5,277 research outputs found
The use of guanxi in everyday life: The Case of School Selection in China
No full textThis research focuses on the use of guanxi (Chinese personal connections) in everyday urban life: in particular, how and why people develop their bonding, bridging and linking social capital in their guanxi networks. While much existing research focuses on the roles of bonding, bridging and linking social capital in different contexts, little is known about the process of developing and using these three types of social capitals in Chinese society. Although Kwang Kwo Hwang, Yunxiang Yan, and Xianqun Chang have distinguished different types of guanxi related to closeness, how these are related to social capital remains unknown. The study presented here aims to fill this gap in the research.
Data of this research was drawn from two ethnographic studies of school place allocation in two Chinese cities during 2012-2013. The research finds that ritual is vital in guanxi practice, and it has more significant impact in moderate guanxi than close and distant guanxi. When la guanxi, people tend to apply Confucian li to show more Confucian ren in order to gain the same level of ren treatment in return from others. Thus, guanxi capital is mostly gained by ritual investment due to the influence of Confucianism. Based on this finding, the research proposes a new concept, described as “ritual capital”, which refers to a part of an individual’s cultural capital, fostered and maintained through practice of proper ritual
Morphological features and differential counts of Plasmodium knowlesi parasites in naturally acquired human infections
No full textBackground: Human infections with Plasmodium knowlesi, a simian malaria parasite, are more common than previously thought. They have been detected by molecular detection methods in various countries in Southeast Asia, where they were initially diagnosed by microscopy mainly as Plasmodium malariae and at times, as Plasmodium falciparum. There is a paucity of information on the morphology of P. knowlesi parasites and proportion of each erythrocytic stage in naturally acquired human infections. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the morphological characteristics and differential counts of the erythrocytic stages of P. knowlesi parasites in human infections were made, photographs were taken, and morphological features were compared with those of P. malariae and P. falciparum. Methods: Thick and thin blood films were made prior to administration of anti-malarial treatment in patients who were subsequently confirmed as having single species knowlesi infections by PCR assays. Giemsa-stained blood films, prepared from 10 randomly selected patients with a parasitaemia ranging from 610 to 236,000 parasites per mu l blood, were examined. Results: The P. knowlesi infection was highly synchronous in only one patient, where 97% of the parasites were at the late trophozoite stage. Early, late and mature trophozoites and schizonts were observed in films from all patients except three; where schizonts and early trophozoites were absent in two and one patient, respectively. Gametocytes were observed in four patients, comprising only between 1.2 to 2.8% of infected erythrocytes. The early trophozoites of P. knowlesi morphologically resemble those of P. falciparum. The late and mature trophozoites, schizonts and gametocytes appear very similar to those of P. malariae. Careful examinations revealed that some minor morphological differences existed between P. knowlesi and P. malariae. These include trophozoites of knowlesi with double chromatin dots and at times with two or three parasites per erythrocyte and mature schizonts of P. knowlesi having 16 merozoites, compared with 12 for P. malariae. Conclusion: Plasmodium knowlesi infections in humans are not highly synchronous. The morphological resemblance of early trophozoites of P. knowlesi to P. falciparum and later erythrocytic stages to P. malariae makes it extremely difficult to identify P. knowlesi infections by microscopy alone.Peer reviewe
Densities, viscosities, and surface tensions of aqueous 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol solutions
No full textDensities, viscosities, and surface tensions of 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol (AEPD) + water mixtures were measured over wide temperatures ranging from (303.15 to 343.15) K. The concentration ranges of AEPD were (20-100) mass % for density measurements and 20-80 mass % for viscosity and surface tension measurements. The experimental values were correlated as a function of temperature and concentration. The average absolute deviations were found to be 0.07% for density, 0.56% for viscosity, and 0.42% for surface tension.This work was supported by Grant 2000-C-CD02-P-01 from the
Korea Energy Management Corp. R&D Headquarters and also
partially by the Brain Korea 21 Project
Morphological features and differential counts of Plasmodium knowlesi parasites in naturally acquired human infections.
No full textBACKGROUND: Human infections with Plasmodium knowlesi, a simian malaria parasite, are more common than previously thought. They have been detected by molecular detection methods in various countries in Southeast Asia, where they were initially diagnosed by microscopy mainly as Plasmodium malariae and at times, as Plasmodium falciparum. There is a paucity of information on the morphology of P. knowlesi parasites and proportion of each erythrocytic stage in naturally acquired human infections. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the morphological characteristics and differential counts of the erythrocytic stages of P. knowlesi parasites in human infections were made, photographs were taken, and morphological features were compared with those of P. malariae and P. falciparum.
METHODS: Thick and thin blood films were made prior to administration of anti-malarial treatment in patients who were subsequently confirmed as having single species knowlesi infections by PCR assays. Giemsa-stained blood films, prepared from 10 randomly selected patients with a parasitaemia ranging from 610 to 236,000 parasites per microl blood, were examined.
RESULTS: The P. knowlesi infection was highly synchronous in only one patient, where 97% of the parasites were at the late trophozoite stage. Early, late and mature trophozoites and schizonts were observed in films from all patients except three; where schizonts and early trophozoites were absent in two and one patient, respectively. Gametocytes were observed in four patients, comprising only between 1.2 to 2.8% of infected erythrocytes. The early trophozoites of P. knowlesi morphologically resemble those of P. falciparum. The late and mature trophozoites, schizonts and gametocytes appear very similar to those of P. malariae. Careful examinations revealed that some minor morphological differences existed between P. knowlesi and P. malariae. These include trophozoites of knowlesi with double chromatin dots and at times with two or three parasites per erythrocyte and mature schizonts of P. knowlesi having 16 merozoites, compared with 12 for P. malariae.
