Psychosocial Aspects of Male Infertility at the Service of Urology-Andrology of the Hospital of the Sino-Guinean Friendship

Objective: Describe the psychosocial aspects of male infertility at the hospital of the Sino-Guinean Friendship. Patients and method: It is a prospective study of a descriptive type covering a period of 6 months. The study covered 17 patients, all received for a desire to conceive after at least one year of regular sexual intercourse without contraception. The data were collected from patient interviews using a pre-established questionnaire. Results: The average age of the patients was 32.07 years with extremes of 23 years and 42 years. During this study, 64.70% of patients were no longer participating in community ceremonies. The patients’ relationships with their spouse and family deteriorated in 52.94% and 47.06%, respectively. Conversely, relations with the family of origin remained unchanged in 70.59 percent of cases. The reduction in economic activity was by 13 patients (76.48%). Conclusion: Male infertility causes a real psychic earthquake in men with its corollaries of negative feelings. The rather complex moral repercussions of male infertility affect not only the individual, his/her partner, and family, but also economic activity.

A Cognitive Psychological Study on the Acquisition of Chinese Word’s Coloring Meaning--Chinese as a Second Language

Lexical meaning mainly includes rational meaning,grammatical meaning,and coloring meaning.Mastering the coloring meaning of vocabulary is of great significance for foreign students to use Chinese vocabulary correctly.This study mainly examines the psychological mechanism of Chinese second language learners mastering the coloring meaning of words,examines the psychological characteristics of students mastering the color meaning of words from the perspectives of second language learning theory and cognitive theory,establishes a cognitive schema for coloring meaning learning,and proposes corresponding learning models and teaching strategies.

El Niño and the AMO Sparked the Astonishingly Large Margin of Warming in the Global Mean Surface Temperature in 2023

In 2023,the majority of the Earth witnessed its warmest boreal summer and autumn since 1850.Whether 2023 will indeed turn out to be the warmest year on record and what caused the astonishingly large margin of warming has become one of the hottest topics in the scientific community and is closely connected to the future development of human society.We analyzed the monthly varying global mean surface temperature(GMST)in 2023 and found that the globe,the land,and the oceans in 2023 all exhibit extraordinary warming,which is distinct from any previous year in recorded history.Based on the GMST statistical ensemble prediction model developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics,the GMST in 2023 is predicted to be 1.41℃±0.07℃,which will certainly surpass that in 2016 as the warmest year since 1850,and is approaching the 1.5℃ global warming threshold.Compared to 2022,the GMST in 2023 will increase by 0.24℃,with 88%of the increment contributed by the annual variability as mostly affected by El Niño.Moreover,the multidecadal variability related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO)in 2023 also provided an important warming background for sparking the GMST rise.As a result,the GMST in 2023 is projected to be 1.15℃±0.07℃,with only a 0.02℃ increment,if the effects of natural variability—including El Niño and the AMO—are eliminated and only the global warming trend is considered.

Response of soil nutrients to terracing and environmental factors in the Loess Plateau of China

Terracing is a widely adopted agricultural practice in mountainous regions around the world that aims to conserve soil and water resources.Soil nutrients play a crucial role in determining soil quality,particularly in landscapes prone to drought.They are influenced by factors such as land-use type,slope aspect,and altitude.In this study,we sought to examine the impact of terracing on soil nutrients(soil organic content(SOC),total nitrogen(TN),nitrate-nitrogen(NO3–-N),ammonium nitrogen(NH4+-N),total phosphorus(TP),available phosphorus(AP),total potassium(TK),and available potassium(AK))and how they vary with environmental factors in the Chinese Loess Plateau.During the growing season,we collected 540 soil samples from the 0 to 100 cm soil layer across five major land-use types,different slope aspects,and varying altitudes.Additionally,a meta-analysis of literature data further corroborated the effective accumulation of soil nutrients through terracing in the Loess Plateau.Our findings are as follows:(1)Terraced fields,regardless of land-use type,showed a significant improvement in SOC and TN content.(2)Soil nutrient contents within terraced fields were predominantly higher on sunny slopes.(3)Terraces at lower altitudes are characterized by elevated SOC concentrations.(4)A meta-analysis of literature data pertaining to terracing and soil nutrients in this region confirmed the effective accumulation of soil nutri-ents through terracing.The elucidated outcomes of this study offer a profound theoretical underpinning for the accurate planning and management of terraces,the scientific utilization of land resources,and the enhancement of land productivity.

