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This paper analyzes the American drama “Modern Family” by using Stuart Hall’s “encoding/decoding” theory. Modern Family uses universal themes and a “modern” plot to attract Chinese viewers, and uses diverse characters to bring a sense of psychology and identity to decoders. The American values embodied in the show mainly focus on values related to diversity and confident low-context culture. The decoders mainly show a hegemonic position on episodes such as the way of education between parents and children, a negotiated position on episodes that go against traditional concepts, and an antagonistic position on the ideological, political, and economic levels of the episodes.

The apparent intensity of hyaluronan (HA) staining in tissue sections can vary as a function of fixation techniques. We examined the histochemical distribution of HA in normal human skin using an HA-specific binding peptide derived from bovine nasal cartilage. The HA, particularly in the dermis, was best preserved in sections fixed in 10% acid-formalin with 70% ethanol. In contrast, sections fixed in the routine 10% neutral-buffered formalin had a much weaker intensity of HA staining. Furthermore, acid-formalin/ethanol-fixed sections retained much of their apparent HA after incubation with saline, in contrast to the neutral formalin-fixed sections, in which most of the stainable HA was lost. Such marked differences in staining intensity were not observed in slides stained with Alcian blue, a procedure presumed to stain HA as well as other glycosaminoglycans. Staining using the HA binding peptide was entirely absent when sections were first preincubated in hyaluronidase, whereas similar Alcian blue-stained sections retained most of their staining intensity. Caution should be exercised in evaluating the distribution of HA in tissues using the HA binding peptide, particularly when different fixation techniques among several laboratories are being compared. In addition, the ability to evaluate the HA content of tissues using Alcian blue staining should be reconsidered. The sulfated glycosaminolglycans of the "ground substance" appear to be the predominant substrates for Alcian blue.

Low-frequency waves induced by the shoaling of random gravity waves (the primary waves) on sloping beaches were studied experimentally. Incident primary waves with a Pierson-Moskowitz (PM) spectrum were mechanically generated at a water depth of 0.7 m and propagated toward beaches with three different slopes (1/20, 1/30, and 1/40) in separate experiments. Four wave conditions with significant wave heights ranging from 0.078 to 0.125 m were used. The time series of surface elevations were simultaneously recorded at various water depths along the beach. Low-frequency waves were obtained from the data with a low-pass filter. Our results show that the spectra of low-frequency waves on beaches are dramatically changed by the beach slope and the wave height of incident primary waves. The cross-correlation of low-frequency waves with the surface-elevation envelope of the primary waves shows that the incident bound long waves are dominant. Free low-frequency waves propagate in the offshore direction with very low amplitudes due to high energy dissipation on the beach. The energy ratio between the low-frequency and the primary waves in the shoaling region outside the surf zone strongly correlates to the local surface skewness. For a given water depth, the low-frequency wave energy is proportional to [m.sup.3/2.sub.0], where [m.sub.0] is the primary wave energy, in agreement with the field observations. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000035 CE Database subject headings: Shoaling; Gravity waves; Slopes; Beaches; Laboratory tests. Author keywords: Low-frequency waves; Shoaling; Random gravity waves; Sloping beaches.

P2-type layered materials (Na x TMO 2 ) have become attractive cathode electrodes owing to their high theoretical energy density and simple preparation. However, they still face severe phase transition and low conductivity. Current research on Na x TMO 2 is mostly focused on the modification of bulk materials, and the application performances have been infrequently addressed. This review summarizes the information on current common P2-Na x TMO 2 materials and discusses their sodium-storage mechanisms. Furthermore, modification strategies to improve their performance are addressed for practical applications based on a range of key parameters (output voltage, specific capacity, and lifespan). We also discuss the future development trends and application prospects for P2 cathode materials., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Introduction: This study is to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of larsucosterol (DUR-928 or 25HC3S) in subjects with alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a devastating acute illness without US Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies., Methods: This phase 2a, multicenter, open-label, dose escalation study evaluated the safety, PK, and efficacy signals of larsucosterol in 19 clinically diagnosed subjects with AH. Based on the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, 7 subjects were considered to have moderate AH and 12 to have severe AH. All subjects received 1 or 2 intravenous infusions (72 hours apart) of larsucosterol at a dose of 30, 90, or 150 mg and were followed up for 28 days. Efficacy signals from a subgroup of subjects with severe AH were compared with those from 2 matched arms of those with severe AH treated with standard of care (SOC), including corticosteroids, from a contemporaneous study., Results: All 19 larsucosterol-treated subjects survived the 28-day study. Fourteen (74%) of all subjects including 8 (67%) of the subjects with severe AH were discharged ≤72 hours after receiving a single infusion. There were no drug-related serious adverse events nor early terminations due to the treatment. PK profiles were not affected by disease severity. Biochemical parameters improved in most subjects. Serum bilirubin levels declined notably from baseline to day 7 and day 28, and MELD scores were reduced at day 28. The efficacy signals compared favorably with those from 2 matched groups treated with SOC. Lille scores at day 7 were <0.45 in 16 of the 18 (89%) subjects with day 7 samples. Lille scores from 8 subjects with severe AH who received 30 or 90 mg larsucosterol (doses used in phase 2b trial) were statistically significantly lower ( P < 0.01) than those from subjects with severe AH treated with SOC from the contemporaneous study., Discussion: Larsucosterol was well tolerated at all 3 doses in subjects with AH without safety concerns. Data from this pilot study showed promising efficacy signals in subjects with AH. Larsucosterol is being evaluated in a phase 2b multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled (AHFIRM) trial., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Gastroenterology.)

Background: Gesneriaceae family contains numerous species endemic to China, and many of them are listed as endangered species. There is a need for a simple and efficient method for long-term conservation of these species., Objective: The study aimed to establish an efficient procedure for cryopreserving Paraisometrum mileense, a critically endangered species endemic to Yunnan, China., Methods: Effects of sucrose concentration of preculture solution, duration of sucrose preculture, duration of plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2) treatment, and cold acclimation on regeneration of cryopreserved adventitious shoot tips (ASTs) were assessed., Results and Conclusion: Among different sucrose preculture regimes tested, preculture with 0.3M sucrose for 24h resulted in best regeneration of cryopreserved ASTs. PVS2 treatment also affected regeneration considerably with the maximum survival of ASTs after incubation in PVS2 for 90 min at 0 degrees C. With the optimised parameters, the level of shoot regeneration from cryopreserved ASTs reached 86%. No morphological abnormalities were observed during one year's growth of the plantlets developing from cryopreserved ASTs. Procedure established in this research is a promising technique for the cryopreservation of ASTs of this species.