CONCLUSION: Plasmodium knowlesi infections in humans are not highly synchronous. The morphological resemblance of early trophozoites of P. knowlesi to P. falciparum and later erythrocytic stages to P. malariae makes it extremely difficult to identify P. knowlesi infections by microscopy alone
An assessment of the impact of possible CAP reform scenarios on Romanian agriculture
No full textUsing a simplified model, with key-variable the prices of two different possible scenarios of CAP reform after 2013 (moderate and radical), this paper present a comparison between the price effects of implementation of each reform scenario at 2015 horizon on Romanian agriculture. This short analysis shows that, under the presented hypotheses, the net welfare effect, due to the price changes, for the selected products, is positive in both reform scenarios, yet greater in the case of the radical reform. Integrated in the large context of Romanian development, it seems that the influence of CAP reform upon agriculture and rural areas will be most likely a gradual one: an interpenetration between the two scenarios is foreseeable, starting with the moderate reform that will dominate the period around 2013, the reform measures acquiring a more radical character afterwards.CAP reform, Romania, welfare effects, Agricultural and Food Policy,
HM-Chromanone, a Major Homoisoflavonoid in Portulaca oleracea L., Improves Palmitate-Induced Insulin Resistance by Regulating Phosphorylation of IRS-1 Residues in L6 Skeletal Muscle Cells
No full textThis study investigated the effect of (E)-5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-3-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-4-chromanone (HM-chromanone) on palmitate-induced insulin resistance and elucidated the underlying mechanism in L6 skeletal muscle cells. Glucose uptake was markedly decreased due to palmitate-induced insulin resistance in these cells; however, 10, 25, and 50 µM HM-chromanone remarkably improved glucose uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. HM-chromanone treatment downregulated protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit beta (IKKβ), which increased because of palmitate mediating the insulin-resistance status in cells. HM-chromanone promoted insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) tyrosine phosphorylation and suppressed palmitate-induced phosphorylation of IRS-1 serine. This activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and stimulated protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation. Phosphorylated AKT promoted the translocation of Glucose transporter type 4 to the plasma membrane and significantly enhanced glucose uptake into muscle cells. Additionally, HM-chromanone increased glycogen synthesis through phosphorylating glycogen synthase kinase 3 alpha/beta (GSK3 α/β) via AKT. Consequently, HM-chromanone may improve insulin resistance by downregulating the phosphorylation of IRS-1 serine through inhibition of negative regulators of insulin signaling and inflammation-activated protein kinases in L6 skeletal muscle cells
Prevalence and clinical picture of celiac disease in Turner syndrome
No full textPrevalence and clinical picture of celiac disease in Turner syndrome.
Bonamico M1, Pasquino AM, Mariani P, Danesi HM, Culasso F, Mazzanti L, Petri A, Bona G; Italian Society Of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology (SIGEP); Italian Study Group for Turner Syndrom (ISGTS).
Author information 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Rome La Sapienza, 00161 Roma, Italy.
Abstract
A multicenter study of Turner syndrome (TS) patients was carried out to estimate the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) and to detect clinical characteristics and laboratory data of affected patients. Three hundred eighty-nine girls with TS were screened by IgA antigliadin antibodies and/or antiendomysial antibodies. Intestinal biopsy was offered to positive cases. CD was diagnosed in 25 patients. In celiac subjects, anemia, anorexia, and delayed growth (with respect to Italian TS curves) were frequently present; whereas distended abdomen, chronic diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting occurred more rarely. In addition, low serum iron levels, hemoglobinemia, and high values of aminotransferases were observed. Ten patients showed classic CD, 8 showed atypical symptoms, and 7 showed a silent CD. In 11 symptomatic patients, the diagnosis of CD was made at the onset of symptoms, whereas 7 of them showed a median delay of 79 months in diagnosis. Other autoimmune disorders were observed in 40% of the patients. Our study confirms the high prevalence (6.4%) of CD in a large series of TS patients. Moreover, the subclinical picture in 60% of the cases, the diagnostic delay, and the incidence of other autoimmune disorders suggest that routine screening of CD in TS is indicated
Documenting Impacts of Hydro-Meteorological Events Using Earth Observation
No full textThe ambition of H2020 OPERANDUM project is to develop and document Nature Based Solutions (NBS) to mitigate risks associated with hydro-meteorological (HM) hazards. NBS mitigate risks by reducing the vulnerability of a particular system. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the use of multisource remote sensing data in documenting the impact of extreme HM events to advance knowledge on vulnerability and exposure. In particular the focus is to document past impacts due to extreme events selected from a characterization of recent (3 0 years) HM events in 11 Open Air Laboratories (OALs) where co-design, co-development and deployment of NBS are taking place. The impacts were documented by applying a wide spectrum of satellite image data and other, close - range, remote sensing techniques. A better understanding of the consequences due to extreme HM events in a particular area (OALs) is essential to identify elements at risk and expected to provide a reference to evaluate the reduction of vulnerability and mitigation of risks past the completion of NBS.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Optical and Laser Remote SensingGeo-engineerin
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