Chinese Liandong(Serial Verb) Constructions from the Perspective of Figure-Ground Relation

Empty categories,which lack phonological form and hence are not visible in the phonetic representation of the sentence,have both syntactic and semantic properties.Null subjects PRO and pro are base-generated empty categories.This thesis,based on Chomsky's theory about empty categories and research achievements made by Chinese scholars,attempts to analyze the liandong(Serial Verb) construction from Figure and Ground perspective.

Interpretation of Image in Poetry from a Perspective of Figure-ground Theory

Figure-ground theory is originated from psychology and was then introduced to cognitive linguistics.The basic principle of figure-ground theory is proximity.The figure is a theme and the background serves a foil to it.Both Chinese and English poetry use different images,some of which are figures and some are backgrounds.This paper interprets image in poetry on the basis of figure-ground theory.

Analysis of English Complex Sentences based on Figure-Ground Theory

English is a language featuring its complex sentences composed of main and subordinate clauses. The subordinate clause conveys the unfinished messages in main clause and it becomes quite complicated. English complex sentence is a fair important sentence type and also of importance in English teaching. Analyzing complex sentence based on Figure-Ground Theory, especially the Adverbial Clause, is helpful to learn English and translate it. The Figure-Ground Theory originated in psychology studies and it was introduced in cognitive linguistics to explain some language phenomena. From Figure-Ground perspective, the essay studies attributive clause,adverbial clause and nominal clause and some critical sentence types have been analyzed carefully and the major finding is Figure-Ground Theory is dynamic not static.

Cognitive Stylistic Study on Cummings's Love Lyrics——Based on Figure-Ground Theory

The style of Cummings' s poems is unique and special among the 20 th century poets. In this thesis, his love lyrics are analyzedfrom cognitive stylistics perspective and this analysis is based on the figure-ground theory. According to Talmy's classification of lan-guage events, Cummings' s love lyrics are divided into space events and time events. Then figure and ground in different poems are de-termined on the basis of features and principles of figure and ground in two kinds of events. The analysis makes it possible for readers tobuild an interest in Cummings' s love lyrics and identify the hidden emotions and contents. What's more, connotation as well as aesthet-ic values of poems can also be explored. Theory in the cognitive stylistics is applied to the appreciation of poems in this paper, whichmay help readers imagine the scene and better understand the connotation. This method provides a new perspective for poem study.Meanwhile, it offers a new pedagogical method in poem teaching in the future.

Impact analysis of supplier relationship on supply chain resilience using biological cellular resilience theory

A supply chain resilience model is established based on the biological cellular resilience theory to analyze the impact of the supplier relationship on supply chain resilience. A scenario where the market demand is changed suddenly by some undesired events is considered. The results reveal that enhancing collaboration with a more resilient supplier can significantly improve supply chain resilience and reduce supply chain losses. It is also found that enhancing the supplier relationship can significantly benefit supply chain resilience if the collaborative intensity is relatively low, and it has less effect if supply chain members have already collaborated closely. Thus, enhancing the supplier relationship to a limited intensity is a relatively effective and economic method to strengthen supply chain resilience.

Culm form analysis for bamboo, Phyllostachys pubescens

We investigated the culm form for one of the largest bamboo species, Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex Houz. in relation to the me- chanical constraint principles, i.e., elastic, stress and geometric similarity. The fine-resolution analysis of the culm taper indicated that the culm for P. pubescens consisted of three or four segments with various forms, except for the butt swell. This implied that the taper of the whole culm for P. pubescens could be expressed by neither of these principles. The regression slope between culm height and diameter at breast height on the double logarithmic coordinates was 0.629, which was significantly different from the values predicted from these principles. In conclusion, none of these mechanical constraint principles can express the culm taper and height-diameter relationship, and there may be a need for a more complicated model to express the culm form for P. pubescens.

Discovery and characterization of novel small-molecule inhibitors targeting nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase

Aim Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase （NAMPT） plays an important role in cardiocerebro-vascu- lar physiopathological process. It is also a promising anticancer target. It is highly desirable to discover novel NAMPT inhibitors as anticancer drug candidates and understand their action mode. Methods We carried out a high throughput screening system on a chemical library of 24434 small-molecules. Anti-proliferative activity were further studied on active compounds. Isothermal titration calorimetry and cellular thermal shift assay were used to confirm the target specificity. Molecular modeling and site-directed mutagenesis studies were taken to investigate the binding mode of NAMPT inhibitor. Results Using high throughput screening system targeting NAMPT, we ob- tained a potent NAMPT inhibitor MS0 （China Patent ZL201110447488.9 ） with excellent in vitro activity （IC50 = 9.87 ± 1.15 nmol · L^-1 ） and anti-proliferative activity against multiple human cancer cell lines including stem-like cancer cells. Structure-activity relationship studies yielded several highly effective analogues. These inhibitors spe- cifically bound NAMPT, rather than downstream NMNAT. We provided the first chemical case using cellular ther- mal shift assay to explain the difference between in vitro and cellular activity; MS7 showed best in vitro activity （ IC50 = 0.93 ± 0.29 nmol · L^-1 ） but worst cellular activity due to poor target engagement in living cells. Site-di- rected mutagenesis studies identified important residues for NAMPT catalytic activity and inhibitor binding. Con- clusions The present study provides a class of novel NAMPT inhibitors for future development of anticancer a- gents. Our findings also contribute to deep understanding the action mode of NAMPT inhibitors and NAMPT basic research in cardiocerebro-vascular system.

