Assessment of Climate Variability and Agricultural Activities in the Area of Tadla Plain

The variations in both precipitation and temperature have far-reaching effects on agricultural activities and the accessibility of water resources. These climatic parameters are pivotal in determining the availability of both groundwater and surface water for agricultural use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variations in climate parameters, focusing on precipitation and temperature, alongside changes in cultivated land area and crop yields in the Tadla area (Béni Mellal Khénifra region, Morocco);additionally, our research looks at the changes in water inflow into two dams and four aquifers. Trends were assessed over the period of 2010-2020 using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) method, as well as the parametric regression method and nonparametric Mann-Kendall and Sen’s slope test. This analysis can be a preliminary step in demonstrating the effects of climate variability on water resource availability and its adverse impacts on agriculture in the region. The results showed a decreasing trend for some yield crops despite the increase in the cultivated area. The results of the groundwater levels and inflow dams showed a significant upward evolution. The analysis of the obtained SPI values and temperatures has revealed a notable and consistent upward trendencies. This upward trajectory indicates that both the SPI values, which reflect precipitation patterns and the temperatures, have been on the rise over the examined period. These results prompt reflection on the effects of climate variability on water resources in the region and economic activities, particularly agriculture.

A method for improving the accuracy of automatic indexing of Chinese-English mixed documents

Purpose: The thrust of this paper is to present a method for improving the accuracy of automatic indexing of Chinese-English mixed documents.Design/methodology/approach: Based on the inherent characteristics of Chinese-English mixed texts and the cybernetics theory,we proposed an integrated control method for indexing documents. It consists of 'feed-forward control','in-progress control' and 'feed-back control',aiming at improving the accuracy of automatic indexing of Chinese-English mixed documents. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of our proposed method.Findings: This method distinguishes Chinese and English documents in grammatical structures and word formation rules. Through the implementation of this method in the three phases of automatic indexing for the Chinese-English mixed documents,the results were encouraging. The precision increased from 88.54% to 97.10% and recall improved from97.37% to 99.47%.Research limitations: The indexing method is relatively complicated and the whole indexing process requires substantial human intervention. Due to pattern matching based on a bruteforce(BF) approach,the indexing efficiency has been reduced to some extent.Practical implications: The research is of both theoretical significance and practical value in improving the accuracy of automatic indexing of multilingual documents(not confined to Chinese-English mixed documents). The proposed method will benefit not only the indexing of life science documents but also the indexing of documents in other subject areas.Originality/value: So far,few studies have been published about the method for increasing the accuracy of multilingual automatic indexing. This study will provide insights into the automatic indexing of multilingual documents,especially Chinese-English mixed documents.

An Exploration of the Current Business English Teaching at the Post-graduate Level in China

In China,the past two decades has witnessed the flourishing of Business English (BE) as a course or even a separated discipline in colleges and universities.Researches on BE and BE Teaching have also flourished in an attempt to formulate a coherent theoretical framework and to improve the present BE Teaching system.However,most of such researches focus on BE Teaching at the college level.The present thesis is to explore the present BE Teaching situation at the post-graduate level in several universities in China and point out some practical problems existing in the current BE Teaching at the post-graduate level with a purpose that the academic world could attach more attention to BE Teaching at the post-graduate level in China.

A Study on the Different Levels of“Attention”in the Processing of English Subjunctive Mood by Chinese Learners

“Attention”is a very vital cognitive mechanism.Cognitive psychology considers“attention”as the focus of mental activity and consciousness on an object.People engage their senses and memory to actively process the object in front of them.Theories of second language acquisition suggest that a large amount of input is the basis for language acquisition.At the same time,what is actively noticed by the learner can be effectively internalized.Thus,“attention”is also a non-linguistic factor that plays a significant role in language acquisition.The subjunctive mood is a major challenge in the teaching of English grammar.Generally speaking,the verbs in a sentence are used to distinguish between subjunctive and declarative sentences.In this paper,experimental utterances were written based on previous research by using verbs that are easy to cause ambiguity and confusion,and then set up the reinforced and non-reinforced attention conditions with different levels of“attention”to investigate whether there are different results and effects on subjects’comprehension of sentences under different levels of“attention”conditions.Under the different levels of“attention”,the subjects were examined to see whether there were different results in comprehension of the sentences and the impact of the different levels of“attention”.It was found that subjects in the reinforced“attention”condition comprehended sentences better,answered questions faster,and answered questions more correctly than subjects in the non-reinforced condition.This study also shed some light on English second language grammar teaching.

