverse effect of chemotherapy. This study first explored traditional Chinese medicine treatment effect on long-term survival of lung cancer patients. This study evaluated whether traditional Chinese medicine combined with conventional cancer treatment improved overall survival of lung cancer patients. We had conducted a retrospective cohort study on 111,564 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients in 2000-2009 from National Health Insurance Program database. A total of 23,803 (21.31%) patients used traditional Chinese medicine for lung cancer care. Eligible participants were followed up until 2011 with a mean follow-up period of 1.96 years (standard deviation 2.55) for non-TCM users and 3.04 years (2.85) for traditional Chinese medicine users. Patients with traditional Chinese medicine utilization were significantly more likely to have a 32% decreased risk of death [hazard ratio = 0.62; 95% confidence interval = 0.61-0.63], compared with patients without traditional Chinese medicine utilization after multivariate adjustment. We also observed a similar significant reduction risk across various subgroups of chronic lung diseases. Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang was the most effective traditional Chinese medicine agent for mortality reduction both in the entire lung cancer (0.81; 0.72-0.91) and matched populations (0.86; 0.78-0.95). This study demonstrated adjunctive therapy with traditional Chinese medicine may improve overall survival of lung cancer patients. This study also suggested traditional Chinese medicine may be used as an adjunctive therapy for cancer treatment. These observational findings need being validated by future randomized controlled trials to rule out the possibility of effect due to holistic care.

Traditional Chinese medicine therapy decreases the pneumonia risk in patients with dementia

PubMed Central

Lin, Shun-Ku; Tsai, Yueh-Ting; Lo, Pei-Chia; Lai, Jung-Nien

2016-01-01

Abstract Pneumonia is a frequent complication in dementia patients and is associated with high mortality rates. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to determine whether traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy can decrease pneumonia risk in dementia patients. The cohort dataset was obtained from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005, a sublibrary of the National Health Insurance Research Database, containing all medical data of 1 million beneficiaries, randomly selected from the all Insurers in year 2005. Newly diagnosed dementia patients (n = 9712) without pneumonia were analyzed from January 1997 to December 2003. After matching by sex, age, urban level, Charlson comorbidity index, insured amount, and comorbidities, 1376 pairs (1:1) of TCM and non-TCM users were acquired. Every dementia patient was individually recorded from 1997 to 2012 to identify pneumonia incidence (onset after 3 months of dementia diagnosis). Demographic characteristics, Charlson comorbidity index, comorbidities, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and psychotropic drugs were also investigated. Cox proportional regression was used to compute hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after adjustment for the above-mentioned variables. There were 419 (30.5%) and 762 (55.4%) pneumonia cases in the TCM and non-TCM cohorts during a mean follow-up period of 7.6 years. The adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) for pneumonia admission was 0.62 (0.55–0.70) for the TCM group. Patients who received TCM therapy at higher cumulative doses or for longer periods experienced increased protection from pneumonia admission. Ma-Xing-Gan-Shi-Tang, Yin-Qiao-San, and Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang might represent possible formulae reducing the incidence of pneumonia. TCM might be associated with a lower risk of pneumonia in dementia patients. PMID:27631269

Research of Ancient Architectures in Jin-Fen Area Based on GIS&BIM Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Jing; Zheng, Qiuhong; Gao, Huiying; Sun, Hai

2017-05-01

The number of well-preserved ancient buildings located in Shanxi Province, enjoying the absolute maximum proportion of ancient architectures in China, is about 18418, among which, 9053 buildings have the structural style of wood frame. The value of the application of BIM (Building Information Modeling) and GIS (Geographic Information System) is gradually probed and testified in the corresponding fields of ancient architecture’s spatial distribution information management, routine maintenance and special conservation & restoration, the evaluation and simulation of related disasters, such as earthquake. The research objects are ancient architectures in JIN-FEN area, which were first investigated by Sicheng LIANG and recorded in his work of “Chinese ancient architectures survey report”. The research objects, i.e. the ancient architectures in Jin-Fen area include those in Sicheng LIANG’s investigation, and further adjustments were made through authors’ on-site investigation and literature searching & collection. During this research process, the spatial distributing Geodatabase of research objects is established utilizing GIS. The BIM components library for ancient buildings is formed combining on-site investigation data and precedent classic works, such as “Yingzao Fashi”, a treatise on architectural methods in Song Dynasty, “Yongle Encyclopedia” and “Gongcheng Zuofa Zeli”, case collections of engineering practice, by the Ministry of Construction of Qing Dynasty. A building of Guangsheng temple in Hongtong county is selected as an example to elaborate the BIM model construction process based on the BIM components library for ancient buildings. Based on the foregoing work results of spatial distribution data, attribute data of features, 3D graphic information and parametric building information model, the information management system for ancient architectures in Jin-Fen Area, utilizing GIS&BIM technology, could be constructed to support the

Decoy Receptor 3 (DcR3) as a Biomarker of Tumor Deterioration in Female Reproductive Cancers: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Jiang, Mengtong; Lin, Xiaomiao; He, Rongquan; Lin, Xinggu; Liang, Lu; Tang, Ruixue; Xiong, Dandan; Wei, Kanglai; Dang, Yiwu; Feng, Zhenbo; Chen, Gang

2016-06-01

BACKGROUND DcR3 (decoy receptor 3) has been proposed be involved in development and prognosis of female reproductive cancers, including cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore the evidence for the correlation between DcR3 and the clinicopathological characteristics, as well as the overall survival time, in female reproductive cancers. MATERIAL AND METHODS Relevant studies were searched for in PubMed, Wiley Online Library, Web of Science, Science Direct, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Ovid, LILACS, Chinese CNKI, Chong Qing VIP, Wan Fang, and China Biology Medicine disc up to 30 September 2015. Data on the relationship between DcR3 expression and TNM stage, differentiation, lymph node metastasis, age, and overall survival time were extracted. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs (confidence intervals) were estimated by forest plot. RESULTS Twelve studies with 1127 patients met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. Overexpression of DcR3 was significantly related to the risk of female reproductive cancers (OR=10.69, 95% CI: 6.33-18.05), TNM stage (OR=5.51, 95% CI: 2.83-10.71), differentiation (OR=4.16, 95% CI: 2.28-7.60), lymph node metastasis (OR=5.89, 95% CI: 3.16-10.9), age (OR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.51-1.44), and overall survival time (OR=1.84, 95% CI: 0.58-5.83). Subgroup analyses showed that overexpression of DcR3 in cervical, ovarian, and breast cancer all had similar relationships with these clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis suggests that overexpression of DcR3 may play vital roles in the tumorigenesis and deterioration of female reproductive cancers. However, the relationship between DcR3 expression and prognosis needs further investigation.

Response and recovery measures for two floods in north China during the nineteenth century: a comparative study.

PubMed

Ye, Yu; Fang, Xiuqi; Li, Fan

2016-01-01

The process of human response to natural disasters and its mechanisms as revealed by historical events still has a broad significance for modern society. This study analyzed the disaster relief process and the social response for two floods in China: the Yongding River flood in 1801 and the Yellow River flood in 1841. These two floods reflect the different response processes between the national and provincial capitals during a stage of climate cooling and social transition in the Qing dynasty. Applying methods of historical documents analysis and qualitatively comparative analysis to the materials such as Relief Chronicles Authorized by the Emperor in XinYou and Flood Description in Bian Liang , it shows that: (1) In 1801, the central government took on a lead position, from flood surveying to relief processes. However, local government and gentries played an important role in 1841. (2) In 1801, the government successfully undertook a series of relief measures addressing production, housing, food prices, taxes, and water conservancy and administration. In 1841, the response measures were relatively simple, focusing mainly on providing shelter and food for victims. (3) The government carried out long-term disaster prevention measures such as dredging channels after the flood in 1801. In 1841, however, the efforts were focused mainly on emergency rescue. (4) Refugees in the 1801 flood were effectively managed by a centralized authority. In 1841, regulation of the flooding was delayed by corruption and conflicts between officers, leading to an expansion of the disaster's impact. Above results have led to the conclusion that disaster relief systems and response measures had a significant effect on the consequences of those floods. Various flood relief measures and natural disasters management regimes have implications for contemporary flood hazard mitigation.

An optimization based sampling approach for multiple metrics uncertainty analysis using generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Rurui; Li, Yu; Lu, Di; Liu, Haixing; Zhou, Huicheng

2016-09-01

This paper investigates the use of an epsilon-dominance non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm II (ɛ-NSGAII) as a sampling approach with an aim to improving sampling efficiency for multiple metrics uncertainty analysis using Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE). The effectiveness of ɛ-NSGAII based sampling is demonstrated compared with Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) through analyzing sampling efficiency, multiple metrics performance, parameter uncertainty and flood forecasting uncertainty with a case study of flood forecasting uncertainty evaluation based on Xinanjiang model (XAJ) for Qing River reservoir, China. Results obtained demonstrate the following advantages of the ɛ-NSGAII based sampling approach in comparison to LHS: (1) The former performs more effective and efficient than LHS, for example the simulation time required to generate 1000 behavioral parameter sets is shorter by 9 times; (2) The Pareto tradeoffs between metrics are demonstrated clearly with the solutions from ɛ-NSGAII based sampling, also their Pareto optimal values are better than those of LHS, which means better forecasting accuracy of ɛ-NSGAII parameter sets; (3) The parameter posterior distributions from ɛ-NSGAII based sampling are concentrated in the appropriate ranges rather than uniform, which accords with their physical significance, also parameter uncertainties are reduced significantly; (4) The forecasted floods are close to the observations as evaluated by three measures: the normalized total flow outside the uncertainty intervals (FOUI), average relative band-width (RB) and average deviation amplitude (D). The flood forecasting uncertainty is also reduced a lot with ɛ-NSGAII based sampling. This study provides a new sampling approach to improve multiple metrics uncertainty analysis under the framework of GLUE, and could be used to reveal the underlying mechanisms of parameter sets under multiple conflicting metrics in the uncertainty analysis process.

Quantum Nonlocality and Reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Mary; Gao, Shan

2016-09-01

Preface; Part I. John Stewart Bell: The Physicist: 1. John Bell: the Irish connection Andrew Whitaker; 2. Recollections of John Bell Michael Nauenberg; 3. John Bell: recollections of a great scientist and a great man Gian-Carlo Ghirardi; Part II. Bell's Theorem: 4. What did Bell really prove? Jean Bricmont; 5. The assumptions of Bell's proof Roderich Tumulka; 6. Bell on Bell's theorem: the changing face of nonlocality Harvey R. Brown and Christopher G. Timpson; 7. Experimental tests of Bell inequalities Marco Genovese; 8. Bell's theorem without inequalities: on the inception and scope of the GHZ theorem Olival Freire, Jr and Osvaldo Pessoa, Jr; 9. Strengthening Bell's theorem: removing the hidden-variable assumption Henry P. Stapp; Part III. Nonlocality: Illusions or Reality?: 10. Is any theory compatible with the quantum predictions necessarily nonlocal? Bernard d'Espagnat; 11. Local causality, probability and explanation Richard A. Healey; 12. Bell inequality and many-worlds interpretation Lev Vaidman; 13. Quantum solipsism and non-locality Travis Norsen; 14. Lessons of Bell's theorem: nonlocality, yes; action at a distance, not necessarily Wayne C. Myrvold; 15. Bell non-locality, Hardy's paradox and hyperplane dependence Gordon N. Fleming; 16. Some thoughts on quantum nonlocality and its apparent incompatibility with relativity Shan Gao; 17. A reasonable thing that just might work Daniel Rohrlich; 18. Weak values and quantum nonlocality Yakir Aharonov and Eliahu Cohen; Part IV. Nonlocal Realistic Theories: 19. Local beables and the foundations of physics Tim Maudlin; 20. John Bell's varying interpretations of quantum mechanics: memories and comments H. Dieter Zeh; 21. Some personal reflections on quantum non-locality and the contributions of John Bell Basil J. Hiley; 22. Bell on Bohm Sheldon Goldstein; 23. Interactions and inequality Philip Pearle; 24. Gravitation and the noise needed in objective reduction models Stephen L. Adler; 25. Towards an objective

Adherence and success in long-term weight loss diets: the dietary intervention randomized controlled trial (DIRECT).

PubMed

Greenberg, Ilana; Stampfer, Meir J; Schwarzfuchs, Dan; Shai, Iris

2009-04-01

Data are limited as to whether participants in diet trials truly adhere to their assigned diet and the factors that affect their adherence. We evaluated success and adherence in a two-year dietary intervention randomized controlled trial (DIRECT) in which 322 moderately obese participants (mean age 52 yrs, mean body-mass-index (BMI) 31 kg/m(2), 86% men) were randomized to one of three groups: low-fat, Mediterranean, or low-carbohydrate diets. Overall compliance at month-24 was 85%, with 90% in low-fat, 85% in Mediterranean, and 78% in low-carbohydrate diet (p = .042 between groups). Attrition was higher in women (29% vs. 14% men, p = .001) and current smokers (25% vs. 14% among maintainers, p = 0.04). In a multivariate model, independent predictors of dropping-out were: higher baseline BMI (OR = 1.11; CI: 1.03-1.21) and less weight loss at month-6 (OR = 1.20; CI: 1.1-1.3). In a multivariate model, greater weight loss achieved at month-6 was the main predictor associated with success in weight loss (> 5%) over 2 years (OR = 1.5; CI: 1.35-1.67). Self-reported complete adherence score to diet was greater on low-carbohydrate diet (p < .05 compared to low-fat) until month-6, but dropped overall from 81% at month-1 to 57% at month-24. Holidays were a trigger to a significant decrease in adherence followed by a partial rebound. Changes in diet composition from month-1 to month-12 were more pronounced in the multi-stage low-carbohydrate diet-group (p < .05). Generally, the most irresistible restricted food items were cookies (45% of dieters) and fruits (30%). Among the physically active (n = 107), 44% reported a tendency to eat less after exercising compared to 10% who tended to eat more. Initial 6-month reduction in weight is the main predictor of both long-term retention and success in weight loss. Special attention is needed for women, current smokers, and during holidays. Physical activity is associated with subsequent reduction in energy intake.

Introduction to the Proceedings of the 9th ISDH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bove, V. Michael, Jr.; Riskin, Seth

2013-02-01

The Proceedings As co-chairs of the 9th International Symposium on Display Holography, we welcome readers of this collection of papers and posters presented at the event. We hope that both attendees of the event and others pursuing the art, science, and business of holography and 3D imaging will find the authors' contributions of lasting interest and importance. The Event Since its creation at Lake Forest College in 1982 by Professor Tung H Jeong, ISDH has followed a model that differentiates it from other scientific conferences. The 9th ISDH continued this history, fully occupying a floor of the MIT Media Lab for five days. The single-track conference opened with reports on the state of holography in the various nations represented by the attendees, followed by a series of presentations on Education and Holography. One and one-half days of papers on Art and Holography followed, then sessions on Techniques and Materials, Digital Techniques, and Commercial and Applied Holography. A poster session permitted more in-depth discussion between authors and the audience. Two exhibitions of holographic works opened at ISDH: an informal display area at the symposium, and a 15-month-long MIT Museum exhibition, The Jeweled Net: Views of Contemporary Holography. The success of an event of this sort requires the help of many people and organizations. We wish especially to recognize our Honorary Conference Chairs: Tung H Jeong and Joseph W Goodman; our Technical Program Committee: Hans I Bjelkhagen, Frank Fan, Nasser Peyghambarian, and Hiroshi Yoshikawa; and our Arts and Exhibition Committee: Betsy Connors-Chen, Melissa Crenshaw, John Durant, Dieter Jung, Linda Law, Martin Richardson, Jonathan Ross, and Sally Weber. Betsy also coordinated the on-site exhibition. Kristin Hall at the MIT Media Lab made local arrangements, while registration was handled by MIT Conference Services. We also gratefully acknowledge support from Lake Forest College, holographer.org, and authentibrand

A vegetarian dietary pattern as a nutrient-dense approach to weight management: an analysis of the national health and nutrition examination survey 1999-2004.

PubMed

Farmer, Bonnie; Larson, Brian T; Fulgoni, Victor L; Rainville, Alice J; Liepa, George U

2011-06-01

Population-based studies have shown that vegetarians have lower body mass index than nonvegetarians, suggesting that vegetarian diet plans may be an approach for weight management. However, a perception exists that vegetarian diets are deficient in certain nutrients. To compare dietary quality of vegetarians, nonvegetarians, and dieters, and to test the hypothesis that a vegetarian diet would not compromise nutrient intake when used to manage body weight. Cross-sectional analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2004) dietary and anthropometric data. Diet quality was determined using United States Department of Agriculture's Healthy Eating Index 2005. Participants included adults aged 19 years and older, excluding pregnant and lactating women (N = 13,292). Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets were portrayed by intakes of participants who did not eat meat, poultry, or fish on the day of the survey (n = 851). Weight-loss diets were portrayed by intakes of participants who consumed 500 kcal less than their estimated energy requirements (n = 4,635). Mean nutrient intakes and body mass indexes were adjusted for energy, sex, and ethnicity. Using analysis of variance, all vegetarians were compared to all nonvegetarians, dieting vegetarians to dieting nonvegetarians, and nondieting vegetarians to nondieting nonvegetarians. Mean intakes of fiber, vitamins A, C, and E, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, magnesium, and iron were higher for all vegetarians than for all nonvegetarians. Although vegetarian intakes of vitamin E, vitamin A, and magnesium exceeded that of nonvegetarians (8.3 ± 0.3 vs 7.0 ± 0.1 mg; 718 ± 28 vs 603 ± 10 μg; 322 ± 5 vs 281 ± 2 mg), both groups had intakes that were less than desired. The Healthy Eating Index score did not differ for all vegetarians compared to all nonvegetarians (50.5 ± 0.88 vs 50.1 ± 0.33, P = 0.6). These findings suggest that vegetarian diets are nutrient dense, consistent with dietary guidelines, and

Preface: International Reference Ionosphere - Progress in Ionospheric Modelling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilitza Dieter; Reinisch, Bodo

2010-01-01

The international reference ionosphere (lRI) is the internationally recommended empirical model for the specification of ionospheric parameters supported by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) and recognized by the International Standardization Organization (ISO). IRI is being continually improved by a team of international experts as new data become available and better models are being developed. This issue chronicles the latest phase of model updates as reported during two IRI-related meetings. The first was a special session during the Scientific Assembly of the Committee of Space Research (COSPAR) in Montreal, Canada in July 2008 and the second was an IRI Task Force Activity at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in May 2009. This work led to several improvements and additions of the model which will be included in the next version, IRI-201O. The issue is divided into three sections focusing on the improvements made in the topside ionosphere, the F-peak, and the lower ionosphere, respectively. This issue would not have been possible without the reviewing efforts of many individuals. Each paper was reviewed by two referees. We thankfully acknowledge the contribution to this issue made by the following reviewers: Jacob Adeniyi, David Altadill, Eduardo Araujo, Feza Arikan, Dieter Bilitza, Jilijana Cander, Bela Fejer, Tamara Gulyaeva, Manuel Hermindez-Pajares, Ivan Kutiev, John MacDougal, Leo McNamara, Bruno Nava, Olivier Obrou, Elijah Oyeyemi, Vadym Paznukhov, Bodo Reinisch, John Retterer, Phil Richards, Gary Sales, J.H. Sastri, Ludger Scherliess, Iwona Stanislavska, Stamir Stankov, Shin-Yi Su, Manlian Zhang, Y ongliang Zhang, and Irina Zakharenkova. We are grateful to Peggy Ann Shea for her final review and guidance as the editor-in-chief for special issues of Advances in Space Research. We thank the authors for their timely submission and their quick response to the reviewer comments and humbly

[The introduction of tobacco and the diffusion of smoking culture in Korea].