Figure-Ground Separation Using a Diffusion-Concentration Neural Network

The mechanism of diffusion and concentration of neural activity is one of the basic laws of neuronal interaction in the cerebral cortex.The evidence shows that the lateral connections between neurons in the cerebral neocortex take the following structure: the short-range lateral connections are excitatory while the long-range ones are inhibitory.This note shows that the structure of connections is able both to diffuse and to concentrate information; that is, the short-range excitatory connections

COMPUTER SIMULATIONS OF FIGURE-GROUND DISCRIMINATION IN THE VISUAL SYSTEM OF THE FLY

Figure-ground discrimination and pattern discrimination represent one of the most important problems in computer vision. Based on computational neuronal network model proposed by Reichardt et al. for figure-ground discrimination in the visual system of the fly, entire systematic computer simulations were carried out under nonstationary conditions. Results show that the model network and simulations have predictive power for behavioural experimental results. This paper proposes that motion perception and elementary pattern discrimination in human visual system may be mediated by some kind of figure-ground system with movement detectors as input layer.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new 13-n-nonylprotoberberine derivatives as antitubercular agents

Tuberculosis is a serious threat to public health throughout the world.A series of new l3-n-nonylprotoberberine derivatives was designed,synthesized and evaluated for anti-mycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H_(37)Rv.Several compounds(2,11a-c,11g,13d,15c)exhibited excellent anti-tubercular activity with an MIC below 1.0μg/mL.Notably,compound 13d showed potential antibacterial effect against both drug-susceptible and multidrug-resistant(MDR)M.tuberculosis with MIC ranges of 0.0625-1.0μg/mL.These results suggest a mode of action different from that of the current anti-mycobacterial drugs rifampicin and isoniazid.Hence,compound 13d is an attractive lead compound for the development of new antitubercular agents.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 8-substituted berberine derivatives as novel anti-mycobacterial agents

Tuberculosis(TB)is a disease which kills two million people every year and infects over one-third of the world's population.Eighteen new 8-substituted berberine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-mycobacterial activities against M ycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tuberculosis)strain H_(37)Rv.Among these compounds,compound 6i was the most effective antitubercular agent with an MIC of 1.0μg/mL.Most importantly,compound 6i also exhibited a potent effect against clinically isolated rifampicin-and isoniazid-resistant M.tuberculosis strains,suggesting a different mode of action from the current drugs.Therefore,it shows potential for the development of new anti-TB agents.

Thermal Stability, Microstructure and Photocatalytic Activity of the Bismuth Oxybromide Photocatalyst

Flake BiOBr was first prepared by a solution method at room temperature. Then, the produced BiOBr was calcined at different temperatures. It was found that BiOBr is not a stable compound. It transforms to plate-like Bi24031Brll at around 750 ℃ and the formed Bi24O31Br11 can further convert to rod-like a-Bi203 at around 850℃. The prepared compounds were characterized with X-ray diffraction （XRD）, N2 physical adsorption, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra （DRS）, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the produced bismuth oxybromides was evaluated by photocatalytic decomposition of acid orange Ⅱ under both visible light （λ〉420 nm） and UV light （λ=365 nm） irradiation. Results show that these compounds have different band gaps and different photocatalytic properties. The band gap energies of the as-prepared samples were found to be 2.82, 2.79, 2.60 and 3.15 eV for BiOBr, BiOBr/Bi24O31Br, Bi24O31Br, and a-Bi2O3, respectively. Under both UV light and visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity follows the order： BiOBr/Bi24O31Br mixture 〉 BiOBr 〉 Bi24031Br〉a-Bi2O3. The change in photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the different light absorption ability and microstructures of the photocatalysts.