Low level of hepatitis B viremia is associated with increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in compensated cirrhotic patients

BACKGROUND Whether patients with compensated cirrhosis and low-level viremia(LLV)of hepatitis B should receive antiviral therapy(AVT)is still controversial,and published results are inconsistent.AIM To investigate the link between LLV in compensated cirrhosis and prognosis concerning hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),decompensation,and liver-related events.METHODS The PubMed,EMBASE,and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to March 5,2023.Outcomes of interest were assessed by pooled hazard ratios(HRs).The study was registered with PROSPERO(CRD42023405345).RESULTS Six cohort studies representing 3155 patients were included.Compared with patients with undetectable HBV DNA,patients with LLV was associated with increased risk of HCC(HR:2.06,95%CI:1.36-3.13;Q-statistic-P=0.07,I^(2)=51%)regardless of receiving AVT or not(AVT group:HR:3.14;95%CI:1.73-5.69;Qstatistic-P=0.60,I2=0%;un-AVT group:HR:1.73,95%CI:1.09-2.76;Q-statistic-P=0.11,I2=50%).The pooled results showed no statistical association between LLV and decompensation of cirrhosis(HR:2.06,95%CI:0.89-4.76;Q-statistic-P=0.04,I2=69%),and liver-related events(HR:1.84,95%CI:0.92-3.67;Q-statistic-P=0.03,I2=72%),respectively.Grading of Recommendations Assessment,Development and Evaluation assessment indicated moderate certainty for HCC,very low certainty for decompensation of cirrhosis and liver-related clinical events.CONCLUSION LLV in compensated cirrhotic patients is associated with increased risk of HCC,higher tendency for hepatic decompensation and liver-related events.Closer screening of HCC should be conducted in this population.

Clinical significance of hepatitis B e antigen level measurement during long-term lamivudine therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients with e antigen positive

AIM： To determine the changes of quantitative hepatitis B e antigen （HBeAg） that predicts early detection of non-response or breakthrough to long-term lamivudine （LAM） therapy. METHODS： Among HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B patients who failed to achieve HBeAg seroconversion within 12 too, we retrospectively analyzed 220 patients who had received LAM more than 24 too. RESULTS： The mean duration of LAM therapy was 36 （range, 24-72） mo. HBeAg seroconversion after the first 12 mo of LAM therapy was achieved in 53 （24.1%） patients. Viral breakthrough was observed in 105 （47.7%） patients. To find out whether the changing patterns of HBeAg levels can predict the outcome of LAM therapy, we analyzed the reduction rates of HBeAg levels during LAM therapy. Using the decrease more than 90% of pretreatment HBeAg levels, the sensitivity and specificity of response were 96.2% and 70.1%, respectively. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the reduction patterns of the decrease of quantitative HBeAg： decrescendo, decrescendo-crescendo, no change or fluctuating groups. The optimal time to predict non-response or breakthrough was the first 9 mo of therapy. At 9 mo of therapy, 49 （92.5%） of 53 patients who had achieved HBeAg seroconversion were included in the decrescendo group. On the contrary, in the no change or fluctuating group, only four （7.5%） had achieved HBeAg seroconversion. Among patients who did not show the continuous decrease of HBeAg levels at 9 too, 95.2% （negative predictive value） failed to achieve HBeAg seroconversion. CONCLUSION： Almost all patients who failed to show a continuous decrease of HBeAg levels at 9 mo of LAM therapy were non-response or breakthrough. Therefore, monitoring changes of HBeAg levels during LAM therapy in HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B may be valuable for identifying patients who are at high risk of non-response or breakthrough.

Some Reflections on the Titles of English Majors＇ B.A. Theses

English majors＇ B.A. （Bachelor of Arts） thesis writing is an important part and test of the students＇ four-year undergraduate education. It lays solid foundation for their future study and work. Yet serious problems exist during the process. The author of the paper collects and analyzes the 289 titles of English majors＇ B.A. writing in the recent two years in Changchun University, China. The results of the analysis reveal that almost 40% of the titles are on literature every year and among them there are some similar titles. In view of this situation, the author first explores the reasons that caused those problems. One of the important reasons is that the increasing of the supervisors and reference materials cannot keep the pace of the expanding of students＇ numbers. The author, after that, makes some reflections on those problems, then proposes five practical supervising strategies, and makes some relevant suggestions for English major＇s thesis writing. Meanwhile some other related problems in thesis writing in China are also discussed.