PubMed

Sihn, K H; Seo, H G

2001-06-01

Since its introduction to Korea from Japan at the beginning of the seventeenth century, tobacco became very popular with an amazing rapidity among Koreans. Along with widespread cultivation of tobacco, smoking also became very popular among Koreans, regardless of their classes, ages, and sexes. On the other hand, other imported crops from America via Europe in the sam period, like sweet potato, potato, corn and tomato, did not enjoy such popularity in Korea. A long time after their introduction, Koreans began to cultivate these crops. Why did Koreans respond enthusiastically to the newly-imported tobacco? What kind of factors contributed to the rapid transmission of tobacco in Korea? This study examined the causes of rapid diffusion of the smoking population in three aspects. First was economic aspect. The farming of tobacco yielded a profit by selling it to Chinese. The climate and the soil of Korea fit for farming of tobacco. So the farm land of tobacco expanded gradually since the 18th century. Second was medical aspect. At first, many Koreans believed that smoking was helpful to digestion, expectoration, protecting coldness, and exterminating parasites. Afterwards, they believed smoking could encourage vitality and protect diseases. There was no reason of smoking cessation for the people's health in that the hazards of smoking were not well known to the commonage in those days, though a few intellectuals acknowledge its harm. Third was sociocultural aspect. We could trace the smoking culture of Chosun dynasty through arts, poems, and essays. The making of smoking culture made stable reproduction of smokers generation by generation. Especially, the smoking culture secured juvenile's smoking. Considering the three aspects above, we know that what reason the Decree of Ban of Smoking in Korea was not strict in comparison to that of China (Qing Dynasty), in which the violators were executed. The regulation of smoking by the government failed except controlling in

Spatial-temporal analysis of climate variations in mid-17th through 19th centuries in East China and the possible relationships with Monsoon climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, K. H. E.; Wang, P. K.; Liao, Y. C.; Lee, S. Y.; Tan, P.

2016-12-01

IPCC AR5 has revealed more frequent extreme climate events and higher climate variability in the near future. Regardless of all the improvements, East Asia monsoon climate is still less understood and/or poorly projected due partly to insufficient records. Most areas of the Asian region lack sufficient observational records to draw conclusions about trends in annual precipitation over the past century (i.e. WGIAR5 Chapter 2). Precipitation trends, including extremes, are characterized by strong variability, with both increasing and decreasing observed in different parts and seasons of Asia. Understanding the variations of the monsoon climate in historical time may bring significant insights to reveal its spatial and temporal patterns embedded in the atmospheric dynamics at different decadal or centennial scales. This study presents some preliminary research results of high resolution climate reconstruction, in both time and space coverage, in east China, by using RCEC historical climate dataset that is developed under interdisciplinary collaboration led by Research Center for Environmental Changes at Academia Sinica, Taiwan. The present research results are derived from chronological meteorological records in the RCEC dataset in Qing dynasty labeling mid-17th to 19th centuries. In total, the dataset comprises more than 1,300 cities/counties in China that has had more than sixty thousands meteorological records in the period. The analysis comprises three parts. Firstly, the frequency of extreme temperature, precipitation, drought, and flood in every recorded cities/counties were computed to depicting climate variabilities in northeast, central-east and southeast China. Secondly, the multivariate regression model was conducted to estimate the coefficients among the climatic index (temperature, precipitation, and drought). It is found that the temperature and wet-dry characteristics have great seasonal and yearly variations; northeast China compared with central

Y4lO of Rhizobium sp. Strain NGR234 Is a Symbiotic Determinant Required for Symbiosome Differentiation▿

PubMed Central

Yang, Feng-Juan; Cheng, Li-Li; Zhang, Ling; Dai, Wei-Jun; Liu, Zhe; Yao, Nan; Xie, Zhi-Ping; Staehelin, Christian

2009-01-01

Type 3 (T3) effector proteins, secreted by nitrogen-fixing rhizobia with a bacterial T3 secretion system, affect the nodulation of certain host legumes. The open reading frame y4lO of Rhizobium sp. strain NGR234 encodes a protein with sequence similarities to T3 effectors from pathogenic bacteria (the YopJ effector family). Transcription studies showed that the promoter activity of y4lO depended on the transcriptional activator TtsI. Recombinant Y4lO protein expressed in Escherichia coli did not acetylate two representative mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (human MKK6 and MKK1 from Medicago truncatula), indicating that YopJ-like proteins differ with respect to their substrate specificities. The y4lO gene was mutated in NGR234 (strain NGRΩy4lO) and in NGRΩnopL, a mutant that does not produce the T3 effector NopL (strain NGRΩnopLΩy4lO). When used as inoculants, the symbiotic properties of the mutants differed. Tephrosia vogelii, Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Yudou No. 1, and Vigna unguiculata cv. Sui Qing Dou Jiao formed pink effective nodules with NGR234 and NGRΩnopLΩy4lO. Nodules induced by NGRΩy4lO were first pink but rapidly turned greenish (ineffective nodules), indicating premature senescence. An ultrastructural analysis of the nodules induced by NGRΩy4lO revealed abnormal formation of enlarged infection droplets in ineffective nodules, whereas symbiosomes harboring a single bacteroid were frequently observed in effective nodules induced by NGR234 or NGRΩnopLΩy4lO. It is concluded that Y4lO is a symbiotic determinant involved in the differentiation of symbiosomes. Y4lO mitigated senescence-inducing effects caused by the T3 effector NopL, suggesting synergistic effects for Y4lO and NopL in nitrogen-fixing nodules. PMID:19060155

Y4lO of Rhizobium sp. strain NGR234 is a symbiotic determinant required for symbiosome differentiation.

PubMed

Yang, Feng-Juan; Cheng, Li-Li; Zhang, Ling; Dai, Wei-Jun; Liu, Zhe; Yao, Nan; Xie, Zhi-Ping; Staehelin, Christian

2009-02-01

Type 3 (T3) effector proteins, secreted by nitrogen-fixing rhizobia with a bacterial T3 secretion system, affect the nodulation of certain host legumes. The open reading frame y4lO of Rhizobium sp. strain NGR234 encodes a protein with sequence similarities to T3 effectors from pathogenic bacteria (the YopJ effector family). Transcription studies showed that the promoter activity of y4lO depended on the transcriptional activator TtsI. Recombinant Y4lO protein expressed in Escherichia coli did not acetylate two representative mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (human MKK6 and MKK1 from Medicago truncatula), indicating that YopJ-like proteins differ with respect to their substrate specificities. The y4lO gene was mutated in NGR234 (strain NGROmegay4lO) and in NGR Omega nopL, a mutant that does not produce the T3 effector NopL (strain NGR Omega nopLOmegay4lO). When used as inoculants, the symbiotic properties of the mutants differed. Tephrosia vogelii, Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Yudou No. 1, and Vigna unguiculata cv. Sui Qing Dou Jiao formed pink effective nodules with NGR234 and NGR Omega nopL Omega y4lO. Nodules induced by NGR Omega y4lO were first pink but rapidly turned greenish (ineffective nodules), indicating premature senescence. An ultrastructural analysis of the nodules induced by NGR Omega y4lO revealed abnormal formation of enlarged infection droplets in ineffective nodules, whereas symbiosomes harboring a single bacteroid were frequently observed in effective nodules induced by NGR234 or NGR Omega nopL Omega y4lO. It is concluded that Y4lO is a symbiotic determinant involved in the differentiation of symbiosomes. Y4lO mitigated senescence-inducing effects caused by the T3 effector NopL, suggesting synergistic effects for Y4lO and NopL in nitrogen-fixing nodules.

Climate-Energy Nexus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sayler, Gary; Gentry, Randall; Zhuang, Jie

2010-07-01

The 140-page published proceedings of the workshop include individual articles and PowerPoint slides for all workshop presentations. The proceedings also contain pertinent background information on the China-US Joint Research Center, partnering organizations, and workshop goals and objectives. Overall, the workshop increased the understanding of the impacts of climate change on energy use and renewable energy production as well as the complex relationships among land use, energy production, and ecological restoration. The workshop served as an international platform for scientists and students of different research backgrounds to develop a unified perspective on energy and climate relationships. Such understanding will benefit futuremore » cooperation between China and the US in mitigating global climate change. The workshop’s agenda, which is highly interdisciplinary, explored many potential opportunities for international collaboration in ecosystem management, climate modeling, greenhouse gas emissions, and bioenergy sustainability. International research groups have been suggested in the areas of genomes and biotechnology of energy plants, sustainable management of soil and water resources, carbon sequestration, and microbial processes for ecological cycles. The project has attracted considerable attention from institutes beyond the China-US Joint Research Center partners, and several of them (such as Institute of Qing-Tibet Plateau Research, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Institute of Applied Ecology, CAS) have expressed interest in joining the partnership. In addition, the workshop played a significant role in facilitating establishment of private-public partnerships between government and private bioenergy companies (such as L.R. Shugarts and Associates, Inc.), including seed providers (Blade Energy Crops, Thousand Oaks, CA), pilot demonstration projects at coal-producing cities (e.g., Huaibei, Anhui province, China), and the development of

Effects of traditional Chinese patent medicine on essential hypertension: a systematic review.

PubMed

Xiong, Xingjiang; Wang, Pengqian; Zhang, Yuqing; Li, Xiaoke

2015-02-01

that focus on mortality and cardiovascular events during long-term follow-up are warranted before TCPM can be recommended for hypertensive patients. Two TCPMs, Song ling xue mai kang capsules and Yang xue qing nao granules, should be prioritized for further research.

High Resolution Spatiotemporal Climate Reconstruction and Variability in East Asia during Little Ice Age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, K. H. E.; Wang, P. K.; Lee, S. Y.; Liao, Y. C.; Fan, I. C.; Liao, H. M.

2017-12-01

The Little ice Age (LIA) is one of the most prominent epochs in paleoclimate reconstruction of the Common Era. While the signals of LIA were generally discovered across hemispheres, wide arrays of regional variability were found, and the reconstructed anomalies were sometimes inconsistent across studies by using various proxy data or historical records. This inconsistency is mainly attributed to limited data coverage at fine resolution that can assist high-resolution climate reconstruction in the continuous spatiotemporal trends. Qing dynasty (1644-1911 CE) of China existed in the coldest period of LIA. Owing to a long-standing tradition that acquired local officials to record odds and social or meteorological events, thousands of local chronicles were left. Zhang eds. (2004) took two decades to compile all these meteorological records in a compendium, for which we then digitized and coded all records into our REACHS database system for reconstructing climate. There were in total 1,435 points (sites) in our database for over 80,000 events in the period of time. After implementing two-rounds coding check for data quality control (accuracy rate 87.2%), multiple indexes were retrieved for reconstructing annually and seasonally resolved temperature and precipitation series for North, Central, and South China. The reconstruction methods include frequency count and grading, with usage of multiple regression models to test sensitivity and to calculate correlations among several reconstructed series. Validation was also conducted through comparison with instrumental data and with other reconstructed series in previous studies. Major research results reveal interannual (3-5 years), decadal (8-12 years), and interdecadal (≈30 years) variabilities with strong regional expressions across East China. Cooling effect was not homogenously distributed in space and time. Flood and drought conditions frequently repeated but the spatiotemporal pattern was variant, indicating likely

Spatiotemporal PET Imaging of Dynamic Metabolic Changes After Therapeutic Approaches of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Neuronal Stem Cells, and a Chinese Patent Medicine in Stroke.

PubMed

Zhang, Hong; Song, Fahuan; Xu, Caiyun; Liu, Hao; Wang, Zefeng; Li, Jinhui; Wu, Shuang; YehuaShen; Chen, Yao; Zhu, Yunqi; Du, Ruili; Tian, Mei

2015-11-01

This study aimed to use spatiotemporal PET imaging to investigate the dynamic metabolic changes after a combined therapeutic approach of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), neuronal stem cells (NSCs), and Chinese patent medicine in a rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Cerebral ischemia was established by the middle cerebral artery occlusion approach. Thirty-six male rats were randomly assigned to 1 of the 6 groups: control phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), Chinese patent medicine (Qing-kai-ling [QKL]), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), combination of iPSCs and QKL, neuronal stem cells (NSCs), and combination of NSCs and QKL. Serial (18)F-FDG small-animal PET imaging and neurofunctional tests were performed weekly. Autoradiographic imaging and immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent analyses were performed at 4 wk after stem cell transplantation. Compared with the PBS control group, significantly higher (18)F-FDG accumulations in the ipsilateral cerebral infarction were observed in 5 treatment groups from weeks 1-4. Interestingly, the most intensive (18)F-FDG accumulation was found in the NSCs + QKL group at week 1 but in the iPSCs + QKL group at week 4. The neurofunctional scores in the 5 treatment groups were significantly higher than that of the PBS group from week 3 to 4. In addition, there was a significant correlation between the PET imaging findings and neurofunctional recovery (P < 0.05) or glucose transporter-1 expression (P < 0.01). Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence studies found that transplanted iPSCs survived and migrated to the ischemic region and expressed protein markers for cells of interest. Spatiotemporal PET imaging with (18)F-FDG demonstrated dynamic metabolic and functional recovery after iPSCs or NSCs combined with QKL in a rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. iPSCs or NSCs combined with Chinese medicine QKL seemed to be a better therapeutic approach than these stem cells used individually. �

Prokaryotic Community Structure Driven by Salinity and Ionic Concentrations in Plateau Lakes of the Tibetan Plateau

PubMed Central

Zhong, Zhi-Ping; Liu, Ying; Miao, Li-Li; Wang, Fang; Chu, Li-Min; Wang, Jia-Li

2016-01-01

The prokaryotic community composition and diversity and the distribution patterns at various taxonomic levels across gradients of salinity and physiochemical properties in the surface waters of seven plateau lakes in the Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau, were evaluated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. These lakes included Lakes Keluke (salinity, <1 g/liter), Qing (salinity, 5.5 to 6.6 g/liter), Tuosu (salinity, 24 to 35 g/liter), Dasugan (salinity, 30 to 33 g/liter), Gahai (salinity, 92 to 96 g/liter), Xiaochaidan (salinity, 94 to 99 g/liter), and Gasikule (salinity, 317 to 344 g/liter). The communities were dominated by Bacteria in lakes with salinities of <100 g/liter and by Archaea in Lake Gasikule. The clades At12OctB3 and Salinibacter, previously reported only in hypersaline environments, were found in a hyposaline lake (salinity, 5.5 to 6.6 g/liter) at an abundance of ∼1.0%, indicating their ecological plasticity. Salinity and the concentrations of the chemical ions whose concentrations covary with salinity (Mg2+, K+, Cl−, Na+, SO42−, and Ca2+) were found to be the primary environmental factors that directly or indirectly determined the composition and diversity at the level of individual clades as well as entire prokaryotic communities. The distribution patterns of two phyla, five classes, five orders, five families, and three genera were well predicted by salinity. The variation of the prokaryotic community structure also significantly correlated with the dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, the total nitrogen concentration, and the PO43− concentration. Such correlations varied depending on the taxonomic level, demonstrating the importance of comprehensive correlation analyses at various taxonomic levels in evaluating the effects of environmental variable factors on prokaryotic community structures. Our findings clarify the distribution patterns of the prokaryotic community composition in plateau lakes at the levels of individual clades as well as whole

Possible Meteorites in the Martian Hills (False Color)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

From its winter outpost at 'Low Ridge' inside Gusev Crater, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this spectacular, color mosaic of hilly, sandy terrain and two potential iron meteorites. The two light-colored, smooth rocks about two-thirds of the way up from the bottom of the frame have been labeled 'Zhong Shan' and 'Allan Hills.'

The two rocks' informal names are in keeping with the rover science team's campaign to nickname rocks and soils in the area after locations in Antarctica. Zhong Shang is an Antarctic base that the People's Republic of China opened on Feb. 26, 1989, at the Larsemann Hills in Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Allan Hills is a location where researchers have found many Martian meteorites, including the controversial ALH84001, which achieved fame in 1996 when NASA scientists suggested that it might contain evidence for fossilized extraterrestrial life. Zhong Shan was the given name of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), known as the 'Father of Modern China.' Born to a peasant family in Guangdong, Sun moved to live with his brother in Honolulu at age 13 and later became a medical doctor. He led a series of uprisings against the Qing dynasty that began in 1894 and eventually succeeded in 1911. Sun served as the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912.

The Zhong Shan and Allan Hills rocks, at the left and right, respectively, have unusual morphologies and miniature thermal emission spectrometer signatures that resemble those of a rock known as 'Heat Shield' at the Meridiani site explored by Spirit's twin, Opportunity. Opportunity's analyses revealed Heat Shield to be an iron meteorite.

Spirit acquired this false-color image on the rover's 872nd Martian day, or sol (June 16, 2006), using exposures taken through three of the panoramic camera's filters, centered on wavelengths of 750 nanometers, 530 nanometers, and 430 nanometers. The image is presented in false color to emphasize differences among

Possible Meteorites in the Martian Hills

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

From its winter outpost at 'Low Ridge' inside Gusev Crater, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this spectacular, color mosaic of hilly, sandy terrain and two potential iron meteorites. The two light-colored, smooth rocks about two-thirds of the way up from the bottom of the frame have been labeled 'Zhong Shan' and 'Allan Hills.'

The two rocks' informal names are in keeping with the rover science team's campaign to nickname rocks and soils in the area after locations in Antarctica. Zhong Shang is an Antarctic base that the People's Republic of China opened on Feb. 26, 1989, at the Larsemann Hills in Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Allan Hills is a location where researchers have found many Martian meteorites, including the controversial ALH84001, which achieved fame in 1996 when NASA scientists suggested that it might contain evidence for fossilized extraterrestrial life. Zhong Shan was the given name of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), known as the 'Father of Modern China.' Born to a peasant family in Guangdong, Sun moved to live with his brother in Honolulu at age 13 and later became a medical doctor. He led a series of uprisings against the Qing dynasty that began in 1894 and eventually succeeded in 1911. Sun served as the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912.

The Zhong Shan and Allan Hills rocks, at the left and right, respectively, have unusual morphologies and miniature thermal emission spectrometer signatures that resemble those of a rock known as 'Heat Shield' at the Meridiani site explored by Spirit's twin, Opportunity. Opportunity's analyses revealed Heat Shield to be an iron meteorite.

Spirit acquired this approximately true-color image on the rover's 872nd Martian day, or sol (June 16, 2006), using exposures taken through three of the panoramic camera's filters, centered on wavelengths of 600 nanometers, 530 nanometers, and 480 nanometers.

Surface Soil Moisture Memory Estimated from Models and SMAP Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Q.; Mccoll, K. A.; Li, C.; Lu, H.; Akbar, R.; Pan, M.; Entekhabi, D.

