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This study investigates the effect of personal investment in the form of learner-generated content (LGC) on the lexical recall of beginning-level learners of Chinese. The study employed a 2 x 2 repeated-measures design with content at two levels -- teacher-generated content or TGC, and learner-generated content or LGC -- and time at two levels (immediate, delayed). Quantitative results were triangulated with qualitative thematic analyses of follow-up interviews. The study was conducted at an Australian university and aimed to identify a way of modifying current intentional vocabulary learning activities to increase learner investment in the learning process and improve retention. Participants completed two versions of a picture description activity that was commonly used to introduce and practice new vocabulary in the program. The first version (TGC) was based on a picture that Chinese teachers chose to illustrate ten words learners did not know and that were pedagogic targets. The second (LGC) was based on pictures that learners selected as being personally meaningful and that illustrated ten words that they did not know in Chinese but wanted to learn. Findings revealed significant differences in recall for LGC words over TGC words on both immediate and delayed post-tests, and a significant interaction between content and time, demonstrating a faster rate of decay in memory for TGC words than LGC words. Follow-up interviews indicated that LGC words were more meaningful to learners in terms of relevance, interest, emotional value and associations with world knowledge. Results are discussed in terms of how LGC vocabulary activities might be used in second language (L2) courses.

Objective To investigate the changes in serum thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb), thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb), and thyroid-stimulating blocking antibody (TSBAb) and their significance in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with hypothyroidism (HT hypothyroidism). Methods A total of 133 patients with HT hypothyroidism (HT hypothyroidism group) and 125 healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled and their clinical data were collected. The serum levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyrotropin (TSH), and TRAb were measured and compared between the two groups. TSAb and TSBAb were also compared across the patients who were positive for TRAb (group B), who were negative for TRAb (group C), and the healthy subjects who were negative for TRAb (group A). A Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between the serum levels of TSAb and TSBAb and the serum levels of FT3, FT4, TSH, and TRAb in patients with HT hypothyroidism. Results The serum TRAb level in the HT hypothyroidism group was significantly higher than that in the control group (Z=-5.434,P

Non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques play a crucial role in industrial production, aerospace, healthcare, and the inspection of special equipment, serving as an indispensable part of assessing the safety condition of pressure equipment. Among these, the analysis of NDT data stands as a critical link in evaluating equipment safety. In recent years, object detection techniques have gradually been applied to the analysis of NDT data in pressure equipment inspection, yielding significant results. This paper comprehensively reviews the current applications and development trends of object detection algorithms in NDT technology for pressure-bearing equipment, focusing on algorithm selection, data augmentation, and intelligent defect recognition based on object detection algorithms. Additionally, it explores open research challenges of integrating GAN-based data augmentation and unsupervised learning to further enhance the intelligent application and performance of object detection technology in NDT for pressure-bearing equipment while discussing techniques and methods to improve the interpretability of deep learning models. Finally, by summarizing current research and offering insights for future directions, this paper aims to provide researchers and engineers with a comprehensive perspective to advance the application and development of object detection technology in NDT for pressure-bearing equipment.

Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and high-angle annular dark-field in a Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope are employed to characterize the atomic-scale strain distribution in the active region of the InAs-based interband cascade laser. For the first time, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy is utilized for the quantitative calculation of the zero-strain region, by which the geometric phase analysis of high-angle annular dark-field imaging has been carried out. The strain distribution of the active region with high accuracy has been obtained. The analysis of the out-of-plane strain shows that the active region in the InAs-based interband cascade laser is strain-compensated, while a certain degree of elemental intermixing still exists in the active region. This detailed strain distribution can provide valuable insights into the optimization of the growth conditions for the active region such as growth temperature, V/III flux ratio, and growth process to minimize the elemental intermixing and obtain a better performance interface while maintaining the strain-compensated state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a clinical syndrome characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling causing increased vascular resistance, which will lead to right heart failure and even death if left untreated. The pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension has not yet been clarified, and clinical treatments have not been effective in improving prognosis or reducing mortality. To investigate the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension and to develop and evaluate more effective and safer drug treatments, establishing related animal disease models is very important. This paper outlines the pathological characteristics of pulmonary arterial hypertension and summarizes the various types of animal models of pulmonary arterial hypertension, as well as describes the progress of the application of these models in three therapeutic pathways and related drug research in the past five years, with a view to providing a reference for the selection of animal models of pulmonary arterial hypertension and research applications.