A Study on English Pronunciation Problems at Segmental Level of College Students from China's Mainland

English pronunciation at segmental level plays a very significant role in learning and teaching of English pronunciation.This paper aims to investigate into the most salient pronunciation problems at segmental level by college students from China's Mainland(Mandarin L1 speakers)through a close study,and it is found that the problems identified in the segmental aspects of English pronunciation are corresponded with the phonological features of the pronunciation of Chinese English.Moreover,in order to help college students improve their pronunciation and achieve the pronunciation of Standard English,this study provide some pedagogical implications and suggestions about teaching strategies aimed at the most salient problems discovered in the research findings.

Effective Face-to-faceTutorials of Online English Learning Lie in Interaction of Affective Domain and Higher Levels of Cognitive Domain of Bloom＇s Taxonomy

Online English learning as an outcome of the rapid development of the Internet has got a wider and wider market in China. However, problems of varieties have also occurred along its way. People never stop thinking of better strategies either in designing online course wares or tutorials to help smooth the learning process. My experience as a tutor is that interaction of affective domain and higher levels of cognitive domain of Bloom＇s Taxonomy plays an important role in face-to-face tutorials of online English learning.

On Design Principles of Micro-lectures of theme-based English Vocabulary for High-grade Primary School Students——A Case Study of a Class of Fifth-grade students in ECNU Affiliated Primary School

For English education primary school,English vocabulary teaching should be attach importance to because in the traditional class of English vocabulary teaching,teachers just fill young minds with knowledge points of each word in a 35-minute class yet fail to lay emphasis of learners’meaningful learning and autonomic learning as well as their very limited attention spans.To support traditional English vocabulary teaching classes,the research proposes the theme-based English vocabulary micro-lectures designed on the basis of experiential learning theory and constructivist learning theory as well as the analyses of target users of high-level students in the primary school.After application of the micro-lectures into practice,the research assesses the effect of the micro-lectures on the learners and then makes suggestions for design principles of theme-based vocabulary micro-lectures about selection of contents and vocabulary themes,supplementary teaching activities and teacher interaction in the micro-lectures for high-level students in the primary school.Also,the designers should make multi-level English vocabulary micro-lectures according to learners’English proficiency and increase repetition rates of vocabularies in the micro-lectures.

An Investigation into the Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Chinese EFL Learners of High,Average,and Low Proficiency Levels

The current research aims to find out the different beliefs held and different vocabulary strategies employed by nonEnglish majors of different proficiency levels. The data were collected through questionnaire and vocabulary tests. Results revealed that the learners at three levels all adopted wide-ranged strategies. But the high level students had greater vocabulary size and were more believed that words should be learnt through use, and they used more extended dictionary strategies, contextual guessing and note-taking strategies. It is encouraging that teachers should integrate explicit strategy instruction into classroom to help low level students achieve better learning results.

Exploration and Practice of the B-SLIM Model in Guangxi

After China's entry into the WTO,the interchange and communication between China and the international community has increased,which exerts great influence on pushing forward the modernization and construction of the various industries in China and requires a large number of people with good command of English.Under these circumstances,English education becomes extremely important.Guangxi,an old revolutionary base area inhabited by minority ethnic groups,is falling behind with its economy,culture and education in comparison with eastern regions of China.A number of English teachers,especially those in middle schools of the rural areas,are provided with little education and few opportunities for advanced study;most of them lack the new teaching ideas,models or methods which could replace the traditional teaching model that centers on the teacher and textbook.As a result,students can't give full play to their subjective initiative with low communication and application capability in English.To confer impetus to English language teaching reform,researchers and scholars have made great efforts in experimenting various teaching models with the hope to find a language teaching model which can meet the demands of the new era and B-SLIM model put forward by Dr.Olenka Bilash is such a model.

Review on article of effects of tenofovir alafenamide and entecavir in chronic hepatitis B virus patients

This letter comments on the article which reported that tenofovir alafenamide may increase blood lipid levels compared with entecavir in patients with chronic hepatitis B published on World J Hepatol 2023 August 27.We review the related research content,topic selection,methodology,conclusions,strengths and weaknesses of this article.And evaluate it in relation to other published relevant articles.

Vague Language of Journalistic English in Syntactic Level

Vagueness is a natural character of language. Vagueness of journalistic English exists in lexical level and syntactic level as well. Lexical vagueness in journalistic English is usually resulted from the indefinite meaning of words, while in syntactic level, it may be resulted from the combined use of vague words or the employment of some sentence patterns. This thesis aims to help readers to understand journalistic English from the perspective of vague language.