2017-12-01

Soil moisture memory(SMM), which is loosely defined as the time taken by soil to forget an anomaly, has been proved to be important in land-atmosphere interaction. There are many metrics to calculate the SMM timescale, for example, the timescale based on the time-series autocorrelation, the timescale ignoring the soil moisture time series and the timescale which only considers soil moisture increment. Recently, a new timescale based on `Water Cycle Fraction' (Kaighin et al., 2017), in which the impact of precipitation on soil moisture memory is considered, has been put up but not been fully evaluated in global. In this study, we compared the surface SMM derived from SMAP observations with that from land surface model simulations (i.e., the SMAP Nature Run (NR) provided by the Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5) (Rolf et al., 2014). Three timescale metrics were used to quantify the surface SMM as: T0 based on the soil moisture time series autocorrelation, deT0 based on the detrending soil moisture time series autocorrelation, and tHalf based on the Water Cycle Fraction. The comparisons indicate that: (1) there are big gaps between the T0 derived from SMAP and that from NR (2) the gaps get small for deT0 case, in which the seasonality of surface soil moisture was removed with a moving average filter; (3) the tHalf estimated from SMAP is much closer to that from NR. The results demonstrate that surface SMM can vary dramatically among different metrics, while the memory derived from land surface model differs from the one from SMAP observation. tHalf, with considering the impact of precipitation, may be a good choice to quantify surface SMM and have high potential in studies related to land atmosphere interactions. References McColl. K.A., S.H. Alemohammad, R. Akbar, A.G. Konings, S. Yueh, D. Entekhabi. The Global Distribution and Dynamics of Surface Soil Moisture, Nature Geoscience, 2017 Reichle. R., L. Qing, D.L. Gabrielle, A. Joe. The "SMAP_Nature_v03" Data

Swift: 10 Years of Discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-12-01

association. We acknowledge valuable inputs from the conference SOC and from the Swift User Committee Chair Dieter Hartmann. We also thank the LOC for their unrelenting efforts to solve all practical details. We would like to acknowledge financial support from INAF, ASI and NASA/GSFC. Patrizia Caraveo Neil Gehrels Gianpiero Tagliaferri

Zika in Twitter: Temporal Variations of Locations, Actors, and Concepts.

PubMed

Stefanidis, Anthony; Vraga, Emily; Lamprianidis, Georgios; Radzikowski, Jacek; Delamater, Paul L; Jacobsen, Kathryn H; Pfoser, Dieter; Croitoru, Arie; Crooks, Andrew

2017-04-20

contributes to advancing our understanding of social media discourse during a public health emergency of international concern. ©Anthony Stefanidis, Emily Vraga, Georgios Lamprianidis, Jacek Radzikowski, Paul L Delamater, Kathryn H Jacobsen, Dieter Pfoser, Arie Croitoru, Andrew Crooks. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 20.04.2017.

BOOK REVIEW: The Physical Basis of the Direction of Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giulini, Domenico

2008-10-01

This is the fifth edition of H Dieter Zeh's classic text on the physical foundations of time-irreversibility in the phenomena. A forerunner of this book was the 1984 German text 'Die Physik der Zeitrichtung' of about 80 pages, which appeared as volume 200 in the Springer series Lecture Notes in Physics. It was soon followed by a largely revised and extended English edition of about twice the length. Since then each new edition has been thoroughly revised and, edition by edition, new topics and chapters have been added. As the author says in the introduction: 'The prime intention of this book is to discuss the relations between various arrows of time, and to search for a universal master arrow'. Correspondingly, after a short chapter on 'the physical concept of time', the author systematically discusses in the remaining five chapters the time arrows in electromagnetic radiation theory, in thermodynamics, in quantum mechanics, in black-hole physics and cosmology, and in quantum cosmology. The chapters on thermodynamics and quantum mechanics slightly outweigh the others in terms of length. The fifth edition now includes two new section on 'cosmic probabilities and history' and 'quantum computers', and the section on the 'expansion of the universe' has been restructured and extended. Other changes concentrate on the sections on radiation damping, decoherence, interpretation of quantum theory, and quantum cosmology. It should also be mentioned that the author maintains a regularly updated website for the book at www.time-direction.de. The reading is always highly stimulating and uses results and ideas from a very broad range of physics, with interspersed historical and philosophical comments. Somehow outstanding and of particular interest is the chapter on quantum cosmology, which raises novel interpretational issues that cannot be found in any other textbook I know of on time asymmetry. As regards the mathematical prerequisites, the reader is assumed to have some

PREFACE: Symmetries in Science XIV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuch, Dieter; Ramek, Michael

2010-04-01

Symmetries Logo This volume of the proceedings "Symmetries in Science XIV" is dedicated to the memory of our colleagues and dear friends Marcos Moshinsky and Yuriĭ Smirnov who regularly participated in these Symposia and were a great inspiration to many. We shall miss them. Dieter Schuch and Michael Ramek The international symposium "Symmetries in Science XIV" held at Collegium Mehrerau in Bregenz, Austria from July 19-24, 2009, attended by 32 scientists from 11 countries, was an experiment, performed by theoreticians. Aim of this experiment was to find out if the desire to revive or even continue this conference series was stronger than the very restricted pecuniary boundary conditions. It obviously was! After its establishment by Bruno Gruber in 1979, the biennial series settled in the very stimulating atmosphere of the monastery Mehrerau, which provided the ideal environment for a limited number of invited participants to exchange ideas, without parallel sessions, and pursue deeper discussions (at the latest in the evening at "Gasthof Lamm"). When the conference series terminated in 2003, former participants were quite disappointed. Meeting again at several (larger) conferences in subsequent years, there were repeated expressions of "the lack of a Bregenz-type meeting in our field nowadays" and the question of a possible "revitalization", even without external funding. After some hesitation, but also driven by our own desire to reinstate the series, we consulted Bruno who not only approved wholeheartedly but also offered his full support. It all finally led to the symposium in July 2009. The atmosphere was really like in the "good old days" and the interesting and thought-provoking presentations culminated in the publication of these Proceedings. We are grateful to Carl Bender for establishing contact with IOP making it possible for us to publish these Proceedings in the Journal of Physics Conference Series. A majority of the participants contributed to these

Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Codonopsis: A review.

PubMed

Gao, Shi-Man; Liu, Jiu-Shi; Wang, Min; Cao, Ting-Ting; Qi, Yao-Dong; Zhang, Ben-Gang; Sun, Xiao-Bo; Liu, Hai-Tao; Xiao, Pei-Gen

2018-06-12

Species of the genus Codonopsis are perennial herbs mainly distributed throughout East, Southeast and Central Asia. As recorded, they have been used as traditional Chinese medicines since the Qing Dynasty, where they were claimed for strengthening the spleen and tonifying the lung, as well as nourishing blood and engendering liquid. Some species are also used as food materials in southern China and Southeast Asia, such as tea, wine, soup, plaster, and porridge. The review aims to assess the ethnopharmacological uses, explicit the material basis and pharmacological action, promote the safety of medical use, and suggest the future research potentials of Codonopsis. Information on the studies of Codonopsis was collected from scientific journals, books, and reports via library and electronic data search (PubMed, Elsevier, Scopus, Google Scholar, Springer, Science Direct, Wiley, Researchgate, ACS, EMBASE, Web of Science and CNKI). Meanwhile, it was also obtained from published works of material medica, folk records, ethnopharmacological literatures, Ph.D. and Masters Dissertation. Plant taxonomy was confirmed to the database "The Plant List" (www.theplantlist.org). Codonopsis has been used for medicinal purposes all around the world. Some species are also used as food materials in southern China and Southeast Asia. The chemical constituents of Codonopsis mainly are polyacetylenes, polyenes, flavonoids, lignans, alkaloids, coumarins, terpenoids, steroids, organic acids, saccharides, and so on. Extract of Codonopsis exhibit extensive pharmacological activities, including immune function regulation, hematopoiesis improvement, cardiovascular protection, neuroprotection, gastrointestinal function regulation, endocrine function regulation, cytotoxic and antibacterial effects, anti-aging and anti-oxidation, etc. Almost no obvious toxicity or side effect are observed and recorded for Codonopsis. The traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Codonopsis are

Arsenic disulfide induced apoptosis and concurrently promoted erythroid differentiation in cytokine-dependent myelodysplastic syndrome-progressed leukemia cell line F-36p with complex karyotype including monosomy 7.

PubMed

Hu, Xiao-mei; Tanaka, Sachiko; Onda, Kenji; Yuan, Bo; Toyoda, Hiroo; Ma, Rou; Liu, Feng; Hirano, Toshihiko

2014-05-01

Acute myeloid leukemia progressed from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS/AML) is generally incurable with poor prognosis for complex karyotype including monosomy 7 (-7). Qinghuang Powder (, QHP), which includes Qing Dai (Indigo naturalis) and Xiong Huang (realgar) in the formula, is effective in treating MDS or MDS/AML even with the unfavorable karyotype, and its therapeutic efficacy could be enhanced by increasing the Xiong huang content in the formula, while Xiong huang contains > 90% arsenic disulfide (As2S2). F-36p cell line was established from a MDS/AML patient with complex karyotype including -7, and was in cytokine-dependent. The present study was to investigate the effects of As2S2 on F-36p cells. Cell proliferation was measured by an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell apoptosis was identified by Annexin V-staining. Cell viability was determined by a propidium iodide (PI) exclusion. Erythroid differentiation was evaluated by the expression of cell surface antigen CD235a (GpA). After treatment with As2S2 at concentrations of 0.5 to 16 μmol/L for 72 h, As2S2 inhibited the proliferation of F-36p cells. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of As2S2 against the proliferation of F-36p cells was 6 μmol/L. The apoptotic cells significantly increased in a dose-dependent mannar (P<0.05). The cell viabilities were significantly inhibited by As2S2 dose-dependent in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). Significant increases of CD235a-positive cells were concurrently observed (P<0.05) also in a dose-dependent manner. As2S2 could inhibit proliferation and viability, induce apoptosis, and concurrently promote erythroid differentiation dose-dependently in F-36p cells. As2S2 can inhibit proliferation and viability, induce apoptosis, and concurrently promote erythroid differentiation in cytokine-dependent MDS-progressed human leukemia cell line F-36p with complex karyotype including -7. The data suggest that QHP and/or As2S2 could

Traditional Chinese Medicine Induced Liver Injury

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is popular around the world and encompasses many different practices with particular emphasis on herbal TCM. Using the PubMed database, a literature search was undertaken to assess the extent herbal TCM products exert rare hepatotoxicity. Analysis of reported cases revealed numerous specified herbal TCM products with potential hepatotoxicity. Among these were An Shu Ling, Bai Fang, Bai Xian Pi, Ban Tu Wan, Bo He, Bo Ye Qing Niu Dan, Bofu Tsu Sho San, Boh Gol Zhee, Cang Er Zi, Chai Hu, Chaso, Chi R Yun, Chuan Lian Zi, Ci Wu Jia, Da Chai Hu Tang, Da Huang, Du Huo, Gan Cao, Ge Gen, Ho Shou Wu, Hu Bohe You, Hu Zhang, Huang Qin, Huang Yao Zi, Hwang Geun Cho, Ji Gu Cao, Ji Ji, Ji Xue Cao, Jiguja, Jin Bu Huan, Jue Ming Zi, Kamishoyosan, Kudzu, Lei Gong Teng, Long Dan Xie Gan Tang, Lu Cha, Ma Huang, Mao Guo Tian Jie Cai, Onshido, Polygonum multiflorum, Qian Li Guang, Ren Shen, Sairei To, Shan Chi, Shen Min, Shi Can, Shi Liu Pi, Shou Wu Pian, Tian Hua Fen, White flood, Wu Bei Zi, Xi Shu, Xiao Chai Hu Tang, Yin Chen Hao, Zexie, Zhen Chu Cao, and various unclassified Chinese herbal mixtures. Causality was firmly established for a number of herbal TCM products by a positive reexposure test result, the liver specific scale of CIOMS (Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences), or both. Otherwise, the quality of case data was mixed, especially regarding analysis of the herb ingredients because of adulteration with synthetic drugs, contamination with heavy metals, and misidentification. In addition, non-herbal TCM elements derived from Agaricus blazei, Agkistrodon, Antelope, Bombyx, Carp, Fish gallbladder, Phellinus, Scolopendra, Scorpio, and Zaocys are also known or potential hepatotoxins. For some patients, the clinical course was severe, with risks for acute liver failure, liver transplantation requirement, and lethality. In conclusion, the use of few herbal TCM products may rarely be associated with hepatotoxicity in some

Simulation and assessment of urbanization impacts on runoff metrics: insights from landuse changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yongyong; Xia, Jun; Yu, Jingjie; Randall, Mark; Zhang, Yichi; Zhao, Tongtiegang; Pan, Xingyao; Zhai, Xiaoyan; Shao, Quanxi

2018-05-01

Urbanization-induced landuse changes alter runoff regimes in complex ways. In this study, a detailed investigation of the urbanization impacts on runoff regimes is provided by using multiple runoff metrics and with consideration of landuse dynamics. A catchment hydrological model is modified by coupling a simplified flow routing module of the urban drainage system and landuse dynamics to improve long-term urban runoff simulations. Moreover, multivariate statistical approach is adopted to mine the spatial variations of runoff metrics so as to further identify critical impact factors of landuse changes. The Qing River catchment as a peri-urban catchment in the Beijing metropolitan area is selected as our study region. Results show that: (1) the dryland agriculture is decreased from 13.9% to 1.5% of the total catchment area in the years 2000-2015, while the percentages of impervious surface, forest and grass are increased from 63.5% to 72.4%, 13.5% to 16.6% and 5.1% to 6.5%, respectively. The most dramatic landuse changes occur in the middle and downstream regions; (2) The combined landuse changes do not alter the average flow metrics obviously at the catchment outlet, but slightly increase the high flow metrics, particularly the extreme high flows; (3) The impacts on runoff metrics in the sub-catchments are more obvious than those at the catchment outlet. For the average flow metrics, the most impacted metric is the runoff depth in the dry season (October ∼ May) with a relative change from -10.9% to 11.6%, and the critical impact factors are the impervious surface and grass. For the high flow metrics, the extreme high flow depth is increased most significantly with a relative change from -0.6% to 10.5%, and the critical impact factors are the impervious surface and dryland agriculture; (4) The runoff depth metrics in the sub-catchments are increased because of the landuse changes from dryland agriculture to impervious surface, but are decreased because of the

Path-Integration Computation of the Transport Properties of Polymers Nanoparticles and Complex Biological Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, Jack

2014-03-01

One of the things that puzzled me when I was a PhD student working under Karl Freed was the curious unity between the theoretical descriptions of excluded volume interactions in polymers, the hydrodynamic properties of polymers in solution, and the critical properties of fluid mixtures, gases and diverse other materials (magnets, superfluids,etc.) when these problems were formally expressed in terms of Wiener path integration and the interactions treated through a combination of epsilon expansion and renormalization group (RG) theory. It seemed that only the interaction labels changed from one problem to the other. What do these problems have in common? Essential clues to these interrelations became apparent when Karl Freed, myself and Shi-Qing Wang together began to study polymers interacting with hyper-surfaces of continuously variable dimension where the Feynman perturbation expansions could be performed through infinite order so that we could really understand what the RG theory was doing. It is evidently simply a particular method for resuming perturbation theory, and former ambiguities no longer existed. An integral equation extension of this type of exact calculation to ``surfaces'' of arbitrary fixed shape finally revealed the central mathematical object that links these diverse physical models- the capacity of polymer chains, whose value vanishes at the critical dimension of 4 and whose magnitude is linked to the friction coefficient of polymer chains, the virial coefficient of polymers and the 4-point function of the phi-4 field theory,...Once this central object was recognized, it then became possible solve diverse problems in material science through the calculation of capacity, and related ``virials'' properties, through Monte Carlo sampling of random walk paths. The essential ideas of this computational method are discussed and some applications given to non-trivial problems: nanotubes treated as either rigid rods or ensembles worm-like chains having

On the relationship between traditional culture and population in China.

PubMed

Yang, Y

1994-01-01

The Chinese agricultural base of production and livelihood has ensured the maintenance of traditional culture. Chinese lifestyles have changed little. Population might be developed economically, but traditional practices are likely to remain. Social and cultural conditions still determine the chosen number and gender of children. High fertility in rural agricultural society is related to a desire for greater wealth, for balancing the mortality rate, and for building security in old age. Traditional Chinese thinking promoted early marriage and childbearing. The desire for more children was really a desire for more sons. The desire for sons traditionally was so strong that men kept concubines in order to have more sons. Traditional society between 1949 and 1989 produced population reproduction that increased from 400 million to 800 million. Traditional society is based on the literati, farmers, workers or craftsmen, and business people. Society's strength was measured in Chinese tradition by the amount of food produced or the greater population involved in agriculture. During the Ming and Qing dynasties and periods of famine and natural disaster, government provided farmers with land, seeds, oxen and praise. Conversely, businessmen and crafts persons were taxed as a means of restricting their growth, and children's education was restricted. Literati held the highest status. Officials held a preferential rank over farming. An exemplary goal was to become an official and a farmer. The number of literati was small and it was difficult to gain access to these professions. Traditional culture reflected the importance of staying in one place; the only mass migrations historically were ones due to survival needs in times of war and during the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. Feudal rulers restricted travel, but families and clans were the strong binding force that kept migration limited. Clans also restricted occupational choices and inheritance. Traditional isolated and

[Historical Study of the Etymological Form and Translational Process of Gout (Tongfeng,)].

PubMed

Cho, Jae-Heung; Jung, Jae Young

2015-08-01

This study aims to address questions regarding the translation of 'gout' into 'tongfeng ()' in East Asia. To this end, the formation process of the origins, 'gout' from Western medicine and 'tongfeng' from Oriental medicine, and the translational process were investigated through the relevant records and literature dating from the 16th century on. Symptoms associated with gout were originally mentioned in ancient Egypt and various terminologies were used to refer to gout, such as podagra, cheiragra and gonogra. The word 'gout', which is derived from Latin, was used for the first time in the 13th century. The reason for this linguistic alteration is thought to be the need for a comprehensive term to cover the various terms for gout in symptomatic body parts, since it can occur concurrently in many joints. However, it took hundreds of years before gout was independently established as a medical term. In oriental medicine, terms describing diseases with features similar to gout include bibing (), lijiefeng (), baihufeng () and tongfeng (). Among them, the concept of 'tongfeng' has been established since the Jin and Yuan dynasties. The cause, prevention and various treatments for tongfeng were proposed throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. The early translation of gout and tongfeng in East Asia, respectively, is estimated to have occurred in the 18th century. The first literature translating gout in China was 'An English and Chinese Vocabulary in the Court Dialect (yinghua yunfu lijie, )'. From the publication of this book until the late 19th century, gout was translated into an unfamiliar Chinese character 'Jiu feng jiao ()', likely because the translation was done mostly by foreign missionaries at the time, and they created a new word on the basis of Western medicine instead of researching and translating similar diseases in oriental medicine. In Japan, the first book translating gout was 'A Pocket Dictionary of the English and Japanese Language (Eiwa taiyaku

Oncologic Therapy Support Via Means of a Dedicated Mobile App (OPTIMISE-1): Protocol for a Prospective Pilot Trial.

PubMed

El Shafie, Rami A; Bougatf, Nina; Sprave, Tanja; Weber, Dorothea; Oetzel, Dieter; Machmer, Timo; Huber, Peter E; Debus, Jürgen; Nicolay, Nils H

2018-03-06

of results is planned at 24 months after trial initiation. This study will serve as a basis for future studies aiming to exploit the constant innovation in mobile medical appliances and integrate novel patient-centered concepts into patient care in the context of radiotherapy. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03168048; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03168048 (Archived at WebCite http://www.webcitation.org/6wtWGgi0X). ©Rami A El Shafie, Nina Bougatf, Tanja Sprave, Dorothea Weber, Dieter Oetzel, Timo Machmer, Peter E Huber, Jürgen Debus, Nils H Nicolay. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 06.03.2018.

The ecology and evolutionary endocrinology of reproduction in the human female.