Characterization of β precipitate phase in Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy

As reported in our previous works, a Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy recently developed exhibited remarkable age-hardening responses and excellent mechanical properties at both room and elevated temperatures. In Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy, the β pre- cipitate phase was assumed to he one of the main strengthening phases in peak-aged samples. This study aimed to determine the crys- tal structure and orientation relationship of the β precipitate phase in Mg-7Gd-5Y-INd-0.5Zr alloy using transmission electron mi- croscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy. The results indicated that the β precipitate had a face-centered cubic structure with a lattice parameter of a=2.22 nm. The orientation relationship between the β precipitate phase and the ct-Mg matrix was （i-12）β（1-100）α, [110]β[0001 ]α. Theβ plates formed on prismatic planes could play an important role in alloy strengthening by proving effective barriers to gliding dislocations. A single β plate often contained several domains of （1 11）β twin-related variants. A composition of Mgs（Y0.4Gdo.4Nd0.2） was suggested for the β phase in Mg-7Gd-5Y-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy.

Neural Network Approaches to Visual Motion Perception

This paper concerns certain difficult problems in image processing and perception: neuro-computation of visual motion information. The first part of this paper deals with the spatial physiological integration by the figure-ground discrimination neural network in the visual system of the fly. We have outlined the fundamental organization and algorithms of this neural network, and mainly concentrated on the results of computer simulations of spatial physiological integration. It has been shown that the gain control mechanism , the nonlinearity of synaptic transmission characteristic , the interaction between the two eyes , and the directional selectivity of the pool cells play decisive roles in the spatial physiological integration. In the second part, we have presented a self-organizing neural network for the perception of visual motion by using a retinotopic array of Reichardt's motion detectors and Kohonen's self-organizing maps. It .has been demonstrated by computer simulations that the network is able to learn to solve the ambiguities given by local motion detection mechanism. The resultant self-organized configuration in the output layer is resembling direction selective columns which first appear in area MT of the primate visual system. It has been explored that the spatio-temporal coherences, mapping, cooperation, competition, and Hebb rule are the basic neural principles for visual motion perception.

Effects of Danqidihuang Granules on glucolipid metabolism in insulin-resistant rats

OBJECTIVE： To explore whether the insulin resis- tance （IR） model could be established through feed- ing Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats high-sugar and high-fat diets and to further observe the preven- tive and treatment effects of different doses of Dan- qidihuang Granules in rats. METHODS： Thirty-two SD rats were divided ran- domly into control group A （given regular feed）, model group B （food high in sugar and fat）, inter- vention group C （food high in sugar and fat as well as regular doses of Danqidihuang Granules）, and in- tervention group D （food high in sugar and fat as well as double doses of Danqidihuang Granules）. The interventions were for 8 weeks. Motion, change in color, body weight, and food intake, as well as plasma lipids （including low-density lipopro- tein-cholesterol （LDL-C）, high-density lipopro- tein-cholesterol （HDL-C）, total cholesterol （TC） and triglyceride （TG）, fasting blood glucose （FBG）, fast-ing insulin （FINs） levels, insulin sensitivity index （ISI）, and insulin resistance index （HOMO-IR） were observed. RESULTS： At the end of the second week of the ex- periment, the appetite and activities of rats in groups B, C and D decreased significantly com- pared with group A. The fur of the rats in those three groups was curly. After the fourth week, the activities, food intake and color of rats in group B were worse than those in groups C and D, but there were no significant differences in weight （P〉0.05）. Compared with group A, LDL-C, TC, FBG and HO- MO-IR in model group 13 were increased significant- ly （P〈0.05）, whereas the FINs and ISI increased obvi- ously （P〈0.05）. The levels of LDL-C and TC in group D was decreased obviously compared with those in group C, and HOMO-IR in group D was less than that in group B CP〈0.05）. CONCLUSION： Danqidihuang Granules helped to prevent and improved the insulin resistance of rats.

Teaching Syntactic Relations:A Cognitive Semiotic Perspective

This paper suggests a theoretical model for teaching syntactic relations to foreign students of English Linguistics using insights from Cognitive Grammar as developed in Langacker(e.g.1987,1991,1999) and elaborated on in Radden and Dirven(2007). The model deals with syntactic relations as participants in a prototypically structured network of events, radiating out from the experiential action chain schema(a skeletal concept of force dynamics involved in the interaction between entities)(see Langacker, 1999). This involves dealing with syntactic relations as meaning-making tools that collaborate with the verb in a regular manner manipulating the prototypical schema. The aim is to draw attention to the need to add a cognitive semiotic dimension to the teaching of sentence structure. Such a dimension exposes learners to the cognitive factors behind grammatical meaning making and may, therefore, result in a better understanding of language structure and use on the part of learners who can become English language teachers.