Individualized management of pregnant women with high hepatitis B virus DNA levels

Hepatitis B is a major health concern in the Asia-Pacific region, and is endemic in China, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may cause hepatic cirrhosis and liver cancer. It is estimated that there are more than 350 million chronic HBV carriers worldwide, of whom approximately one quarter will die of chronic hepatitis B-related liver diseases. HBV is transmitted horizontally through blood and blood products or by sexual transmission, and vertically from mother to infant. Perinatal infection is the predominant mode of transmission in countries with a high prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriage, and perinatal transmission leads to high rates of chronic infection. Therefore, it is important to prevent the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HBV. Research has shown that pregnant women with high HBV DNA levels have an increased risk of MTCT. However, most of the obstetrics guidelines do not make a distinction between pregnant women with high HBV DNA levels and those who are HBsAg positive only. This review addresses the management of pregnant women with high levels of HBV viremia, in terms of antiviral therapy, use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG), the combined application of hepatitis B vaccine and HBIG, choice of delivery mode and feeding practices. (C) 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of telbivudine in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with high baseline ALT levels

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of telbivudine(LDT) in hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients who have high baseline alanine aminotransferase(ALT) levels between 10 and 20 times the upper limit of normal.METHODS:Forty HBeAg-positive CHB patients with high baseline ALT levels between 10 and 20 times the upper limit of normal were enrolled and received LDT monotherapy for 52 wk.Another forty patients with baseline ALT levels between 2 and 10 times the upper limit of normal were included as controls.We compared the virological,biochemical,serological and side effect profiles between the two groups at 52 wk.RESULTS:By week 52,the mean decrease in hepatitis B virus(HBV) DNA level compared with baseline was 7.03 log10 copies/mL in the high baseline ALT group and 6.17 log10 copies/mL in the control group,respectively(P < 0.05).The proportion of patients in whom serum HBV DNA levels were undetectable by polymerase chain reaction assay was 72.5% in the high baseline ALT group and 60% in the control group,respectively(P < 0.05).In addition,45.0% of patients in the high baseline ALT group and 27.5% of controls became HBeAg-negative,and 37.5% of those in the high baseline group and 22.5% of controls,respectively,had HBeAg seroconversion(P < 0.05) at week 52.Moreover,in the high baseline group,4 out of 40 patients(10%) became hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg)-negative and 3(7.5%) of them seroconverted(became HBsAg-positive).Only 1 patient in the control group became HBsAg-negative,but had no seroconversion.The ALT normalization rate,viral breakthrough,genotypic resistance to LDT,and elevations in creatine kinase levels were similar in the two groups over the 52 wk.CONCLUSION:High baseline ALT level is a strong predictor for optimal results during LDT treatment.

Reaearch on Skempton’s coefficient B based on the observation of groundwater of Changping station

Based on isotropie linear poroelastic theory and under the undrained condition, we summarize three equations connecting the Skempton＇s coefficient B with the groundwater level. After analysis, we propose a method to calculate the Skempton＇s coefficient B according to the relationship between water level and tidal strain. With this method we can get the value of B without the earthquake occurrence, which can provide the high frequency waves for research. Besides, we can also get the in-suit Skempton＇s coefficient B without the experiment of rock physics. In addition, we analyze the observed data of Changping station recorded in groundwater monitoring network （abv., GMN） before and after the Wenchuan Ms8.0 with this method, and find out there＇s a slight change of the value of B after the seismic waves passed by, which implies that the propagation of seismic waves may have brought some variations to the poroelastic medium of the well.

Experimental study of the interspecific competition between two sibling marine herbivorous rotifers in relation to food availability and initial population density

Our laboratory study concerns the competitive interaction between two marine rotifer species Bra- chionus plicatilis and Brachionus rotundiformis at five algal （ Nannochloropsis salina） concentrations （0.4＊106 to 32.4x106 cells/ml） and at four initial inoculation densities （numerically, 100% B. pli- catilis; 75% B. plicatilis and 25% B. rotundiforrnis, 50% each of the two species; 25% B. plicatilis and 75% B. rotundiformis and 100% B. rotundiforrnis. The initial biomass varied as 0.33 and 0.22 #g/ml for B. plicatilis and B. rotundiformis respectively. Experiments were performed at （25±1）C. Population densities were enumerated and the medium was changed daily up to 8 d in the ex- periment. At the lowest food level tested, B. rotundiformis formed superior competitor than B. plicatilis, regardless of starting inoculation density. Generally when the food concentrations in- creased, B. plicatilis showed a greater increase in biomass than B. rotundiforrnis. B. rotundiformis formed the largest in population growth, regardless of increasing food concentrations. When grown alone, B. plicatilis reached peak abundances of （1.311 5±0.028） and （137.5±0.014） μg/ml at low and high food densities respectively. The corresponding values of B. rotundiformis were 0.724 5±0.016 and 18.15±0.021. The adverse effects of B. rotundiforrnis on the peak abundances of B. plicatilis were observed at the lowest food level and higher initial density. The rate of population growth in controls varied from （0.792±0.162） to （1.482±0.132） ttm/d for B. plicatilis and （0.445~0.041） to （0.856±0.012） μm/d for B. rotundiformis, depending on food level. When both species were intro- duced together, low food levels favoured higher abundance of B. rotundiforrnis than B. plicatilis, suggesting that increased population density of the smaller B. rotundiforrnis was more successfull than larger B. plicatilis in brackish waters. Our work reveals that available food （type and quan- tity） along with starting inoculation density had significant effect on the interspecific competition between marine sibling rotifer species in zooplankton community structure.