PubMed

Vitzthum, Virginia J

2009-01-01

norm rather than an aberration. Other than woman's age, the determinants of these differences are not well characterized, although developmental conditions, dietary practices, genetic variation, and epigenetic mechanisms have all been hypothesized to play some role. It is also evident that the reproductive functioning of women born and living in arduous conditions is not analogous to that of athletes, dieters, or even the lower end of the "normal range" of HPO functioning in wealthier populations. Contrary to the presumption that humans have low fecundity and an inefficient reproductive system, both theory and present evidence suggest that we may actually have very high fecundity and a reproductive system that has evolved to be flexible, ruthlessly efficient and, most importantly, strategic. Copyright 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PREFACE: Nanospintronics design and realization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akai, Hisazumi; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi; Kasai, Hideaki

2004-12-01

oral presentations and 44 contributed posters. The conference also has additional financial support from the Asahi Glass Foundation, the Foundation for Promotion of Material Science and Technology of Japan, the Izumi Science and Technology Foundation, the Kansai Research Foundation for Technology Promotion, the Kao Foundation for Arts and Sciences, the Murata Science Foundation, the Nanotechnology Researchers Network Center of Japan, and the Nippon Sheet Glass Foundation for Materials Science and Engineering. The 2nd International Conference on Nanospintronics Design and Realization will be held in Germany, in 2007, and will be organized by Stefan Blügel, Patrick Bruno, and Dieter Weiss. We hope to see you there.

Committees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2012-11-01

Leadership Team of the IAHR Committee for Hydraulic Machinery and Systems Eduard EGUSQUIZA, UPC Barcelona, Spain, Chair François AVELLAN, EPFL-LMH, Switzerland, Past Chair Richard K FISHER, Voith Hydro Inc., USA, Past Chair Fidel ARZOLA, Edelca, Venezuela Michel COUSTON, Alstom Hydro, France Niklas DAHLBÄCKCK, Vatenfall, Sweden Normand DESY, Andritz VA TECH Hydro Ltd., Canada Chisachi KATO, University of Tokyo, Japan Andrei LIPEJ, Turboinstitut, Slovenija Torbjørn NIELSEN, NTNU, Norway Romeo SUSAN-RESIGA, 'Politehnica' University Timisoara, Romania Stefan RIEDELBAUCH, Stuggart University, Germany Albert RUPRECHT, Stuttgart University, Germany Qing-Hua SHI, Dong Fang Electrical Machinery Co., China Geraldo TIAGO, Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Brazil International Advisory Committee Shouqi YUAN (principal) Jiangsu University China QingHua SHI (principal) Dong Fang Electrical Machinery Co. China Fidel ARZOLA EDELCA Venezuela Thomas ASCHENBRENNER Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG Germany Anton BERGANT Litostroj Power doo Slovenia B C BHAOYAL Research & Technology Centre India Hermod BREKKE NTNU Norway Stuart COULSON Voith Hydro Inc. USA Paul COOPER Fluid Machinery Research Inc USA V A DEMIANOV Power Machines OJSC Russia Bart van ESCH Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Netherland Arno GEHRER Andritz Hydro Graz Austria Akira GOTO Ebara Corporation Japan Adiel GUINZBURG The Boeing Company USA D-H HELLMANN KSB AG Germany Ashvin HOSANGADI Combustion Research and Flow Technology USA Byung-Sun HWANG Korea Institute of Material Science Korea Toshiaki KANEMOTO Kyushu Institute of Technology Japan Mann-Eung KIM Korean Register of Shipping Korea Jiri KOUTNIK Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG Germany Jinkook LEE Eaton Corporation USA Young-Ho LEE Korea Maritime University Korea Woo-Seop LIM Hyosung Goodsprings Inc Korea Jun MATSUI Yokohama National University Japan Kazuyoshi Mitsubishi H I Ltd, Japan MIYAGAWA Christophe NICOLET Power Vision Engineering Srl Switzerland Maryse PAGE Hydro

Development of the scintillator-based probe for fast-ion losses in the HL-2A tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. P.; Liu, Yi; Luo, X. B.; Isobe, M.; Yuan, G. L.; Liu, Y. Q.; Hua, Y.; Song, X. Y.; Yang, J. W.; Li, X.; Chen, W.; Li, Y.; Yan, L. W.; Song, X. M.; Yang, Q. W.; Duan, X. R.

2014-05-01

A new scintillator-based lost fast-ion probe (SLIP) has been developed and operated in the HL-2A tokamak [L. W. Yan, X. R. Duan, X. T. Ding, J. Q. Dong, Q. W. Yang, Yi Liu, X. L. Zou, D. Q. Liu, W. M. Xuan, L. Y. Chen, J. Rao, X. M. Song, Y. Huang, W. C. Mao, Q. M. Wang, Q. Li, Z. Cao, B. Li, J. Y. Cao, G. J. Lei, J. H. Zhang, X. D. Li, W. Chen, J. Chen, C. H. Cui, Z. Y. Cui, Z. C. Deng, Y. B. Dong, B. B. Feng, Q. D. Gao, X. Y. Han, W. Y. Hong, M. Huang, X. Q. Ji, Z. H. Kang, D. F. Kong, T. Lan, G. S. Li, H. J. Li, Qing Li, W. Li, Y. G. Li, A. D. Liu, Z. T. Liu, C. W. Luo, X. H. Mao, Y. D. Pan, J. F. Peng, Z. B. Shi, S. D. Song, X. Y. Song, H. J. Sun, A. K. Wang, M. X. Wang, Y. Q. Wang, W. W. Xiao, Y. F. Xie, L. H. Yao, D. L. Yu, B. S. Yuan, K. J. Zhao, G. W. Zhong, J. Zhou, J. C. Yan, C. X. Yu, C. H. Pan, Y. Liu, and the HL-2A Team, Nucl. Fusion 51, 094016 (2011)] to measure the losses of neutral beam ions. The design of the probe is based on the concept of the α-particle detectors on Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) using scintillator plates. The probe is capable of traveling across an equatorial plane port and sweeping the aperture angle rotationally with respect to the axis of the probe shaft by two step motors, in order to optimize the radial position and the collimator angle. The energy and the pitch angle of the lost fast ions can be simultaneously measured if the two-dimensional image of scintillation light intensity due to the impact of the lost fast ions is detected. Measurements of the fast-ion losses using the probe have been performed during HL-2A neutral beam injection discharges. The clear experimental evidence of enhanced losses of beam ions during disruptions has been obtained by means of the SLIP system. A detailed description of the probe system and the first experimental results are reported.

Chinese culture and fertility decline.

PubMed

Wu, C; Jia, S

1992-01-01

Coale has suggested that cultural factors exert a significant influence on fertility reduction; countries in the "Chinese cultural circle" would be the first to show fertility decline. In China, the view was that traditional Chinese culture contributed to increased population. This paper examines the nature of the relationship between Chinese culture and fertility. Attention was directed to a comparison of fertility rates of developing countries with strong Chinese cultural influence and of fertility within different regions of China. Discussion was followed by an explanation of the theoretical impact of Chinese culture on fertility and direct and indirect beliefs and practices that might either enhance or hinder fertility decline. Emigration to neighboring countries occurred after the Qing dynasty. Fertility after the 1950s declined markedly in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China: all countries within the Chinese cultural circle. Other countries within the Chinese circle which have higher fertility, yet lower fertility than other non-Chinese cultural countries, are Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Within China, regions with similar fertility patterns are identified as coastal regions, central plains, and mountainous and plateau regions. The Han ethnic group has lower fertility than that of ethnic minorities; regions with large Han populations have lower fertility. Overseas Chinese in East Asian countries also tend to have lower fertility than their host populations. Chinese culture consisted of the assimilation of other cultures over 5000 years. Fertility decline was dependent on the population's desire to limit reproduction, favorable social mechanisms, and availability of contraception: all factors related to economic development. Chinese culture affects fertility reduction by affecting reproductive views and social mechanisms directly, and indirectly through economics. Confucianism emphasizes collectivism, self

Development of the scintillator-based probe for fast-ion losses in the HL-2A tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Y. P., E-mail: zhangyp@swip.ac.cn; Liu, Yi; Yuan, G. L.

A new scintillator-based lost fast-ion probe (SLIP) has been developed and operated in the HL-2A tokamak [L. W. Yan, X. R. Duan, X. T. Ding, J. Q. Dong, Q. W. Yang, Yi Liu, X. L. Zou, D. Q. Liu, W. M. Xuan, L. Y. Chen, J. Rao, X. M. Song, Y. Huang, W. C. Mao, Q. M. Wang, Q. Li, Z. Cao, B. Li, J. Y. Cao, G. J. Lei, J. H. Zhang, X. D. Li, W. Chen, J. Chen, C. H. Cui, Z. Y. Cui, Z. C. Deng, Y. B. Dong, B. B. Feng, Q. D. Gao, X. Y.more » Han, W. Y. Hong, M. Huang, X. Q. Ji, Z. H. Kang, D. F. Kong, T. Lan, G. S. Li, H. J. Li, Qing Li, W. Li, Y. G. Li, A. D. Liu, Z. T. Liu, C. W. Luo, X. H. Mao, Y. D. Pan, J. F. Peng, Z. B. Shi, S. D. Song, X. Y. Song, H. J. Sun, A. K. Wang, M. X. Wang, Y. Q. Wang, W. W. Xiao, Y. F. Xie, L. H. Yao, D. L. Yu, B. S. Yuan, K. J. Zhao, G. W. Zhong, J. Zhou, J. C. Yan, C. X. Yu, C. H. Pan, Y. Liu, and the HL-2A Team , Nucl. Fusion 51, 094016 (2011)] to measure the losses of neutral beam ions. The design of the probe is based on the concept of the α-particle detectors on Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) using scintillator plates. The probe is capable of traveling across an equatorial plane port and sweeping the aperture angle rotationally with respect to the axis of the probe shaft by two step motors, in order to optimize the radial position and the collimator angle. The energy and the pitch angle of the lost fast ions can be simultaneously measured if the two-dimensional image of scintillation light intensity due to the impact of the lost fast ions is detected. Measurements of the fast-ion losses using the probe have been performed during HL-2A neutral beam injection discharges. The clear experimental evidence of enhanced losses of beam ions during disruptions has been obtained by means of the SLIP system. A detailed description of the probe system and the first experimental results are reported.« less

Climate and environmental changes during the past millennium in central western Guizhou, China as recorded by Stalagmite ZJD-21

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Tz-Shing; Liu, Zi-Qi; Li, Hong-Chun; Wan, Nai-Jung; Shen, Chuan-Chou; Ku, Teh-Lung

2011-04-01

Emperor Yongzheng of Qing Dynasty. Since the late 1890s, especially in the past 50 years, population surge has led to serious karst rocky desertification in the area.

Community composition and cellulase activity of cellulolytic bacteria from forest soils planted with broad-leaved deciduous and evergreen trees.

PubMed

Yang, Jiang-Ke; Zhang, Jing-Jing; Yu, Heng-Yu; Cheng, Jian-Wen; Miao, Li-Hong

2014-02-01

Cellulolytic bacteria in forest soil provide carbon sources to improve the soil fertility and sustain the nutrient balance of the forest ecological system through the decomposition of cellulosic remains. These bacteria can also be utilized for the biological conversion of biomass into renewable biofuels. In this study, the community compositions and activities of cellulolytic bacteria in the soils of forests planted with broad-leaved deciduous (Chang Qing Garden, CQG) and broad-leaved evergreen (Forest Park, FP) trees in Wuhan, China were resolved through restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. All of the isolates exhibited 35 RFLP fingerprint patterns and were clustered into six groups at a similarity level of 50 %. The phylogeny analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that these RFLP groups could be clustered into three phylogenetic groups and further divided into six subgroups at a higher resolution. Group I consists of isolates from Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis complex (I-A) and from Paenibacillus amylolyticus-related complex (I-B) and exhibited the highest cellulase activity among all of the cellulolytic bacteria isolates. Cluster II consists of isolates belonging to Microbacterium testaceum (II-A), Chryseobacterium indoltheticum (II-B), and Flavobacterium pectinovorum and the related complex (II-C). Cluster III consists of isolates belonging to Pseudomonas putida-related species. The community shift with respect to the plant species and the soil properties was evidenced by the phylogenetic composition of the communities. Groups I-A and I-B, which account for 36.0 % of the cellulolytic communities in the CQG site, are the dominant groups (88.4 %) in the FP site. Alternatively, the ratio of the bacteria belonging to group III (P. putida-related isolates) shifted from 28.0 % in CQG to 4.0 % in FP. The soil nutrient analysis revealed that the CQG site planted with deciduous broad

Functional fusion of living systems with synthetic electrode interfaces.

PubMed

Staufer, Oskar; Weber, Sebastian; Bengtson, C Peter; Bading, Hilmar; Spatz, Joachim P; Rustom, Amin

2016-01-01

The functional fusion of "living" biomaterial (such as cells) with synthetic systems has developed into a principal ambition for various scientific disciplines. In particular, emerging fields such as bionics and nanomedicine integrate advanced nanomaterials with biomolecules, cells and organisms in order to develop novel strategies for applications, including energy production or real-time diagnostics utilizing biomolecular machineries "perfected" during billion years of evolution. To date, hardware-wetware interfaces that sample or modulate bioelectric potentials, such as neuroprostheses or implantable energy harvesters, are mostly based on microelectrodes brought into the closest possible contact with the targeted cells. Recently, the possibility of using electrochemical gradients of the inner ear for technical applications was demonstrated using implanted electrodes, where 1.12 nW of electrical power was harvested from the guinea pig endocochlear potential for up to 5 h (Mercier, P.; Lysaght, A.; Bandyopadhyay, S.; Chandrakasan, A.; Stankovic, K. Nat. Biotech. 2012, 30, 1240-1243). More recent approaches employ nanowires (NWs) able to penetrate the cellular membrane and to record extra- and intracellular electrical signals, in some cases with subcellular resolution (Spira, M.; Hai, A. Nat. Nano. 2013, 8, 83-94). Such techniques include nanoelectric scaffolds containing free-standing silicon NWs (Robinson, J. T.; Jorgolli, M.; Shalek, A. K.; Yoon, M. H.; Gertner, R. S.; Park, H. Nat Nanotechnol. 2012, 10, 180-184) or NW field-effect transistors (Qing, Q.; Jiang, Z.; Xu, L.; Gao, R.; Mai, L.; Lieber, C. Nat. Nano. 2013, 9, 142-147), vertically aligned gallium phosphide NWs (Hällström, W.; Mårtensson, T.; Prinz, C.; Gustavsson, P.; Montelius, L.; Samuelson, L.; Kanje, M. Nano Lett. 2007, 7, 2960-2965) or individually contacted, electrically active carbon nanofibers. The latter of these approaches is capable of recording electrical responses from oxidative events

Anti-inflammatory and burn injury wound healing properties of the shell of Haliotis diversicolor.

PubMed

Chen, Zhi-Cheng; Wu, Shing-Yi Sean; Su, Wei-Yang; Lin, Yuan-Chuan; Lee, Yi-Hsin; Wu, Wei-Hao; Chen, Chun-Hong; Wen, Zhi-Hong

2016-11-28

The shell of Haliotis diversicolor, or shijueming (SJM), is a type of traditional Chinese medicine. The SJM has appeared in historical records as early as the third and fourth centuries. Historical records have revealed that SJM had mainly been used to treat eye diseases. After the Qing Dynasty (1757), records had emerged, detailing the use of SJM for treating skin injuries, particularly for treating poorly managed ulcers or traumatic wounds. Furthermore, in our anti-inflammation-screening system, SJM significantly inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory proteins. Previous studies have yet to adopt an animal model to verify the phenomenon and described in the historical records regarding the efficacy of SJM in promoting wound healing. Besides, the mechanism of wound healing effect of SJM is also not clear. This study applied in vitro and in vivo models, tissue section analysis, and western blotting to evaluate the effect of SJM on wound healing. The RAW 264.7 cells were used in anti-inflammatory activity assay and phagocytic assay. Male Wistar rats were used to evaluate the effect of SJM on burn injury healing. A copper block (2 × 2 cm, 150 g) preheated to 165 °C in a dry bath was used to contact the skin area for 10 s, thus creating a full-thickness burn injury. The results were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, picrosirius red staining and Western blotting. The results revealed that in the in vitro model, the presence of SJM decreased the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and enhanced the functions of macrophages. The results of the rat burn injury model revealed that SJM decreased neutrophil infiltration, promoted wound healing, thus increasing the collagen I content and promoting the expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) protein. We speculate that the effect and mechanism of SJM on promoting wound healing is related to macrophage activation. In the inflammation phase, SJM alleviates inflammation by

Use of indoor tanning facilities by white adolescents in the United States.

PubMed

Demko, Catherine A; Borawski, Elaine A; Debanne, Sara M; Cooper, Kevin D; Stange, Kurt C

2003-09-01

Indoor tanning is a risk factor for skin cancer, but the population-based prevalence of this behavior among adolescents is not clearly known. To describe the prevalence of tanning booth use among white US adolescents and to assess its association with sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and appearance. A nationally representative sample of 6903 non-Hispanic white adolescents, aged 13 to 19 years, who participated in Wave II (between April 1, 1996, and August 31, 1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Frequency of lifetime use of indoor artificial tanning facilities. With the data weighted to national levels, 36.8% of the white female adolescents and 11.2% of the white male adolescents have used a tanning booth at least once in their life, while 28.1% and 6.9% of the female and male adolescents, respectively, reported tanning booth use 3 or more times. The percentage of female adolescents using tanning booths 3 or more times increased with age, from 11.2% of the 13- to 14-year-olds to 47.0% of 18- to 19-year-olds and also increased with greater tanning ability, from 12.6% of the poor tanners to 38.1% of those with a strong tan response. After multivariate adjustment, those residing in the Midwest (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.53-3.68) or South (aOR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.89-4.53), attending a rural high school (aOR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.09-2.98), and reporting the use of 2 or 3 substances (aOR, 3.06; 95% CI, 2.44-3.82) were more likely to use indoor tanning facilities, as were dieters (aOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.01-1.57) regardless of their body mass index. Decreased odds of indoor tanning were observed among those with a college-educated mother (aOR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.51-0.90) and greater cognitive ability (per 10-point score increase; aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.82-0.96) while routine participation in physical activity significantly lowered the odds of indoor tanning only among female adolescents. Indoor tanning is

PREFACE: Symmetries in Science XV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuch, Dieter; Ramek, Michael

2012-08-01

were also two colleagues who would have liked to participate but were unable to do so (M Horn and A Solomon); we agreed to incorporate their manuscripts into the Proceedings. We would like to thank the staff of Collegium Mehrerau for their hospitality. Once more special thanks to the Schenk Family for their continuing friendship and generous support. The informal evening meetings in these stimulating surroundings probably contributed as much to the scientific success as the lectures during the day and many personal contacts were made. Last, but not least, we would like to thank Yvette again for her unremitting support. Dieter Schuch and Michael Ramek Frankfurt am Main and Graz, July 2012 Conference photograph

Retraction Statement: "Overexpression of miR-708 and its targets in the childhood common precursor B-cell ALL" by Xue Li, MMed, Dong Li, PhD, Yong Zhuang, MMed, Qing Shi, BSc, Wei Wei, MMed, and Xiuli Ju, MD, PhD.

PubMed

2017-05-01

The above article, published online 23 August 2013 in Pediatric Blood and Cancer, Volume 60, Issue 12, December 2013, Pages 2060-2067, has been retracted by agreement among the authors, the journal's Editor-in-Chief, Peter E. Newburger, M.D., and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The decision to retract was agreed upon following notification that the paper substantially duplicates a prior study already published in Chinese https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23611221. The authors were not aware that publication in another language would constitute a duplicate publication and, upon being informed of this fact, have agreed to withdraw the paper from Pediatric Blood and Cancer. Reference Li X, Li D, Zhuang Y, Shi Q, Wei W and Ju X. Overexpression of miR-708 and its targets in the childhood common precursor B-cell ALL. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2013; 60: 2060-2067. doi:10.1002/pbc.24583. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Historical development of Chinese dietary patterns and nutrition from the ancient to the modern society.