NEUROCOMPUTATION OF VISUAL RELATIVE MOTION INFORMATION

In this paper the neurocomputation of figure-ground relative motion information in thevisual system of the fly have been investigated in great detail by a combination of quanti-tative behavioural experiments and computational model simulations. Only torque responsesabout the vertical axis of the tethered flying flies (Musca domestica) were determined inthe behavioural experiment. The main results of behavioural experiments are: (i) The dynam-ics of the torque responses depends not only on the phase relationship between figure andbackground motion but also on the oscillation frequency of the figure and ground. (ii) Inall the phase relations tested, the time courses are a characteristic fingerprint of the partic-ular phase relationship. (iii) The variation of the amplitude of the response peaks is an espe-cially sensitive indicator for the variability of figure--ground discrimination behaviour. The main results of computer simulations are: (i) The 'computer fly', the networkmodel of both the SF-system and the LF--system with a two-dimensional array of elementarymovement detectors (EMDs) as the input layer have proved to be sufficient so far to ac-count for the main characteristics of the torque responses of the fly during stimulation withrelative motion under different conditions. (ii) The computer simulations fit the correspond-ing experimental data sufficiently well with respect to their characteristic features underdifferent stimulus conditions. (iii) The time course in computer simulation depends criticallyon the parameters n, q, T and k. The behavioural experimental results together with the computational model simulationscast a new light on an important problem: the strategies underlying the extraction of rela-tive motion information at the level of neural network.

Ultrasonic-assisted Biodegradation of Endocrine DisruptingCompounds in Soil by Pseudomonas putida： the Importance of Rhamnolipid for Intermediate Product Degradation

The present study aimed to completely remove estrogens, including oestrone（E1）, oestradiol（E2）, oes-triol（E3）, 17a-ethinylestradiol（EE2） and bisphenol-A（BPA）, from soil using Pseudomonas putida（P., putida）. A centralcomposite design was developed to determine the optimal conditions of three variables（ultrasonication time, quantityof P. putida, and concentration of added rhamnolipid） for the removal of the estrogens, and the biodegradation ratesof the estrogens were investigated under the optimum conditions. Moreover, a quantitative structure-biedegradationrelationship（QSBR） was used to analyze the effect of the estrogenic physicochemical properties on the enhancementof the biological degradation. The optimal conditions were an ultrasonication time of 3 min, a P. putida quantity of 8mL, and a rhamnolipid concentration of 100 mg/L. These conditions resulted in removal of 100%, 94.86%, 94.90%,96.56% and 94.56% of El, E2, EE2, BPA and E3, respectively after 7 d. The degradations were more rapid and com-plete than those reported in previous studies, indicating the suitability of the adaptation of P. putida to estrogen de-gradation under conditions of ultrasonic-assistance and adding rhamnolipid, improvement was particularly apparentfrom the complete degradation of E3. Based on a Pearson correlation analysis, the estrogen molecule polar surfacearea（PSA） and surface tension were significantly related to the biodegradation effect. An analysis of the QSBR modelwith the estrogen biodegradation rates as a dependent variable and the PSA and surface tension as independent va-riables indicated that larger PSA caused decreased estrogen biodegradation, while the biodegradation progress wasdominated by the surface tension of the estrogens. The interaction of PSA and surface tension had an antagonistic ef-fect on the biodegradation of estrogens. Therefore, rhamnolipid/ultrasonication can significantly improve the biode-gradation rates of oestrogens in soil, while simultaneously adjusting other environmental conditions would influenceand control the biodegradation processes of estrogens.

Decomposing class responsibilities using distance-based method similarity

Cohesion is a design quality that has a great im- pact on the posterior development and maintenance. As software evolves, the cohesion of the system becomes weaker due to the changes introduced during evolution. Over evolution, a single responsibility class may be unintentionally assigned other responsibilities, which makes the class less cohesive and more complex and consequently increases the complexity of the entire system. There has been much work on decomposing class responsibilities based on internal class relationships such as method-attribute referencing and internal method calls. However, object-oriented systems involve significant external class relationships carrying important behavioral semantics, which should be taken into account in identifying class responsibilities. In this paper, we present a novel approach for identifying and decomposing classes responsibilities based on method similarity using both internal and external class relationships. We extend the existing work for measuring similarity of internal class relationships and present a distance-based method for measuring external class relationships. We evaluate the approach using three open source applications -- JMeter, JHotDraw, and ArgoUML. The evaluation shows that the presented approach improves precision over the existing work. We validate the results using independent samples T-test and ANOVA applied to a set of hypotheses. The validation confirms that the results are statistically significant.

Generalization of Figure and Ground Theory

Figure and Ground theory,stemming from psychology ,is a theory based on the principle of prominence.The theory holds that the separation principle,which is not only a basic cognitive principle of spatial organization,but also a basic cognitive prin?ciple of the conceptual content of language organization.Later,it was introduced into the language research by cognitive linguists such as Tamly,who use it to explain some grammar and language phenomena which has great inspiration for our research .This paper starts with the basic idea of figure-ground theory,namely its linguistic meaning,and then summarizes its application in the field of linguis?tics,especially in syntactic analysis.