Factors Associated with Antibody Levels among Children Aged 15 to 59 Months Vaccinated against Hepatitis B during the Expanded Program on Immunization in Cameroon

Background: the hepatitis B virus infection remains a major public health problem worldwide. It can lead to a liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the implementation of generalised vaccination programs against hepatitis B. In Cameroon, this vaccine was introduced in the expanded program on immunization (EPI) in 2005, but few studies have assessed the immune response. Objective: the general objective of this study was to identify factors associated with antibody levels among children aged from 15 to 59 months vaccinated against hepatitis B during the EPI in Cameroon. Method: this was a cross-sectional study carried out from December 2021 to June 2022 in a paediatric centre of Yaoundé (Cameroon). We analysed the antibody level in children vaccinated against hepatitis B within the framework of the EPI. We enrolled children who had received a series of 3 intramuscular doses of hepatitis B vaccine at 6, 10 and 14 weeks after birth. Some children could receive a 4th booster dose between 12 months. The antibody level was assessed by measuring the anti-HBs in such children, aged 15 - 59 months. A good immunization was defined as a serum level of anti-HBs antibody level above 100 IU/mL;a poor immunization, for an anti-HBs antibody level between 10 and 100 IU/mL;and a non-immunization, for an anti-HBs antibody level < 10 IU/mL. Association between explored factors and poor or non-immunization was evaluated through the Chi square test. The significance threshold was defined at p < 0.05. Results: sixty subjects were included in the study with a slight female majority: 31 cases (52%). The average age was 38.5 ± 15.7 months (range 15 - 59 months). We found 32 (53%) cases of good immunization;21 (35%) of poor immunization;and 7 children (12%) with a non-immunization. The only factor associated with poor or non-immunization was the age between 37 - 59 months (p = 0.016). Conclusion: Anti HBs Antibody levels in children vaccinated against hepatitis B virus were globally satisfactory in our series. Results show an association between low antibody levels with older age (over 36 months), suggesting a circulating antibodies levels decrease over time, yet deemed protecting until 59 months.

Incidence, Types and Levels of Aflatoxin in Different Peanuts Varieties Produced in Busia and Kisii Central Districts, Kenya

Busia and Kisii Central districts are areas in western Kenya that have repeatedly reported high levels of stunting growth in children and an increase in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC);an aspect often positively associated with chronic exposure to aflatoxins especially through consumption of foods such as peanuts. The objectives of the study were to determine the incidence, types and levels of aflatoxin in different varieties of peanuts produced in Busia and Kisii Central districts. One hundred and two (102) peanuts samples were collected from farmers’ in each district. Aflatoxin types and levels of aflatoxins were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. All the peanuts samples from Kisii Central and 97.06% samples from Busia were contaminated with aflatoxins. However, aflatoxin was not detected in 2.94% of samples from Busia district. The levels of total aflatoxin ranges were 0.1 to 268 μg/kg and 1.63 to 591.1 μg/kg in peanuts from Busia and Kisii Central respectively. Majority of peanuts samples had levels within Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and European Union (EU) regulatory limits for total aflatoxins. Improved variety (Valencia red) had significantly lower aflatoxin contamination compared to local varieties (Uganda local red, Homabay local and Local red). Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 were found in peanuts;B1 was the most predominant in both districts (t = 12.4, df = 3, P = 0.034). The levels of aflatoxins especially in peanuts from Kisii Central district were high (591.1 μg/kg) where 44.6% of samples analyzed were unfit for even animal feed (USFDA regulatory limit). An assessment on the levels of aflatoxins should be done by the relevant stakeholders in other key foods in the areas for example maize. The most lethal aflatoxin type B1 was found to be the most predominant peanuts from both districts of study. This calls for frequent aflatoxin screening of peanuts from the districts particularly aflatoxin type B.