PubMed

Chen, J D; Xu, H

1996-01-01

Actually, food, diet and diet therapy germinated together with the change of meal patterns and traditional Chinese medicine from very ancient China; they appeared in an embryonic form till the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and received great importance from the governors who arranged officials to manage their diets and banquets. Moreover, food, diet and meal patterns were replenished through the Zhou, Qin, Han and Jin Dynasties and epitomized and reached thriving and prosperous standards till the Tang Dynasty. They then became perfected, developed, and formed a complete theory in the dynasties of Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing. The basis of modern nutrition was made up until the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, which was the time when natural science, including microbiology, chemistry, food industry, etc. were extended into China, yet it was not fully formed until the established of the People's Republic of China. Practicing, teaching, training and research activities started regularly in 1950. With a big population and poor economy basis, the first problem that the Chinese people has now been basically solved. Chinese nutritional scientists worked hard to find out the nutritional problems and status of the people. Through the broad-scale 'Nationwide Nutrition Survey', we now understand our main problems. On this basis, RDA, dietary goal and dietary guidance have been put forward. Although the problem of adequate food and clothing has been basically solved, the Chinese are still facing both the problem of nutrition insufficiency and nutrition excess. However, although nutrition insufficiency and deficiency still extensively exist, nutrition excess and imbalance are emerging in other sections of the population. There is still a shortage of qualified nutritional scientists and technicians, and the training of nutritionists is urgent. Food supplies, including milk, beef, green vegetables and fruit should be increased, especially for some rural and

Functional fusion of living systems with synthetic electrode interfaces

PubMed Central

Staufer, Oskar; Weber, Sebastian; Bengtson, C Peter; Bading, Hilmar; Spatz, Joachim P

2016-01-01

Summary The functional fusion of “living” biomaterial (such as cells) with synthetic systems has developed into a principal ambition for various scientific disciplines. In particular, emerging fields such as bionics and nanomedicine integrate advanced nanomaterials with biomolecules, cells and organisms in order to develop novel strategies for applications, including energy production or real-time diagnostics utilizing biomolecular machineries “perfected” during billion years of evolution. To date, hardware–wetware interfaces that sample or modulate bioelectric potentials, such as neuroprostheses or implantable energy harvesters, are mostly based on microelectrodes brought into the closest possible contact with the targeted cells. Recently, the possibility of using electrochemical gradients of the inner ear for technical applications was demonstrated using implanted electrodes, where 1.12 nW of electrical power was harvested from the guinea pig endocochlear potential for up to 5 h (Mercier, P.; Lysaght, A.; Bandyopadhyay, S.; Chandrakasan, A.; Stankovic, K. Nat. Biotech. 2012, 30, 1240–1243). More recent approaches employ nanowires (NWs) able to penetrate the cellular membrane and to record extra- and intracellular electrical signals, in some cases with subcellular resolution (Spira, M.; Hai, A. Nat. Nano. 2013, 8, 83–94). Such techniques include nanoelectric scaffolds containing free-standing silicon NWs (Robinson, J. T.; Jorgolli, M.; Shalek, A. K.; Yoon, M. H.; Gertner, R. S.; Park, H. Nat Nanotechnol. 2012, 10, 180–184) or NW field-effect transistors (Qing, Q.; Jiang, Z.; Xu, L.; Gao, R.; Mai, L.; Lieber, C. Nat. Nano. 2013, 9, 142–147), vertically aligned gallium phosphide NWs (Hällström, W.; Mårtensson, T.; Prinz, C.; Gustavsson, P.; Montelius, L.; Samuelson, L.; Kanje, M. Nano Lett. 2007, 7, 2960–2965) or individually contacted, electrically active carbon nanofibers. The latter of these approaches is capable of recording electrical

Inflatable re-entry shield ready for test in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-02-01

The Russian spacecraft Mars'96 for instance, which was launched in November 1996 but failed to reach its nominal orbit, carried two modules designed to land on that planet's surface. For the last part of the mission, an Inflatable Re-Entry and Descent Technology (IRDT) had been deployed. The main components of this system were an aerobraking and thermally protective shell, a densely packed inflating material and a pressurisation system. This technology is now considered applicable to other re-entry scenarios such as payload recovery from the International Space Station, planetary landers for science missions and atmospheric research. A demonstration mission on 9/10 February 2000 will evaluate the performance of this new technology before it is offered to potential users. A Russian Soyuz/Fregat launcher, lifting off from the Kazakh steppe near Baikonur, will provide a low-cost flight opportunity for the test vehicle, which is equipped with the inflatable heat shield and a sensor package developed by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA). After four orbits around the Earth, the test vehicle will be powered by the launcher's upper stage to re-enter the atmosphere for a landing the next day about 1800 km north-west of the launch site. During the mission, a number of technical parameters such as pressure, temperature and deceleration will be monitored and the inflation of the re-entry/descent structure observed. "From this novel technology, we are expecting a major breakthrough, to make re-entry of small payloads more and more reliable, simpler and less costly than traditional systems", explains Dieter Kassing, ESA's IRDT project manager. One of the main instruments on board the test vehicle is a sensor device developed by the University of Stuttgart for the determination of oxygen partial pressure in low Earth orbit and during re-entry. The scientific/technical investigations will be led by Dr. Ulrich Schoettle (Stuttgart University). Lionel Marraffa (ESA) will lead the

BOOK REVIEW: Development of Solar Research - Entwicklung der Sonnenforschung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterken, C.; Wittmann, A. D.; Wolfschmidt, G.; Duerbeck, H. W.

2006-12-01

This publication contains the Proceedings of a Colloquium on the development of solar research, supplemented with a number of papers which were written especially for this book. The volume contains 14 papers dealing with archeo-astronomy related to the Sun, solar cults, and (mainly) solar research. Ten papers are written in English, the remaining four are in German, but all papers have a quite extensive Abstract in both languages. The volume closes with a comprehensive Name Index. I found this book most pleasant to read with many useful illustrations (more than 120 photographs and reproductions of which about 100 cover truly historic material, quite often from authors' private archives). The first three papers (by A. Haenel, W. Schlosser and R. Hansen) deal with very ancient information: megalithic tombs as solar observatories, the Nebra sky-disk (showing Sun, Moon, Pleiades and other stars), and solar cults. These papers (adding up to about 90 pages) are not only descriptive, but also contain an analysis based on quantitative facts. One paper deals with letters exchanged by astronomers serving as data sources for the counting of sunspots during the Maunder minimum. More specifically, several hundreds of letters by Gottfried Kirch (1639-1710) are being edited and analysed by Klaus-Dieter Herbst. Medieval solar-eclipse maps with totality paths are reproduced in an interesting paper by Robert van Gent, who presents eclipse cartography of as early as 1699 - at least 15 years prior to the generally accepted first such map by Edmond Halley. R. Schielicke's paper on the 1851 Koenigsberg daguerrotype photograph of the solar corona gives interesting details on the history of daguerrotype photography, and has a number of very useful basic references, including OCR-based transcripts of a 1851-dated document describing an early corona daguerrotype (in German). Three consecutive papers (one by H.W. Duerbeck, followed by papers by G. Wolfschmidt and M.P. Seiler) not only reveal

Speleothem Mg-isotope time-series data from different climate belts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riechelmann, S.; Buhl, D.; Richter, D. K.; Schröder-Ritzrau, A.; Riechelmann, D. F. C.; Niedermayr, A.; Vonhof, H. B.; Wassenburg, J.; Immenhauser, A.

2012-04-01

Speleothem Mg-isotope time-series data from different climate belts Sylvia Riechelmann (1), Dieter Buhl(1), Detlev K. Richter (1), Andrea Schröder-Ritzrau (2), Dana F.C. Riechelmann (3), Andrea Niedermayr (1), Hubert B. Vonhof (4) , Jasper Wassenburg (1), Adrian Immenhauser (1) (1) Ruhr-University Bochum, Institute for Geology, Mineralogy and Geophysics, Universitätsstraße 150, D-44801 Bochum, Germany (2) Heidelberg Academy of Sciences, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany (3) Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Institute of Geography, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 21, D-55128 Mainz, Germany (4) Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands The Magnesium isotope proxy in Earth surface research is still underexplored. Recently, field and laboratory experiments have shed light on the complex suite of processes affecting Mg isotope fractionation in continental weathering systems. Magnesium-isotope fractionation in speleothems depends on a series of factors including biogenic activity and composition of soils, mineralogy of hostrock, changes in silicate versus carbonate weathering ratios, water residence time in the soil and hostrock and disequilibrium factors such as the precipitation rate of calcite in speleothems. Furthermore, the silicate (here mainly Mg-bearing clays) versus carbonate weathering ratio depends on air temperature and rainfall amount, also influencing the soil biogenic activity. It must be emphasized that carbonate weathering is generally dominant, but under increasingly warm and more arid climate conditions, silicate weathering rates increase and release 26Mg-enriched isotopes to the soil water. Furthermore, as shown in laboratory experiments, increasing calcite precipitation rates lead to elevated delta26Mg ratios and vice versa. Here, data from six stalagmite time-series Mg-isotope records (Thermo Fisher Scientific Neptune MC-ICP-MS) are shown. Stalagmites

EDITORIAL: Happy New Year!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xue-ming

2006-02-01

foundation of this journal, Professor Nan-quan Lou, who has just become a senior advisory board member of this journal. I also want to thank the senior associate editor, Prof. Shu-qin Yu, who has made great contributions to the development of CJCP. Many thanks also go to the other senior associate editors, Profs. Die-yan Chen, Hai-lung Dai, Xing-xiao Ma, Han-qing Wang, Hou-wen Xin, Cun-hao Zhang and Qi-he Zhu, who have made important contributions to CJCP in the past 18 years. We plan that CJCP will soon become available online so that members of our community can access this journal easily through internet. This will also help us to provide greater visibility of this journal in the international research community.

Climate and human impacts on vegetation changes in central Guizhou, China: Carbon and oxygen isotopic records in a stalagmite from Yelang Cave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, T.; Liu, Z.; Li, H.; Shen, C.

2009-12-01

High-resolution δ18O and δ13C records of a 13.5-cm long stalagmite from Yelang Cave, 60 km west of Guiyang in the southwestern China, have been established by 750 measurements. With low U (10~40 ppb) and Th (0.01~0.367 ppb), four ICP-MS 230Th/U dates indicate that the upper 5.5 cm part is younger than 1000 years, with clear calcite deposition. Below 6 cm depth where the age suddenly changed from late Holocene to late Pleistocene, the stalagmite shows the deposition alternating between white-pure calcite layers and dark-dirty carbonate layers. The dating samples below 6 cm depth have low U contents (26~41 ppb) but high Th concentrations (10~22 ppb) showing 230Th/U dates ranging from 11 ka to 25 ka with large uncertainties. Based on current chronologies, the δ18O and δ13C records exhibit different features in the late Holocene and late Pleistocene. During the past 1000 yrs (0~5.5 cm), the δ18O ranges from -12.0‰ to -9.0‰ (PDB), containing many 10-100 yrs variations with Δδ18O >1‰. The δ13C during this period varies between -7.4‰ and -1.9‰, showing no correlation with the δ18O. Prior to 10.7 ka (below 6 cm), the δ18O and δ13C strongly co-varied, indicating climatic control on the surface vegetation with wet climates (lighter δ18O) resulting in better vegetation (lighter δ13C). The δ13C during the past 1000 yrs had three long-term increasing trends and a sharp decreasing trend, reflecting human impacts on the surface vegetation. The δ13C increased from about -6‰ at ca. AD 1370 to -3.2‰ around AD 1580, illustrating the first deforestation caused by human activity due to large immigration in Ming Dynasty to the region. The δ13C fluctuated between -4.5‰ and -3.0‰ from AD 1580 to AD 1740, then increased to -2.0‰ around AD 1770 with an opposite δ18O trend. This second deforestation event might be caused a strong immigration in early Qing Dynasty due to mining demand. Karst desertification occurred in the area reflected by heavy δ13C

Peer review statement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-08-01

, HeidenheimGermany Albert RUPRECHTUniversity of StuttgartGermany Michel SABOURINAlstom Hydro Canada Inc.Canada Rudolf SCHILLINGTechnische Universität MünchenGermany Qing-Hua SHIDong Fang Electrical Machinery Co.China Aleš SKOTAKCKD Blansko Engineering, a. s.Czech Republic Romeo F. SUSAN-RESIGAPolitehnica University of TimisoaraRomania Geraldo TIAGO FILHOUniversidade Federal de ItajubaBrazil Yoshinobu TSUJIMOTOOsaka UniversityJapan Bart van ESCHTechnische Universiteit EindhovenNetherland Thi C. VUAndritz Hydro Ltd, QuebecCanada Satoshi WATANABEKyushu University, FukuokaJapan Yulin WUTsinghua University, BeijingChina The reviewing process was organized in several steps. First, the 238 abstracts submitted for the symposium were reviewed, and 197 were accepted, with 30 abstracts having recommendations. Second, the authors have submitted 152 full-length papers, and each paper has been reviewed by two referees. The recommendations have been sent back to the authors, in order to prepare the final form or the paper. Third, 118 papers have been received in final form, accounting for the referees recommendations, to be included in the proceedings and to be presented at the symposium.

Development of a New Research Data Infrastructure for Collaboration in Earth Observation and Global Change Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Wolfgang; Briese, Christian

2017-04-01

processing Petabytes of satellite data. One central site of this infrastructure is the Science Centre Arsenal in Vienna, where a cloud platform and storage system were set up and connected to the Vienna Scientific Cluster (VSC). To provide functionality, this facility connects several hardware components including a Petabyte-scale frontend storage for making data available for scientific analysis and high-performance-computing on the VSC, and robotic tape libraries for mirroring and archiving tens of Petabyte of data. In this contribution, the EODC approach for building a federated IT infrastructure and collaborative data storage and analysis capabilities are presented. REFERENCES Wagner, W. (2015) Big Data infrastructures for processing Sentinel data, in Photogrammetric Week 2015, Dieter Fritsch (Ed.), Wichmann/VDE, Berlin Offenbach, 93-104. Wagner, W., J. Fröhlich, G. Wotawa, R. Stowasser, M. Staudinger, C. Hoffmann, A. Walli, C. Federspiel, M. Aspetsberger, C. Atzberger, C. Briese, C. Notarnicola, M. Zebisch, A. Boresch, M. Enenkel, R. Kidd, A. von Beringe, S. Hasenauer, V. Naeimi, W. Mücke (2014) Addressing grand challenges in earth observation science: The Earth Observation Data Centre for Water Resources Monitoring, ISPRS Commission VII Symposium, Istanbul, Turkey, 29 September-2 October 2014, ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences (ISPRS Annals), Volume II-7, 81-88.

Research on history of medicine in China in the last five years.

PubMed

Zhu, Jian-ping

2004-03-01

Since 1999, progress has been made, to varying degrees, in numerous areas of medical history research in China including history of TCM, history of western medicine, history of integrated Chinese and western medicine, history of traditional medicine of Chinese minorities, history of medicine of foreign countries, history of medical exchanges between China and other countries, and history of comparative medical history. Among others, the number of articles on history of diseases, history of specific medical disciplines, modern medical history, medical biographies, medical works, contemporary medical history, and history of medical culture has increased dramatically. In the field of history of diseases, the papers deal with diseases in gynecology and obstetrics, plague, lanhousha (scarlet fever), and nephritis; articles in the field of specific disciplines deal with history of acu-moxibustion, history of prescription-forms, and history of gynecology, endoscopic surgery, and evidence-based medicine. There are even distinguished papers appeared in these aspects. In the aspect of modern medical history, there are papers dealing with the developement of TCM, the introduction of western medicine into China, with some specific researches in these fields. Medical biographies include Tan Yun-xian, Quan Shao-qing, Du Chong-ming etc. Papers on medical works deal with the ancient unearthed literature lost yet spread and extant abroad, medical classics, canons on material medica, cold-pathogenic diseases, and formularies. While papers on history of medical culture discuss basically the influence of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and I-discipline on Chinese medicine. During these five years, 300 original articles have been published in The Chinese journal of Medical History, with another 200 papers published in other Chinese journals. Forty monographs have been published and important ones are A General History of Chinese Medicine, Modern history of TCM, The Historical

Thermoelectric transport properties of nanostructured FeSb 2 and Ce-based heavy-fermions CeCu and CeAl 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokharel, Mani R.

the thermal conductivities of nanostructured FeSb2 samples 7. We find a notably large value for Kapitza length at low temperatures indicating the dominance of inter-grain thermal resistance over bulk thermal resistance in determining the thermal properties of FeSb 2. 1Huaizhou Zhao, Mani Pokharel, Gaohua Zhu, Shuo Chen, Kevin Lukas, Qing Jie,Cyril Opeil, Gang Chen, and Zhifeng Ren, Appl. Phys. Lett. 99, 163101 (2011). 2Mani Pokharel, Tulashi Dahal, Zhifeng Ren, and Cyril Opeil, Journal of Alloys and Compounds 609 (2014) 228-232. 3Mani Pokharel, Tulashi Dahal, Zhensong Ren, Peter Czajka, Stephen Wilson, Zhifeng Ren, and Cyril Opeil, Energy Conversion and Management, 87 (2014) 584-588. 4Mani Pokharel, Machhindra Koirala, Huaizhau Zhao, Zhifeng Ren, and Cyril Opeil, J. Low Temp. Phys., 176 (2014) 122-130. 5Mani Pokharel, Huaizhou Zhao, Shuo Chen, Kevin Lukas, Hui Wang, Cyril Opeil1, Gang Chen, and Zhifeng Ren, Nanotechnology 23 (2012) 505402. 6Mani Pokharel, Huaizhou Zhao, Kevin Lukas, Bogdan Mihaila, Zhifeng Ren, and Cyril Opeil, MRS Communications 3 (2013) 31-36. 7Mani Pokharel, Huaizhau Zhao, Zhifeng Ren, and Cyril Opeil, International Journal of Thermal Science, 71 (2013) 32-35.

IN VIVO EFFECT OF GUIDING-HERB RADIX PLATYCODONIS AND RADIX CYATHULAE ON PAEONIFLORIN PHARMACOKINETICS OF XUEFU ZHUYU TANG IN RATS.

PubMed

Tang, Song-Qi; Chen, Yun-Hui; Chen, Xi-Ping; Zhang, Xiao-Dan; Huang, Wei

2017-01-01

Xuefu Zhuyu Tang (XFZYT), first recorded in Correction of Errors in Medical Works by Qing-ren Wang, has been proven reliable and effective for curing various diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and angina pectoris. It consists of 11 herbs and two of them, Radix platycodonis and Radix cyathulae , have been traditionally considered as guiding herbs and deeply valued by tens of millions of Chinese medicine practitioners. Do Radix platycodonis and Radix cyathulae affect the pharmacokinetics of the effective constituent-paeoniflorin of XFZYT? If yes, in what way? This study aims to answer these questions. The medicinal solutions of XFZYT, XFZYT without Radix platycodonis (XFZYT-JG), XFZYT without Radix cyathulae (XFZYT-NX), and XFZYT without Radix platycodonis and Radix cyathulae (XFZYT-JG-NX) were prepared and administrated to rats in the normal group and the blood-stasis model group by gavage, respectively. The blood samples of rats in the normal group were obtained 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 120, and 240 minutes after gavage; whereas the blood samples of rats in the blood-stasis model group were obtained 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 90, 150, and 240 minutes after gavage. Biological samples were processed; the assays of specificity, precision, linearity, intra-day and inter-day precisions, recovery and stability were conducted; high performance liquid chromatography was performed to detect paeoniflorin content; and DAS software was adopted to generate pharmacokinetic parameters. Mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile and water (16:84), detection wavelength was 230 nm, and riboflavin was set as internal standard substance. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the rats in the normal group after oral gavage of XFZYT, XFZYT-JG, XFZYT-NX, and XFZYT-JG-NX were C max = (0.363±0.248, 0.065±0.020, 0.099±0.033, 0.099±0.020) mg/L, T max = (0.276±0.084, 0.583±0.342, 0.555±0.228, 0.317±0.033)h, t 1/2 = (0.501±0.241, 1.021±0.522, 0.853±0.377, 1.227±0

Saussurea involucrata: A review of the botany, phytochemistry and ethnopharmacology of a rare traditional herbal medicine.