Estudios previos han demostrado que el procesamiento visual favorece el desarrollo de L2 en general. En vista de que la competencia de L2 implica tanto la competencia lingüística como la intercultural, este estudio se pone foco en investigar si las ayudas visuales sirven para el desarrollo de ambas competencias, o solo una de ellas. A cuarenta estudiantes chinos de español de nivel intermedio se les pidió que completaran una serie de tareas dirigidas tanto al idioma español como a la cultura española después de que se les presentara una seria de materiales: a la mitad se les presentaron los materiales audiovisuales mientras que a la otra mitad se le ofrecieron los auditivos correspendientes. Los resultados muestran que el procesamiento visual beneficia el desarrollo de la competencia intercultural de los estudiantes chinos de español de nivel intermedio, pero apenas juega un papel en el desarrollo de su competencia lingüística. Nuestro hallazgo sugiere que los materiales visuales deben incluirse en la enseñanza de L2 para mejorar el desarrollo de la competencia intercultural de los estudiantes de L2

This paper reported a case of tuberculous pericardial effusion which was confirmed by GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Mycobacterium tuberculosis rpoB gene and mutation detection). During the early stage of the diagnosis, the routine anti-infection was ineffective, the pathogenic bacteria was not founded in the case, and tumor or other causes were excluded. The clinical diagnosis was considered as tuberculous pericardial effusion, while multiple tests for acid-fast bacilli was negative. The patient’s pericardial effusion was used to perform GeneXpert MTB/RIF test, and positive (very low dose) result was obtained. Through anti-tuberculous treatment, the pericardial effusion of the patient decreased to a small amount and the symptoms improved significantly after 2 weeks. And 3 months later, the symptoms disappeared. The diagnosis and treatment of the patient suggested that multiple methods should be actively applied during the early stage of clinical diagnosing tuberculous pericardial effusion. Beside traditional acid-fast bacillus smear and mycobacterium culture, the adenosine deaminase (ADA) and GeneXpert MTB/RIFF tests for pericardial effusion and interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) for blood should be considered.

In carbon allotropes, interfacial engineering of various sp2 nanocarbon building blocks has shown great promise in designing and fabricating creative nanocarbon assemblies with novel structural and functional properties. Here, a robust, flexible, metal‐like heterostructured carbon nanotube (CNT) film formed of amorphous graphene nanosheets (AGNs) on CNT networked film is demonstrated, presenting a sp3‐sp2 dominated interfacial heterostructure. Extensive characterization reveals that AGN exhibits a complete absence of long‐range periodicity with twisty six‐member rings. Such 2D graphene mailed 1D CNT structure endows the heterostructured carbon nanocomposite film with a combination of unique properties, including surface nano‐flattening (flatness fourfold of the raw CNT film), excellent anti‐wear performance, greatly enhanced modulus (enhanced by 400%), hardness (enhanced by 300 times), and conductivity (enhanced by 270%). Unlike conventional carbon‐based materials, such flexible films show distinct substantial deformability and rapid resilience over wide temperatures (−196–≈1300 °C), which facilitate the design of new‐concept lightweight high‐temperature resistant and shape‐transformable materials for advanced aerospace applications under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Accumulating research suggests that metabolites produced by gut microbiota are essential for maintaining a balanced gut and immune system. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), one of tryptophan metabolites from gut microbiota, is critical for gut health through mechanisms such as activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Delivery of IAA to colon is beneficial for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, and one promising strategy is IAA esterified starch, which is digested by gut microbes in colon and releases loaded IAA. Amylose content is a key structural characteristic that controls the physicochemical properties and digestibility of starch. Methods: In the current study, IAA was esterified with three typical starches with distinct amylose content to obtain indolyl acetylated waxy maize starch (WMSIAA), indolyl acetylated normal maize starch (NMSIAA), and indolyl acetylated high-amylose maize starch (HAMSIAA). The study comparatively analyzed their respective physicochemical properties, how they behave under in vitro digestion conditions, their ability to deliver IAA directly to the colon, and their effects on the properties of the gut microbiota. Results: The new characteristic peak of 1H NMR at 10.83 ppm, as well as the new characteristic peak of FTIR spectra at 1729 cm−1, represented the successful esterification of IAA on starch backbone. The following in vitro digestion study further revealed that treatment with indolyl acetylation significantly elevated the resistant starch content in the starch samples. In vivo experimental results demonstrated that WMSIAA exhibited the most significant increase in IAA levels in the stomach, whereas HAMSIAA and NMSIAA demonstrated the most remarkable increases in IAA levels in the small intestine and colon, respectively. The elevated IAA levels in the colon are conducive to promoting the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria and significantly alleviating DSS-induced colitis. Conclusions: This research presents innovative insights and options for the advancement of colon-specific drug delivery systems aimed at preventing and curing gastrointestinal disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]