PubMed

Chik, Wai-I; Zhu, Lin; Fan, Lan-Lan; Yi, Tao; Zhu, Guo-Yuan; Gou, Xiao-Jun; Tang, Yi-Na; Xu, Jun; Yeung, Wing-Ping; Zhao, Zhong-Zhen; Yu, Zhi-Ling; Chen, Hu-Biao

2015-08-22

Saussurea involucrata Matsum. & Koidz. is an endangered species of the Asteraceae family, growing in the high mountains of central Asia. It has been, and is, widely used in traditional Uyghur, Mongolian and Kazakhstan medicine as well as in Traditional Chinese Medicine as Tianshan Snow Lotus (Chinese: ). In traditional medical theory, S. involucrata can promote blood circulation, thereby alleviating all symptoms associated with poor circulation. It also reputedly eliminates cold and dampness from the body, diminishes inflammation, invigorates, and strengthens Yin and Yang. It has long been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, cough with cold, stomach ache, dysmenorrhea, and altitude sickness in Uyghur and Chinese medicine. To comprehensively summarize the miscellaneous research that has been done regarding the botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological activity, and toxicology of S. involucrata. An extensive review of the literature was carried out. Apart from different electronic databases including SciFinder, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), ScienceDirect that were sourced for information, abstracts, full-text articles and books written in English and Chinese, including those traditional records tracing back to the Qing Dynasty. Pharmacopoeia of China and other local herbal records in Uighur, Mongolian and Kazakhstan ethnomedicines were investigated and compared for pertinent information. The phytochemistry of S. involucrata has been comprehensively investigated. More than 70 compounds have been isolated and identified; they include phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, coumarins, lignans, sesquiterpenes, steroids, ceramides, polysaccharides. Scientific studies on the biological activity of S. involucrata are equally numerous. The herb has been shown to have anti-neoplastic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-oxidative, anti-fatigue, anti-aging, anti-hypoxic, neuroprotective and immunomodulating effects. Many have shown correlations to the

PREFACE: 17th International Conference on Recent Progress in Many-Body Theories (MBT17)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinholz, Heidi; Boronat, Jordi

2014-08-01

imaginative use and development of the Monte-Carlo approach and for his ground-breaking contributions to superconductivity. The Kümmel Award went to Max Metlitski (UC Santa Barbara) for remarkable advances in the theory of quantum criticality in metals. The nominations for the Kümmel Award were of such high standard that the Committee announced Honourable Mentions to Martin Eckstein (MPDS/U Hamburg, Germany) for his leading contributions in the development of non-equilibrium dynamical mean field theory, Emanuel Gull (U Michigan, USA) for the development of the Continuous-Time Auxiliary-Field Quantum Monte Carlo Method and for its use in understanding the interplay of the pseudogap and superconductivity in the Hubbard model and Kai Sun (U Michigan, USA) for seminal contributions to the theory of topological effects in strongly correlated electron systems. The Conference continues the series of conferences held before in Trieste, Italy (1979); Oaxtapec, Mexico (1981); Odenthal-Altenberg, Germany (1983); San Francisco, USA (1985); Oulu, Finland (1987); Arad, Israel (1989); Minneapolis, USA (1991); Schloé Segau, Austria (1994); Sydney, Australia (1997); Seattle, USA (1999); Manchester, UK (2001); Santa Fe, USA (2004); Buenos Aires, Argentina (2005); Barcelona, Spain (2007); Columbus, USA (2009) and Bariloche, Argentina (2011). It has been a great pleasure to prepare for the conference. We thank the IAC and in particular Susana Hernandez and David Neilson as well as the International Programme Committee for their great support and advice. Many more people have been involved locally in organizing this international meeting and thanks goes to them, in particular to the members of the LOC Sonja Lorenzen, Dieter Bauer, Niels-Uwe Bastian, Marina Hertzfeldt, Volker Mosert and Gerd Röpke. The next meeting will take place in Buffalo, USA in 2015 and we look forward to yet another exciting exchange on Recent Progress in Many-Body Theories. Heidi Reinholz and Jordi Boronat Guest editors

EDITORIAL: Greetings from the new Editor-in-Chief Greetings from the new Editor-in-Chief

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsch, Kornelius

2012-01-01

-review, with the aim to raise the quality of our content, three years later the number of published articles has remained stable at around 220 per year, whilst the number of downloads and citations to the journal has grown. In 2011, three topical issues have been published, on: (Nano)characterization of semiconductor materials and structures (Guest Editor: Alberta Bonanni, University of Linz, Austria) Flexible OLEDs and organic electronics (Guest Editors: Jang-Joo Kim, Min-Koo Han, Cambridge University, UK, and Yong-Young Noh, Seoul National University, Korea) From heterostructures to nanostructures: an 80th birthday tribute to Zhores Alferov (Guest Editor: Dieter Bimberg, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany) For the coming years, I will strongly support that the number of published topical issues will continue on the same level or slightly rise. SST has planned the publication of the following topical issues for 2012: Non-polar and semipolar nitride semiconductors (Guest Editors: Jung Han, Yale University, USA, and Michael Kneissl, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany) Topological insulators (Guest Editors: Alberto Morpurgo, Université de Genève, Switzerland and Björn Trauzettel, Universität Basel, Switzerland) Atomic layer deposition (Guest Editor: Marek Godlewski, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland) 50th Anniversary of the laser diode (Guest Editors: Mike Adams, Univeristy of Essex, UK and Stephane Calvez, University of Strathclyde, UK) In addition to the traditional topics of SST, I as Editor-in-chief, strongly support and welcome the submission of manuscripts on organic semiconductors, topological insulators, semiconductor nanostructures for photovoltaic, solid-state lighting and energy harvesting, IC application beyond Moore's law and fundamental works on semiconductors based on abundant materials. I am extremely optimistic about the future of SST. I believe that we will raise the standards of acceptance while maintaining the short time from submission to

PREFACE: XV International Conference on Electrical Bio-Impedance (ICEBI) & XIV Conference on Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pliquett, Uwe

2013-04-01

. Structures down to sub-micrometer range and complex impedance measurements tools integrated at single chips are now affordable. Moreover, the introduction of alternative signals and data processing algorithms focuses on very fast and parallel electrical characterization which in turn pushes this technique to new applications and markets. Electrical impedance tomography today yields pictures in real time with a resolution that was impossible 10 years ago. The XVth International Conference on Electrical Bio-Impedance in conjunction with the XIVth Electrical Impedance Tomography ICEBI/EIT 2013 organized by the Institute for Bioprocessing and Analytical Measurement Techniques, Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany, together with the EIT-group at the University of Göttingen, Germany, brings world leading scientists in these fields together. It is a platform to present the latest developments in instrumentation and signal processing but also points to new applications, especially in the field of biosensors and non-linear phenomena. Two Keynote lectures will extend the view of the participants above the mainstream of bio-impedance measurement. Friederich Kremer (University of Leipzig) delivers the plenary lecture on broad bandwidth dielectric spectroscopy. New achievements in the research of ligand gated ionic channels will be presented by Klaus Benndorf (University of Jena). Leading scientists in the field of bio-impedance measurement, such as, Sverre Grimnes, Orjan Martinsen, Andrea Robitzki, Richard Bayford, Jan Gimsa and Mart Min will give lectures for students but also more experienced scientists in a pre-conference tutorial which is a good opportunity to learn or refresh the basics. List of committees Conference Chair Dr Uwe Pliquett Professor Dieter Beckmann Institut für Bioprozess- und Analysenmesstechnik eV, Rosenhof, Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany Technical Program Chair Maik Hiller Conventus Congressmanagement & Marketing GmbH, Carl-Pulfrich-Str. 1 - 07745 Jena Pre

Chandra Detects Halo Of Hot Gas Around Milky Way-Like Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-07-01

the galaxy's disk. These data clearly show the hot gas is heated by clusters of massive stars and is now expanding into the halo of the galaxy. NGC 4631 X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/D.Wang et al. UV: NASA/GSFC/UIT "What we see in NGC 4631 can be thought of as the bursting flames of a gigantic cosmic camp fire," said Wang. "Using Chandra and Hubble together, we really get a complete story of what is happening in this galaxy." NGC 4631 is a galaxy that has high amounts of star formation, possibly triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxies. Such star formation might have created the conditions necessary to heat the gas seen by Chandra, as vast amounts of energy are released from supernovas and massive stars in star-forming regions - enough to lift the gas out of the plane of the galaxy. These new results provide important clues about the cycling of energy and mass in a galaxy like our own Milky Way and about the evolutionary history of galaxies, which are thought to be more active in star formation in the past than at the present. Other members of the research team include: Stefan Immler, University of Massachusetts; Rene Walterbos, New Mexico State University; James Lauroesch, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, and Dieter Breitschwerdt, Max Plank Institute, Germany. Chandra observed NGC 4631 with its Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) instrument, which was developed for NASA by Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, manages the Chandra program, and TRW, Inc., Redondo Beach, CA, is the prime contractor for the spacecraft. The Smithsonian's Chandra X-ray Center controls science and flight operations from Cambridge, MA.

Nuclear Structure in China 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Hong-Bo; Meng, Jie; Zhao, En-Guang; Zhou, Shan-Gui

2011-08-01

Personal view on nuclear physics research / Jie Meng -- High-spin level structures in [symbol]Zr / X. P. Cao ... [et al.] -- Constraining the symmetry energy from the neutron skin thickness of tin isotopes / Lie-Wen Chen ... [et al.] -- Wobbling rotation in atomic nuclei / Y. S. Chen and Zao-Chun Gao -- The mixing of scalar mesons and the possible nonstrange dibaryons / L. R. Dai ... [et al.] -- Net baryon productions and gluon saturation in the SPS, RHIC and LHC energy regions / Sheng-Qin Feng -- Production of heavy isotopes with collisions between two actinide nuclides / Z. Q. Feng ... [et al.] -- The projected configuration interaction method / Zao-Chun Gao and Yong-Shou Chen -- Applications of Nilsson mean-field plus extended pairing model to rare-earth nuclei / Xin Guan ... [et al.] -- Complex scaling method and the resonant states / Jian-You Guo ... [et al.] -- Probing the equation of state by deep sub-barrier fusion reactions / Hong-Jun Hao and Jun-Long Tian -- Doublet structure study in A[symbol]105 mass region / C. Y. He ... [et al.] -- Rotational bands in transfermium nuclei / X. T. He -- Shape coexistence and shape evolution [symbol]Yb / H. Hua ... [et al.] -- Multistep shell model method in the complex energy plane / R. J. Liotta -- The evolution of protoneutron stars with kaon condensate / Ang Li -- High spin structures in the [symbol]Lu nucleus / Li Cong-Bo ... [et al.] -- Nuclear stopping and equation of state / QingFeng Li and Ying Yuan -- Covariant description of the low-lying states in neutron-deficient Kr isotopes / Z. X. Li ... [et al.] -- Isospin corrections for superallowed [symbol] transitions / HaoZhao Liang ... [et al.] -- The positive-parity band structures in [symbol]Ag / C. Liu ... [et al.] -- New band structures in odd-odd [symbol]I and [symbol]I / Liu GongYe ... [et al.] -- The sd-pair shell model and interacting boson model / Yan-An Luo ... [et al.] -- Cross-section distributions of fragments in the calcium isotopes projectile

Heavy-metal contamination of soils in Saxony/Germany by foundry fumes and low-cost rapid analyses of contaminated soils by XRF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mucke, D.

2012-04-01

Heavy-metal contamination of soils in Saxony/Germany by foundry fumes and low-cost rapid analysis of contaminated soils by XRF Dieter Mucke, Rolf Kumann, Sebastian Baldauf GEOMONTAN Gesellschaft für Geologie und Bergbau mbH&Co.KG, Muldentalstrasse 56, 09603 Rothenfurth, Saxony/Germany For hundreds of years in the Ore Mountains between Bohemia and Saxony silver and other ores are produced and smelted. Sulphide- and sulpharsenide-ores needed to be roasted first. In doing so the sulphide sulphur was oxidised under formation of sulphur dioxide SO2 and arsenide conversed into elemental arsenic and arsenide trioxide As2O3 respectively. Also the metals lead, cadmium and zinc are components of hut smokes, in the field of nickel foundries also nickel. The contents of soils basically reflect the geogenic conditions, which are caused by decomposition- and relocation-effects of the mineralisations, in the area of foundries also with influences by with the hut smokes anthropogenic mobilised elements. The Saxonian Agency for Environment and Geology drafted in 1992 a Soil Investigation Program with the aim of investigation of the contamination of Saxonian soils with arsenic and toxic heavy metals. In order of this Agency GEOMONTAN investigated 1164 measuring points in the grid 4 * 4 km.soil profiles and extracted soil samples for analysis. In the result of the laboratory examinations the Agency edited the "Soil atlas of the Free State of Saxony". 27 elements, pH and PAK are shown in detailed maps and allow in whole Saxony the first assessment of the contamination of soils with arsenic and toxic heavy metals. Each of the investigated soil profiles represent an area of 16 km2. Already by the different use of the districts (agricultural, industrial, urban) restricts representative values. GEOMONTAN in the meantime used at the exploration of a copper deposit in Brandenburg/Germany with approx. 50,000 single tests at drill cores a very fast low-cost method: the X Ray fluorescence

The impact of different benefit packages of Medical Financial Assistance Scheme on health service utilization of poor population in rural China.

PubMed

Hao, Yanhua; Wu, Qunhong; Zhang, Zhenzhong; Gao, Lijun; Ning, Ning; Jiao, Mingli; Zakus, David

2010-06-17

Since 2003 and 2005, National Pilot Medical Financial Assistance Scheme (MFA) has been implemented in rural and urban areas of China to improve the poorest families' accessibility to health services. Local governments of the pilot areas formulated various benefit packages. Comparative evaluation research on the effect of different benefit packages is urgently needed to provide evidence for improving policy-making of MFA. This study was based on a MFA pilot project, which was one component of Health VIII Project conducted in rural China. This article aimed to compare difference in health services utilization of poor families between two benefit package project areas: H8 towns (package covering inpatient service, some designated preventive and curative health services but without out-patient service reimbursement in Health VIII Project,) and H8SP towns (package extending coverage of target population, covering out- patient services and reducing co-payment rate in Health VIII Supportive Project), and to find out major influencing factors on their services utilization. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2004, which used stratified cluster sampling method to select poor families who have been enrolled in MFA scheme in rural areas of ChongQing. All family members of the enrolled households were interviewed. 748 and 1129 respondents from two kinds of project towns participated in the survey. Among them, 625 and 869 respondents were included (age>/=15) in the analysis of this study. Two-level linear multilevel model and binomial regressions with a log link were used to assess influencing factors on different response variables measuring service utilization. In general, there was no statistical significance in physician visits and hospitalizations among all the respondents between the two kinds of benefit package towns. After adjusting for major confounding factors, poor families in H8SP towns had much higher frequency of MFA use (beta = 1.17) and less use of

Advanced Materials and Processing 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunfeng; Su, Chun Wei; Xia, Hui; Xiao, Pengfei

2011-06-01

-pipe steel and its finite element simulation / Kyong-Ho Chang and Gab-Chul Jang -- Residual stress distribution of 600MPa grade high tensile strength steel pipe using welding FE simulation / Kyong-Ho Chang and Gab-Chul Jang -- In-situ preparation and magnetic properties of Fe[symbol]O[symbol]/wood composite / Honglin Gao ... [et al.] -- The application of the cohesive zone model on the analysis of mechanical properties of carbon nano-tube composites with debonding interface / Wen-Liang Zhu and Dong-Mei Luo -- Microstructures and mechanical properties of As-Cast Mg-Zr-Ca alloys for biomedical applications / Ying-Long Zhou ... [et al.] -- Effect of polyurethane/nano-SiO[symbol] composites coating on thermo-mechanical properties of polyethylene film / Ching Yern Chee and Iskandar Idris Yaacob -- Effects evaluation for different rare earth elements in magnesium-lithium alloy / Bin Jiang ... [et al.] -- Effect of sintering temperature on the structure and bioactivity of HAp-5.0wt.%SO[symbol] bioceramic composites / Xiao-Wu Li ... [et al.] -- Study on the high cycle fatigue property of Ti-600 alloy at ambient temperature / Liying Zeng ... [et al.] -- Study on deformation-induced ferrite transformation of steel 2.25Cr1MoNb / Li Qing-Fen, Zhou Hui-Min and Chen Hong-Bin -- Effect of Fe addition on the cycle performance of FeS2 cathode for Li/FeS[symbol] battery / Young-Jin Choi ... [et al.] -- Effect of annealing process on recrystallization microstructure and texture of low carbon steel strip / Haiyan Wang ... [et al.].Grain-boundary segregation and co-segregation behavior of three elements in steel 2.25Gr1Mo / Wang Jun ... [et al.] -- Effect of partial crystallization on the mechanical properties of [symbol] bulk metallic glass / P. H. Tsai ... [et al.] -- Influence of plastic deformation on the evolution of defect structures, microhardness and electrical conductivity of copper / Jingmei Tao ... [et al.] -- Microstructure and room temperature mechanical properties of the Ni

List of Participants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-11-01

Heller Jagiellonian University, Krakow Samuli Hemming University of Iceland Yasuaki Hikida DESY, Hamburg Christian Hillmann Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Potsdam Stephan Hoehne Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Gabriele Honecker CERN, Geneva Carlos Hoyos University of Wales, Swansea Mechthild Huebscher Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid Matthias Ihl University of Texas at Austin Emiliano Imeroni University of Wales, Swansea Nikos Irges University of Crete Negru Iulian University of Craiova Matthias Kaminski Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München Stefanos Katmadas Universiteit Utrecht Shoichi Kawamoto Oxford University Christoph Keller Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich Arjan Keurentjes Vrije Universiteit, Brussel Sadi Khodaee Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan, Iran Michael Kiermaier Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA Elias Kiritsis Centre de Physique Théorique, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau and University of Crete Ingo KirschEidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich Johanna Knapp CERN, Geneva Paul Koerber Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Simon Koers Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Anatoly Konechny Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Peter Koroteev Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP), Moscow Daniel KreflLudwig-Maximilians-Universität and Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Chethan KrishnanUniversité Libre de Bruxelles Stanislav Kuperstein Université Libre de Bruxelles Alberto Lerda Università del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria Roman Linares Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa, México Maria A Lledo Universidad de Valencia Dieter Luest Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Joseph Lykken Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), Batavia, IL Carlo Maccaferri Vrije Universiteit, Brussel Oscar Macia Universidad de Valencia Tristan Maillard Centre de

EMRS Spring Meeting 2014 Symposium D: Phonons and fluctuations in low dimensional structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-11-01

September 2011, attended by 55 researchers and (4) the 3rd Workshop on Phonons & Fluctuations, held in Saint Feliux de Guixols (Girona, Spain) during 21 to 24th May 2012 attended by 65 participants from Europe and the USA. These papers in this proceeding are examples of the work presented at the symposium. They represent the tip of the iceberg, as the symposium attracted over 100 abstracts. The meeting room was usually full with an audience varying between 40 and 100 participants. The plenary presentation was given by Prof. Gang Chen (MIT) on ''Ballistic and Coherent Phonon Heat Conduction in Bulk Materials and Nanostructures'', which was warmly welcome by an eager and highly motivated audience. The invited speakers were: Prof. Thomas Dehoux (U. Bordeaux), Dr S. Chung (U. New South Wales, Australia), Prof. A. Goni (CSIC-ICMAB), Prof. Giuliano Benenti (U. Insubria), Dr. Davide Donadio (Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz), Prof. George Fytas (University of Crete), Prof. Dr. Tobias Kippenberg (EPFL, Switzerland), Prof. Bernard Perrin (INSP, Paris), Prof. Gyaneshwar P. Srivastava, U. Exeter) and Prof. Dr. Achim Kittel (U. Oldenburg). The organisers are very grateful to them for supporting the symposium and sharing their latest research results with the symposium participants. The symposium organisers recognised the participation of students and awarded prizes to the two Best Student Presentations, which went to Valeria Lacatena (IEMN, Lille) with an invited presentation entitled ''Efficient reduction of thermal conductivity in silicon using phononic-engineered membranes'' and to Yan Qing Liu (Institute Neel, Grenoble) who presented the talk entitled ''Sensitive 3-omega measurements of epitaxial thermoelectric thin films''. The poster session had about fifty posters and the four best poster prizes went to: Konstanze Hahn et al. (U. Cagliari) poster title ''Determination of Thermal conductivity in (nanostructured) SiGe materials'', Florian Doehring et al. (U

A Look into the Hellish Cradles of Suns and Solar Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-09-01

found a handful of protostars - the faintly luminous precursors to fully realised stars - and dozens of other candidate stars that have eked out an existence here despite the powerful ultraviolet light radiated by IRS2. Some of these gestating stars may, however, not get past the protostar stage. IRS2's strong radiation energises and disperses the material that might otherwise collapse into new stars, or that has settled into so-called protoplanetary discs around developing stars. In the course of several million years, the surviving discs may give rise to the planets, moons and comets that make up planetary systems like our own. As if intense ultraviolet rays were not enough, crowded stellar nurseries like RCW 38 also subject their brood to frequent supernovae when giant stars explode at the ends of their lives. These explosions scatter material throughout nearby space, including rare isotopes - exotic forms of chemical elements that are created in these dying stars. This ejected material ends up in the next generation of stars that form nearby. Because these isotopes have been detected in our Sun, scientists have concluded that the Sun formed in a cluster like RCW 38, rather than in a more rural portion of the Milky Way. "Overall, the details of astronomical objects that adaptive optics reveals are critical in understanding how new stars and planets form in complex, chaotic regions like RCW 38", says co-author Dieter Nürnberger. Notes [1] The name "NACO" is a combination of the Nasmyth Adaptive Optics System (NAOS) and the Near-Infrared Imager and Spectrograph (CONICA). Adaptive optics cancels out most of the image-distorting turbulence in Earth's atmosphere caused by temperature variations and wind. More information This research was presented in a paper that appeared in the Astronomical Journal: A Very Large Telescope / NACO study of star formation in the massive embedded cluster RCW 38, by DeRose et al. (2009, AJ, 138, 33-45). The team is composed of K.L. De

List of Participants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-11-01

�cole Polytechnique, Palaiseau and University of Crete Denis KleversPhysikalisches Institut, Universität Bonn Paul Koerber Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Simon Koers Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Karl KollerLudwig-Maximilians-Universität, München Peter Koroteev Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP), Moscow and Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (AEI), Potsdam Alexey KoshelevVrije Universiteit, Brussel Costas KounnasÉcole Normale Supérieure, Paris Daniel KreflCERN, Geneva Charlotte KristjansenNiels Bohr Institute, København Finn LarsenCERN, Geneva and University of Michigan Arnaud Le DiffonÉcole Normale Supérieure, Lyon Michael LennekCentre de Physique Théorique, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau Alberto Lerda Università del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria Andreas LiberisUniversity of Patras Maria A Lledo Universidad de Valencia Oscar Loaiza-Brito CINVESTAV, Mexico Florian Loebbert Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (AEI), Potsdam Yolanda Lozano University of Oviedo Dieter Luest Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München Tomasz Łukowski Jagiellonian University, Krakow Diego Mansi University of Crete Alberto Mariotti Università di Milano-Bicocca Raffaele Marotta Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Napoli Alessio Marrani Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare and LNF, Firenze Andrea Mauri University of Crete Liuba Mazzanti École Polytechnique, Palaiseau Sean McReynoldsUniversità di Milano-Bicocca AKM Moinul Haque Meaze Chittagong University Patrick Meessen Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Carlo MeneghelliUniversità di Parma and Albert-Einstein-Institut, Golm Lotta Mether University of Helsinki and CERN, Geneva René Meyer Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Georgios MichalogiorgakisCenter de Physique Théorique, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau Giuseppe Milanesi Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zürich Samuel Monnier Université de Genève Wolfgang Mueck

PREFACE: DISCRETE '08: Symposium on Prospects in the Physics of Discrete Symmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernabéu, José; Botella, Francisco J.; Mavromatos, Nick E.; Mitsou, Vasiliki A.

2009-07-01

The Symposium DISCRETE'08 on Prospects in the Physics of Discrete Symmetries was held at the Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC) in Valencia, Spain from 11 to 16 December 2008. IFIC is a joint centre of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the Universitat de València (UVEG). The aim of the Symposium was to bring together experts on the field of Discrete Symmetries in order to discuss its prospects on the eve of the LHC era. The general state of the art for CP, T and CPT symmetries was reviewed and their interplay with Baryogenesis, Early Cosmology, Quantum Gravity, String Theory and the Dark Sector of the Universe was emphasised. Connections with physics beyond the Standard Model, in particular Supersymmetry, were investigated. Experimental implications in current and proposed facilities received particular attention. The scientific programme consisted of 24 invited Plenary Talks and 93 contributions selected among the submitted papers. Young researchers, in particular, were encouraged to submit an abstract. The Special Lecture on ''CERN and the Future of Particle Physics'', given by the CERN Director General Rolf-Dieter Heuer to close the Symposium, was of particular relevance. On the last day of the Symposium, an open meeting took place between Professor Heuer and the Spanish community of particle physics. The Symposium covered recent developments on the subject of Discrete Symmetries in the following topics: Quantum Vacuum Entanglement, Symmetrisation Principle CPT in Quantum Gravity and String Theory, Decoherence, Lorentz Violation Ultra-high-energy Messengers Time Reversal CP violation in the SM and beyond Neutrino Mass, Mixing and CP Baryogenesis, Leptogenesis Family Symmetries Supersymmetry and other searches Experimental Prospects: LHC, Super-B Factories, DAΦNE-2, Neutrino Beams The excellence of most of the presentations during the Symposium was pointed out by many participants. The broad spectrum of topics under the

PREFACE: Quantum Field Theory Under the Influence of External Conditions (QFEXT07)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordag, M.; Mostepanenko, V. M.

2008-04-01

This special issue contains papers reflecting talks presented at the 8th Workshop on Quantum Field Theory Under the Influence of External Conditions (QFEXT07), held on 17 21 September 2007, at Leipzig University. This workshop gathered 108 physicists and mathematicians working on problems which are focused on the following topics: •Casimir and van der Waals forces—progress in theory and new experiments, applications at micro- and nano-scale •Casimir effect—exact results, approximate methods and mathematical problems •Vacuum quantum effects in classical background fields—renormalization issues, singular backgrounds, applications to particle and high energy physics •Vacuum energy and gravity, vacuum energy in supersymmetric and noncommutative theories. This workshop is part of a series started in 1989 and 1992 in Leipzig by Dieter Robaschik, and continued in 1995, 1998 and 2001 in Leipzig by Michael Bordag. In 2003 this Workshop was organized by Kimball A Milton in Oklahoma, in 2005 by Emilio Elizalde in Barcelona and in 2007 it returned to Leipzig. The field of physics after which this series of workshops is named is remarkably broad. It stretches from experimental work on the measurement of dispersion forces between macroscopic bodies to quantum corrections in the presence of classical background fields. The underlying physical idea is that even in its ground state (vacuum) a quantum system responds to changes in its environment. The universality of this idea makes the field of its application so very broad. The most prominent manifestation of vacuum energy is the Casimir effect. This is, in its original formulation, the attraction between conducting planes due to the vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. In a sense, this is the long-range tail of the more general dispersion forces acting between macroscopic bodies. With the progress in nanotechnology, dispersion forces become of direct practical significance. On a more theoretical side

Editorial: Focus on Atom Optics and its Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt-Kaler, F.; Pfau, T.; Schmelcher, P.; Schleich, W.

2010-06-01

Couvert, B Georgeot and D Guéry-Odelin Analysis of the entanglement between two individual atoms using global Raman rotations A Gaëtan, C Evellin, J Wolters, P Grangier, T Wilk and A Browaeys Spin polarization transfer in ground and metastable helium atom collisions D Vrinceanu and H R Sadeghpour A fiber Fabry-Perot cavity with high finesse D Hunger, T Steinmetz, Y Colombe, C Deutsch, T W Hänsch and J Reichel Atomic wave packets in amplitude-modulated vertical optical lattices A Alberti, G Ferrari, V V Ivanov, M L Chiofalo and G M Tino Atom interferometry with trapped Bose-Einstein condensates: impact of atom-atom interactions Julian Grond, Ulrich Hohenester, Igor Mazets and Jörg Schmiedmayer Storage of protonated water clusters in a biplanar multipole rf trap C Greve, M Kröner, S Trippel, P Woias, R Wester and M Weidemüller Single-atom detection on a chip: from realization to application A Stibor, H Bender, S Kühnhold, J Fortágh, C Zimmermann and A Günther Ultracold atoms as a target: absolute scattering cross-section measurements P Würtz, T Gericke, A Vogler and H Ott Entanglement-assisted atomic clock beyond the projection noise limit Anne Louchet-Chauvet, Jürgen Appel, Jelmer J Renema, Daniel Oblak, Niels Kjaergaard and Eugene S Polzik Towards the realization of atom trap trace analysis for 39Ar J Welte, F Ritterbusch, I Steinke, M Henrich, W Aeschbach-Hertig and M K Oberthaler Resonant superfluidity in an optical lattice I Titvinidze, M Snoek and W Hofstetter Interference of interacting matter waves Mattias Gustavsson, Elmar Haller, Manfred J Mark, Johann G Danzl, Russell Hart, Andrew J Daley and Hanns-Christoph Nägerl Magnetic trapping of NH molecules with 20 s lifetimes E Tsikata, W C Campbell, M T Hummon, H-I Lu and J M Doyle Imprinting patterns of neutral atoms in an optical lattice using magnetic resonance techniques Michal Karski, Leonid Förster, Jai-Min Choi, Andreas Steffen, Noomen Belmechri, Wolfgang Alt, Dieter Meschede and Artur Widera

PREFACE: Complex dynamics of fluids in disordered and crowded environments Complex dynamics of fluids in disordered and crowded environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coslovich, Daniele; Kahl, Gerhard; Krakoviack, Vincent

2011-06-01

discussions it became evident that the close scientific contact between theory, simulation and experiment brought along a fruitful and mutually inspiring atmosphere. On the theoretical side, these discussions have allowed clarification of several connections between the dynamics of models of fluids in porous media (quenched-annealed, pinned particles models), those of well-known limiting cases (Lorentz gas), of realistic models of liquids with strong dynamic asymmetry (asymmetric size and mass mixtures, sodium silicates, polymers blends) and even of bulk glass-formers. On the experimental side, it appeared that soft matter systems may provide an excellent test-bed to verify the theoretical predictions. From the concluding discussion it was also clear that addressing related issues relevant to biology still remains an open challenge for the future. In view of all this, it was concluded that within a short time period a workshop with analogous scope should be organized to address the progress made on both fundamental and interdisciplinary aspects. The realization of this workshop was made possible by generous financial support from CECAM, Centre Blaise Pascal-ENS de Lyon, and the ESF network 'Molecular Simulations in Biosystems and Material Science' (SimBioMa). Complex dynamics of fluids in disordered and crowded environments contents Phonon dispersions of cluster crystals Tim Neuhaus and Christos N Likos Challenges in determining anomalous diffusion in crowded fluids Marcel Hellmann, Joseph Klafter, Dieter W Heermann and Matthias Weiss Diffusion of active tracers in fluctuating fields David S Dean and Vincent Démery Self-diffusion of non-interacting hard spheres in particle gels Jean-Christophe Gimel and Taco Nicolai Probing glassy states in binary mixtures of soft interpenetrable colloids E Stiakakis, B M Erwin, D Vlassopoulos, M Cloitre, A Munam, M Gauthier, H Iatrou and N Hadjichristidis Fluids with quenched disorder: scaling of the free energy barrier near critical points

Nanotechnology in paper electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demming, Anna; Österbacka, Professor Ronald; Han, Jin-Woo, Dr

2014-03-01

The ability to put cutting edge technology on paper—not in words but in a working physical form—has been attracting an increasing number of researchers over the past decade. Paper has many advantages that make it attractive for flexible electronics: it is relatively environmentally benign; it is renewable; it can be recycled; it is light weight; production processes for paper are well advanced; and it is inexpensive. This special issue, with guest editors Ronald Österbacka from Åbo Akademi University in Finland and Jin-Woo Han from the NASA AMES Research Center, features some of the latest in paper electronics research, including developments towards applications in displays, sensing and alternative energy sources, as well as fundamental studies to further our understanding of how paper can be most effectively used in electronics. As Andrew Steckl and colleagues in the US point out, 'Cellulose-based paper substrates were implemented as an electronic substrate as early as 1969, with most advancement occurring in the past decade largely due to technology improvements in thin film deposition and organic materials' [1, 2]. They report a detailed comparison between paper, standard liquid crystal display rigid glass and flexible glass for hosting pentacene organic thin film transistors, and obtain promising results for future paper-based devices. As most meaningful electronic devices rely on transistors to function, transistors feature quite prominently in this special issue. Rodrigo Martins and colleagues in France and Portugal study the effect of fibre type, structure and dimension on paper-based transistors and reveal further insights into how paper properties affect device performance [3]. Qing Wan and colleagues in China bring the state of the art in transistor technology to paper substrates [4], fabricating indium-zinc-oxide (IZO)-based protonic/electronic hybrid thin film transistors on paper and showing that they can be used as artificial synapses. Like the

Book Review: Beitraege zur Astronomiegeschichte, Band 5 (Acta Historica Astronomiae Vol. 15)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duerbeck, H. W.; Dick, W. R.; Hamel, J.

2002-12-01

Bohemian (Jesuit) provinces, mainly in Vienna and Neisse (the present Nysa in Silesia, Poland), but no traces of further astronomical activity have survived, if they ever existed. The fourth article, by Hans Gaab, is a very thoroughly researched biography of Johann Philipp von Wurzelbau (1651-1725), an merchant turned astronomer from Nuremberg. Wurzelbau started his activities at Christoph Eimmart's (the director of the painters' academy in Nuremberg) private observatory, and his first published work deals with observations of the great comet of 1680. Furthermore, he observed solar eclipses, Mercury transits, and determined the geographical latitude of Nuremberg. The article also contains a detailed description of Wurzelbau's observatory and its instruments. The fifth paper, by Klaus-Dieter Herbst, deals with Gottfried Kirch's idea of founding an astronomical society - being a vehicle to publishing astronomical observations. Kirch (1639-1710) was a well-known astronomer and calendar manufacturer. Around 1700, Kirch was appointed first astronomer at the Brandenburg society of sciences, and director of the observatory that was to be established with the new Berlin Academy. Herbst shows that Kirch's religious attitude that converged on pietism was a driving force to establish a scientific society. However, the final failure of such a project is due to the emergence of the scientific journal Acta Eruditorum, issued since 1682 in Leipzig, which could serve as an outlet for the publication of astronomical data by Kirch and others, thus fulfilling an essential task of the projected academy. Kirch's occupation with the composition of calendars, which took most of his time, was another reason. The following three shorter articles deal with 19th century astronomy. Peter Brosche describes an early visual photometer employed by Johann Gottfried Koehler (1745-1801) in Dresden, Alberto Meschiari edits and comments letters by Franz Xaver von Zach (1754-1832) to the physicist Gerbi in

PREFACE: Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Qingming; Wang, Lihong V.; Tuchin, Valery V.

2011-02-01

)Ruey-Jen Sung, Stanford University (USA)A Dean Sherry, The University of Texas at Dallas (USA)Bruce Tromberg, University of California/Irvine (USA)Fujia Yang, Nottingham University (UK)Jianquan Yao, Tianjin University (China)Yixin Zeng, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (China)Baoyong Zheng, Hua Wei Technologies Corporation, Inc (China) Program CommitteeWei R Chen, University of Central Oklahoma (USA)Zhongping Chen, University of California/Irvine (USA)Arthur Chiou, National Yang-Ming University (Taiwan, China)Frank Y S Chuang, University of California, Davis (USA)Zhihua Ding, Zhejiang University (China)Congwu Du, Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA)Stefan Haacke, Strasbourg University - IPCMS-DON (France)Weiping Han, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) (Singapore)Zheng Huang, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (USA)Zhiwei Huang, National University of Singapore (Singapore)Steven L Jacques, Oregon Health & Science University (USA)Fu-Jen Kao, National Yang-Ming University (Taiwan, China)Hideaki Koizumi, Hitachi, Ltd (Japan)Xingde Li, Johns Hopkins University (USA)Yong-qing Li, East Carolina University (USA)Chengyi Liu, South China Normal University (China)Hong Liu, University of Oklahoma (USA)Zuhong Lu, Southeast University (China)Dennis L Matthews, University of California/Davis (USA)Avraham Mayevsky, Bar Ilan University (Israel)Stephen P Morgan, University of Nottingham (UK)Shoko Nioka, University of Pennsylvania (USA)Yingtian Pan, State University of New York at Stony Brook (USA)Alexander V Priezzhev, MV Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia)Jianan Y Qu, The Hongkong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong, China)Colin J R Sheppard, National University of Singapore (Singapore)Mamoru Tamura, Tsinghua University (China)Sergey Ulyanov, Saratov State University (Russia)Ruikang K Wang, Oregon Health & Science University (USA)Xunbin Wei, Fudan University (China)Da Xing, South China Normal University (China)Haishan Zeng, BC Cancer Research

First Look at a Major Transition Period in the Early Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1997-08-01

New Observations of Intergalactic Helium Absorption Observations of the bright southern quasar HE 2347-4342 with telescopes at the ESO La Silla Observatory and with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have provided a group of European astronomers [1] with an exceptional glimpse into an early, still unexplored transition period of the Universe. At that time, many billions of years ago, some of the enormous gaseous clouds of hydrogen and helium left over from the Big Bang had not yet been fully ionized by the increasingly strong radiation from emerging galaxies and stars. In recent years astronomers have successfully `looked back' towards this period, but the new observations of HE 2347-4342 have now homed in on an important transitionary epoch during the evolution of the young Universe. Searching for clear views towards bright quasars As has been the case for many other important scientific achievements, this observational breakthrough was preceded by a long and tedious period of careful preparatory work. It began in 1989, when Dieter Reimers and his collaborators from the University of Hamburg (Germany) initiated a spectral survey of the entire southern sky with the 1-metre ESO Schmidt Telescope at La Silla. The aim was to find bright quasars , a rare class of remote galaxies with unusually bright and energetic centres. They would then be studied in greater detail with other, larger telescopes. For this programme, a large objective prism is placed in front of the telescope, allowing the simultaneous recording on a large photographic plate of spectra of about 40,000 celestial objects in a 5 o x 5 o sky field. The plates are sent to Hamburg where they are scanned (digitized) in a microphotometer and automatically searched for spectra of quasars. Until now, more than 400 plates have been obtained. One of the main goals of this vast programme is to find bright and distant quasars, in particular those whose light reaches us along relatively unobstructed paths. Or

First look at a major transition period in the early Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1997-08-01

In recent years astronomers have successfully `looked back' towards this period, but the new observations of HE 2347-4342 have now homed in on an important transitionary epoch during the evolution of the young Universe. Searching for clear views towards bright quasars As has been the case for many other important scientific achievements, this observational breakthrough was preceded by a long and tedious period of careful preparatory work. It began in 1989, when Dieter Reimers and his collaborators from the University of Hamburg (Germany) initiated a spectral survey of the entire southern sky with the 1-metre ESO Schmidt Telescope at La Silla. The aim was to find bright quasars, a rare class of remote galaxies with unusually bright and energetic centres. They would then be studied in greater detail with other, larger telescopes. For this programme, a large objective prism is placed in front of the telescope, allowing the simultaneous recording on a large photographic plate of spectra of about 40,000 celestial objects in a 5o x 5o sky field. The plates are sent to Hamburg where they are scanned (digitized) in a microphotometer and automatically searched for spectra of quasars. Until now, more than 400 plates have been obtained. One of the main goals of this vast programme is to find bright and distant quasars, in particular those whose light reaches us along relatively unobstructed paths. Or, in other words, those intrinsically bright and remote quasars which are located in directions where the Universe is unusually transparent for ultraviolet light. With a 'clear view' thus ensured, it would subsequently be possible to study such far-away objects and the intergalactic gas out there in unprecedented detail with large telescopes. The greater the distance, the longer has the light been underway, the longer is the 'look-back' time and the earlier is the epoch about which we then obtain new information. Discovery of a unique quasar Altogether, more than 650 bright

Observing a Burst with Sunglasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2003-11-01

factor by which the lines in the spectrum of an object are shifted towards longer wavelengths. Since the redshift of a cosmological object increases with distance, the observed redshift of a remote galaxy also provides an estimate of its distance. [2]: Members of the team include Jochen Greiner, Arne Rau (Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Germany), Sylvio Klose, Bringfried Stecklum (Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Germany), Klaus Reinsch (Universitätssternwarte Göttingen, Germany), Hans Martin Schmid (Institut für Astronomie Zürich, Switzerland ), Re'em Sari (California Institute of Technology, USA), Dieter H. Hartmann (Clemson University, USA), Chryssa Kouveliotou (NSSTC, Huntsville, Alabama, USA), Eliana Palazzi (Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Bologna, Italy), Christian Straubmeier (Physikalisches Institut Köln, Germany), Sergej Zharikov, Gaghik Tovmassian (Instituto de Astronomia Ensenada, Mexico), Otto Bärnbantner, Christop Ries (Wendelstein-Observatorium München, Germany), Emmanuel Jehin, Andreas Kaufer (European Southern Observatory, Chile), Arne Henden (USNO Flagstaff, USA), Anlaug A. Kaas (NOT, La Palma, Spain), Tommy Grav (University of Oslo, N), Jens Hjorth, Holger Pedersen (Astronomical Observatory Copenhagen, Denmark), Ralph A.M.J. Wijers (Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Hye-Sook Park (Lawrence Livermore Nat. Laboratory, USA), Grant Williams (MMT Observatory, Tucson, USA), Olaf Reimer (Theoretische Weltraum- und Astrophysik Universität Bochum, Germany) [3]: When electrons - which are electrically charged - move through a magnetic field, they spiral around an axis defined by the local magnetic field. Electrons of high energy spiral very rapidly, at speeds near the speed of light. Under such conditions, the electrons emit highly polarised electromagnetic radiation. The intensity of this radiation is related to the strength of the magnetic field and the number and energy

European astronomers' successes with the Hubble Space Telescope*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1997-02-01

American opposite number, John Bahcall, prefers to stress those quasar hosts that look like undisturbed galaxies. But the important thing is that we have wonderfully clear pictures to argue about. Quasar theories were mostly pure speculation before we had Hubble." The history of the elements Astronomers at the Hamburger Sternwarte use the Faint Object Spectrograph to analyse ultraviolet light from distant quasars, which they also examine by visible light from the ground. They trace the origin, through cosmic time, of elements like carbon, silicon and iron, from which planets and living things can be built. On its way to Hubble, the quasar light passes through various intervening galaxies and gas clouds, like the skewer of a kebab. Each object visited absorbs some of the quasar light, depending on the local abundances of the elements. As they detect more and more objects, Dieter Reimers and his colleagues form an impression of galaxies building up their stocks of elements progressively through time, by the alchemy of successive generations of stars. Apart from primordial hydrogen the second lightest element, helium, has also been abundant since the origin of the Universe. The first major discovery after Hubble's last refurbishment came from Peter Jakobsen of ESA's Space Science Department at Noordwijk, who detected ionized helium in the remote Universe, by the light of a very distant quasar, 0302-003. That was in January 1994, and since then Jakobsen has looked for the ionized helium using other quasars. He now suspects that this helium is nearly all gathered in clumps, rather than scattered freely through intergalactic space. If so, it greatly increases the estimates of the total mass of ordinary matter in the Universe. Through a lens to the early Universe Natural lenses scattered through the cosmos reveal distant galaxies, and make an astronomical tool for Richard Ellis of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge (UK). The strong gravity of an intervening cluster of galaxies

Hubble Space Telescope: The Telescope, the Observations & the Servicing Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-11-01

Hubble's success is the advantage of being in orbit, beyond the Earth's atmosphere. From there it enjoys a crystal-clear view of the universe - without clouds and atmospheric disturbances to blur its vision. European astronomer Guido De Marchi from ESO in Munich has been using Hubble since the early days of the project. He explains: "HST can see the faintest and smallest details and lets us study the stars with great accuracy, even where they are packed together - just as with those in the centre of our Galaxy". Dieter Reimers from Hamburg Observatory adds: "HST has capabilities to see ultraviolet light, which is not possible from the ground due to the blocking effect of the atmosphere. And this is really vital to our work, the main aim of which is to discover the chemical composition of the Universe." The Servicing Missions In the early plans for telescope operations, maintenance visits were to have been made every 2.5 years. And every five years HST should have been transported back to the ground for thorough overhaul. This plan has changed somewhat over time and a servicing scheme, which includes Space Shuttle Servicing Missions every three years, was decided upon. The two first Servicing Missions, in December 1993 (STS-61) and February 1997 (STS-82) respectively, were very successful. In the first three years of operations HST did not meet expectations because its primary mirror was 2 microns too flat at the edge. The first Servicing Mission in 1993 (on which the European astronaut Claude Nicollier flew) dealt with this problem by installing a new instrument with corrective optics (COSTAR - Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement). With this pair of "glasses" HST's golden age began. The images were as sharp as originally hoped and astonishing new results started to emerge on a regular basis. The first Servicing Mission also replaced the solar panels and installed a new camera (Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 - WFPC2). The High-Speed Photometer (HSP) was

PREFACE: International Symposium on Vacuum Science & Technology and its Application for Accelerators (IVS 2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandit, V. S.; Pal, Gautam

2012-11-01

clearly indicates that industry has advanced quite significantly. During the symposium, the Indian Vacuum Society honoured two distinguished personalities for their remarkable and significant contributions to the field of vacuum science and development of technology in the country. Awards were presented for both oral and poster papers during the symposium. A committee evaluated the scientific content and clarity of presentation of contributed papers. We believe that deliberations and discussions at the symposium will help gain a better understanding of the complicated and involved technology of vacuum science and be of benefit to scientists and technologists. Subimal Saha Convener Gautam Pal Co-Convener V S Pandit Secretary Surajit Pal Treasurer Conference photograph International Advisory Committee National Advisory Committee S BanerjeeDAE/IndiaR K Bhandari (Chairman)VECC Rockett AngusAVS/USAD L BandyopadhyayIVS A V Dadve CdrPfeiffer Vac /IndiaS B BhattIPR M Barma TIFR/IndiaK G BhushanBARC R K BhandariVECC/IndiaAlok ChakrabartiVECC R C BudhaniNPL, IndiaD P ChakravartyBARC Shekhar ChanderCEERI/IndiaTushar DesaiMumbai Univ S C ChetalIGCAR/IndiaR DeyVECC K L ChopraIIT Delhi/IndiaS C GadkariBARC Christian DayKIT/GermanyS K GuptaIUVSTA/India Kraemer DieterFAIR/GermanyShrikrishna GuptaBARC L M GantayatBARC/IndiaRajendra JatharAgilent Technologies R B GroverDAE, BARC/IndiaS N JoshiCEERI P D Gupta RRCAT/IndiaD KanjilalIUAC Szajman JakubVSA/AustraliaC MallikVECC R N JayarajNFC/IndiaS G MarkandeyaBRNS S KailasBARC/IndiaK C MittalBARC P K KawIPR/IndiaS NagarjunHHV Bangalore Lalit KumarMTRDC/IndiaK G M NairIGCAR Jean Larour Ecole/FranceGautam Pal (Co-convener)VECC Marminga LiaTRIUMF/CanadaSurajit Pal (Treasurer)VECC Shekhar MishraFermilab/USA V S Pandit (Secretary)VECC Ganapatirao MyneniJlab/USaR G PillayTIFR S V NarasaiahHHV/IndiaMohan PradeepNPL K RadhakrishnanISRO/IndiaY Ranga RaoVac Techniques A S Raja RaoIVS/IndiaR RanganathanSINP T RamasamiDST/IndiaSubimal Saha (Convener

BOOK REVIEW: Nonlinear Magnetohydrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafranov, V.

1998-08-01

Nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics by Dieter Biskamp is a thorough introduction to the physics of the most impressive non-linear phenomena that occur in conducting magnetoplasmas. The basic systems, in which non-trivial dynamic processes are observed, accompanied by changes of geometry of the magnetic field and the effects of energy transformation (magnetic energy into kinetic energy or the opposite effect in magnetic dynamos), are the plasma magnetic confinement systems for nuclear fusion and space plasmas, mainly the solar plasma. A significant number of the examples of the dynamic processes considered are taken from laboratory plasmas, for which an experimental check of the theory is possible. Therefore, though the book is intended for researchers and students interested in both laboratory, including nuclear fusion, and astrophysical plasmas, it is most probably closer to the first category of reader. In the Introduction the author notes that unlike the hydrodynamics of non-conducting fluids, where the phenomena caused by rapid fluid motions are the most interesting, for plasmas in a strong magnetic field the quasi-static configurations inside which the local dynamic processes occur are often the most important. Therefore, the reader will also find in this book rather traditional material on the theory of plasma equilibrium and stability in magnetic fields. In addition, it is notable that, as opposed to a linear theory, the non-linear theory, as a rule, cannot give quite definite explanations or predictions of phenomena, and consequently there are in the book many results obtained by consideration of numerical models with the use of supercomputers. The treatment of non-linear dynamics is preceded by Chapters 2 to 4, in which the basics of MHD theory are presented with an emphasis on the role of integral invariants of the magnetic helicity type, a derivation of the reduced MHD equations is given, together with examples of the exact solutions of the equilibrium

A Glimpse of the Young Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-10-01

metal-deficient stars that is currently being carried out at Hamburger Sternwarte [4]. Over a period of more than 10 years, a large collection of photographic pictures of the southern sky were obtained with the ESO 1-m Schmidt Telescope, a wide-angle telescope at the La Silla observatory in Chile that has now been decommissioned. Thanks to a large glass prism in the front of the telescope, every object in the observed sky field - stars as well as galaxies - was imaged as a small spectrum, providing a first rough idea about its type and composition. The main aim of this "Hamburg/ESO survey" (with Dieter Reimers , Associate Director of the Hamburger Sternwarte, as Principal Investigator and Lutz Wisotzki , now at Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, Germany, as Project Scientist) was to find quasars (particularly active centres of galaxies), a task that was accomplished most successfully, cf. e.g., ESO PR 10/97 and ESO PR 08/00 (Report F). A very welcome by-product of this survey has been a rich harvest of very metal-poor stars . This part of the project is led by Norbert Christlieb , also from the Hamburg Observatory, and now on sabbatical leave at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Australian National University (Canberra, Australia). Using fast computers and advanced pattern-recognition software to analyze the photographic exposures and thus to sift through millions of registered stellar spectra, about 8000 candidates for very metal-poor stars were found. These stars are now being scrutinized spectroscopically one-by-one with many medium-sized telescopes all over the world. Confirmed candidates are then observed with the largest telescopes in the world in order to obtain very detailed spectra (of high spectral resolution), which allow the astronomers to determine their chemical composition accurately. The very metal-deficient star HE 0107-5240 ESO PR Photo 25a/02 ESO PR Photo 25a/02 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 458 pix - 86k [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 915

PREFACE: Stimuli Stimuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Queisser, Hans J.

2011-01-01

successfully with this crystal growth technique. We were very much impressed by the success in Leningrad. Liquid-phase epitaxy yields, in principle, exceedingly pure crystals, but we were unhappy about the principal lack of direct monitoring during this growth process, which we deemed absolutely necessary for obtaining reproducible heterojunctions with tightly controlled small dimensions. Ultrahigh-vacuum epitaxy seemed to be the inescapable solution. Delicate molecular beams had to be gently used and monitored! What a costly proposition! I clearly remember the day when Mort and I went to the Laboratory director John Galt. A little bit fearful and subdued, we explained our project. No, not expensive, rather a very expensive idea! We anxiously watched John with his usual stern demeanour; he paused and contemplated: 'All right, we do it—go ahead!' Construction for equipment needed for the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) began, and in Al Cho, an excellent new employee was hired for this task. A little later I left Bell Labs, this fabulous 'Mecca of Solid State' for a physics professorship at the Goethe University in Frankfurt-on-the-Main in Germany. Meanwhile, successful work on semiconductor lasers bore ample fruit worldwide. In Frankfurt, I used gas laser sources for photoluminescence diagnostics of elemental and compound semiconductors. With my astute doctoral student 'Teddy' Güttler, for example, we observed impurity photoluminescence in Au-doped silicon and concluded that doping of solar cells with deep impurities would not be beneficial for cell efficiency; just the opposite would happen because of increased carrier recombination [16]. In 1968, Western Germany experienced an ultra-left-wing student rebellion. Frankfurt students violently attacked me and accused me of war research since I used lasers, obviously a deadly weapon of mass destruction. Dieter Bimberg, our co-editor of this Festschrift, will undoubtedly remember those happenings when he was a doctoral candidate

Shadow of a Large Disc Casts New Light on the Formation of High Mass Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-05-01

the disc structure and properties, the astronomers then turned to radio astronomy and carried out molecular line spectroscopy at the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer near Grenoble (France) in April 2003. The astronomers have observed the region in the rotational transitions of the 12CO, 13CO and C18O molecules, and in the adjacent continuum at 3 mm. Velocity resolutions of 0.1 and 0.2 km/s, respectively, were achieved. Dieter Nürnberger, member of the team, sees this as a confirmation: "Our 13CO data obtained with IRAM indicate that the disc/envelope system slowly rotates with its north-western part approaching the observer." Over an extent of 30,800 AU a velocity shift of 1.7 km/s is indeed measured (PR Photo 15c/04). From these observations, adopting standard values for the abundance ratio between the different isotopic carbon monoxide molecules (12CO and 13CO) and for the conversion factor to derive molecular hydrogen densities from the mesured CO intensities, the astronomers were also able to derive a conservative lower limit for the disc mass of 110 solar masses. This is by far the most massive and largest accretion disc ever observed directly around a young massive star. The largest silhouette disc so far is known as 114-426 in Orion and has a diameter of about 1,000 AU; however, its central star is likely a low-mass object rather than a massive protostar. Although there are a small number of candidates for massive young stellar objects (YSOs) some of which are associated with outflows, the largest circumstellar disc hitherto detected around these objects has a diameter of only 130 AU. The bipolar nebula ESO PR Photo 15d/04 ESO PR Photo 15d/04 [Preview - JPEG: 450 x 400 pix - 119k] [Normal - JPEG: 913 x 800 pix - 272k] Caption: PR Photo 15d/04 displays a collection of images of the silhouette disc and, perpendicular to that, the bipolar reflection nebula. These images were obtained in different optical and near-infrared wavebands with different instruments

Discovery of Nearest Known Brown Dwarf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2003-01-01

: PR Photo 03d/03 shows the southern constellation Indus (The Indian) and its surroundings, as drawn in the famous Uranographia published 1801 of German astronomer Johann Elert Bode. This reproduction was made from original printing plates held by the library of the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (Germany). The binary stellar system Epsilon Indi is associated with one of the arrows in the Indian's hand. However, because of its proximity, only 12 light-years away, it is moving so fast across the sky that it is now located someway below the arrows. In only a few thousand years, it will have moved out of the Indus constellation and into the neighbouring constellation Tucana (The Toucan). The constellation Indus lies deep in the southern sky, nestled between three birds, Grus (The Crane), Tucana (The Toucan) and Pavo (The Peacock), cf. PR Photo 03d/03. First catalogued in 1595-1597 by the Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, this constellation was added to the southern sky by Johann Bayer in his book 'Uranometria' (1603) to honour the Native Americans that European explorers had encountered on their travels. In particular, it has been suggested that it is specifically the native peoples of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia that are represented in Indus, just over two thousand kilometres south of La Silla where the first spectroscopic observations of Epsilon Indi B were made some 400 years later. In the later drawing by Bode shown here, Epsilon Indi, the fifth brightest star in Indus, is associated with one of the arrows in the Indian's hand. More information The information in this press release is based on a paper ("Epsilon Indi B: a new benchmark T dwarf" by Ralf-Dieter Scholz and co-authors), soon to be published in the European journal Astronomy & Astrophysics (Letters). It is available on the web in preprint form at http://babbage.sissa.it/abs/astro-ph/0212487.

SINFONI Opens with Upbeat Chords

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-08-01

the development of SINFONI for nearly 7 years. Some of the members of the Commissioning Teams are depicted in PR Photos 24g/04 and 24h/04; in addition to the SPIFFI team members present on the second photo, Walter Bornemann, Reinhard Genzel, Hans Gemperlein, Stefan Huber have also been working on the reintegration/commissioning in Paranal. Notes [1] This press release is issued in coordination between ESO, the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, Germany, and the Nederlandse Onderzoekschool Voor Astronomie in Leiden, The Netherlands. A German version is available at http://www.mpg.de/bilderBerichteDokumente/dokumentation/pressemitteilungen/2004/pressemitteilung20040824/index.html and a Dutch version at http://www.astronomy.nl/inhoud/pers/persberichten/30_08_04.html. [2] The SINFONI team consists of Roberto Abuter, Andrew Baker, Walter Bornemann, Ric Davies, Frank Eisenhauer (SPIFFI Principal Investigator), Hans Gemperlein, Reinhard Genzel (MPE Director), Andrea Gilbert, Armin Goldbrunner, Matthew Horrobin, Stefan Huber, Christof Iserlohe, Matthew Lehnert, Werner Lieb, Dieter Lutz, Nicole Nesvadba, Claudia Röhrle, Jürgen Schreiber, Linda Tacconi, Matthias Tecza, Niranjan Thatte, Harald Weisz (Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany), Anthony Brown, Paul van der Werf (NOVA, Leiden, The Netherlands), Eddy Elswijk, Johan Pragt, Jan Kragt, Gabby Kroes, Ton Schoenmaker, Rik ter Horst (ASTRON, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands), Henri Bonnet (SINFONI Project Manager), Roberto Castillo, Ralf Conzelmann, Romuald Damster, Bernard Delabre, Christophe Dupuy, Robert Donaldson, Christophe Dumas, Enrico Fedrigo, Gert Finger, Gordon Gillet, Norbert Hubin (Head of Adaptive Optics Dept.), Andreas Kaufer, Franz Koch, Johann Kolb, Andrea Modigliani, Guy Monnet (Head of Telescope Systems Division), Chris Lidman, Jochen Liske, Jean Louis Lizon, Markus Kissler-Patig (SINFONI Instrument Scientist), Jerome Paufique, Juha Reunanen