A Novel Fractional Dengue Transmission Model in the Presence of Wolbachia Using Stochastic Based Artificial Neural Network

The purpose of this research work is to investigate the numerical solutions of the fractional dengue transmission model(FDTM)in the presence of Wolbachia using the stochastic-based Levenberg-Marquardt neural network(LM-NN)technique.The fractional dengue transmission model(FDTM)consists of 12 compartments.The human population is divided into four compartments;susceptible humans(S_(h)),exposed humans(E_(h)),infectious humans(I_(h)),and recovered humans(R_(h)).Wolbachia-infected and Wolbachia-uninfected mosquito population is also divided into four compartments:aquatic(eggs,larvae,pupae),susceptible,exposed,and infectious.We investigated three different cases of vertical transmission probability(η),namely when Wolbachia-free mosquitoes persist only(η=0.6),when both types of mosquitoes persist(η=0.8),and when Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes persist only(η=1).The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Wolbachia in reducing dengue and presenting the numerical results by using the stochastic structure LM-NN approach with 10 hidden layers of neurons for three different cases of the fractional order derivatives(α=0.4,0.6,0.8).LM-NN approach includes a training,validation,and testing procedure to minimize the mean square error(MSE)values using the reference dataset(obtained by solving the model using the Adams-Bashforth-Moulton method(ABM).The distribution of data is 80% data for training,10% for validation,and,10% for testing purpose)results.A comprehensive investigation is accessible to observe the competence,precision,capacity,and efficiency of the suggested LM-NN approach by executing the MSE,state transitions findings,and regression analysis.The effectiveness of the LM-NN approach for solving the FDTM is demonstrated by the overlap of the findings with trustworthy measures,which achieves a precision of up to 10^(-4).

Study of the Magnetocaloric Effect in La0.5Sm0.2Sr0.3Mn1-xFexO3 (x = 0 and 0.05) Manganites with the Mean-Field Theory

In this paper, the magnetocaloric in La0.5Sm0.2Sr0.3Mn1-xFexO3 compounds with x = 0 (LSSMO) and x = 0.05 (LSSMFO) were simulated using mean field model theory. A strong consistency was observed between the theoretical and experimental curves of magnetizations and magnetic entropy changes, −ΔSM(T). Based on the mean-field generated −ΔSM(T), the substantial Temperature-averaged Entropy Change (TEC) values reinforce the appropriateness of these materials for use in magnetic refrigeration technology within TEC (10) values of 1 and 0.57 J∙kg−1∙K−1under 1 T applied magnetic field.

Assessing the Performance of a Dynamical Downscaling Simulation Driven by a Bias-Corrected CMIP6 Dataset for Asian Climate

In this study,we aim to assess dynamical downscaling simulations by utilizing a novel bias-corrected global climate model(GCM)data to drive a regional climate model(RCM)over the Asia-western North Pacific region.Three simulations were conducted with a 25-km grid spacing for the period 1980–2014.The first simulation(WRF_ERA5)was driven by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis 5(ERA5)dataset and served as the validation dataset.The original GCM dataset(MPI-ESM1-2-HR model)was used to drive the second simulation(WRF_GCM),while the third simulation(WRF_GCMbc)was driven by the bias-corrected GCM dataset.The bias-corrected GCM data has an ERA5-based mean and interannual variance and long-term trends derived from the ensemble mean of 18 CMIP6 models.Results demonstrate that the WRF_GCMbc significantly reduced the root-mean-square errors(RMSEs)of the climatological mean of downscaled variables,including temperature,precipitation,snow,wind,relative humidity,and planetary boundary layer height by 50%–90%compared to the WRF_GCM.Similarly,the RMSEs of interannual-tointerdecadal variances of downscaled variables were reduced by 30%–60%.Furthermore,the WRF_GCMbc better captured the annual cycle of the monsoon circulation and intraseasonal and day-to-day variabilities.The leading empirical orthogonal function(EOF)shows a monopole precipitation mode in the WRF_GCM.In contrast,the WRF_GCMbc successfully reproduced the observed tri-pole mode of summer precipitation over eastern China.This improvement could be attributed to a better-simulated location of the western North Pacific subtropical high in the WRF_GCMbc after GCM bias correction.

Analytical and NumericalMethods to Study the MFPT and SR of a Stochastic Tumor-Immune Model

The Mean First-Passage Time (MFPT) and Stochastic Resonance (SR) of a stochastic tumor-immune model withnoise perturbation are discussed in this paper. Firstly, considering environmental perturbation, Gaussian whitenoise and Gaussian colored noise are introduced into a tumor growth model under immune surveillance. Asfollows, the long-time evolution of the tumor characterized by the Stationary Probability Density (SPD) and MFPTis obtained in theory on the basis of the Approximated Fokker-Planck Equation (AFPE). Herein the recurrenceof the tumor from the extinction state to the tumor-present state is more concerned in this paper. A moreefficient algorithmof Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) is utilized in order to testify the correction of thetheoretical SPDandMFPT.With the existence of aweak signal, the functional relationship between Signal-to-NoiseRatio (SNR), noise intensities and correlation time is also studied. Numerical results show that both multiplicativeGaussian colored noise and additive Gaussian white noise can promote the extinction of the tumors, and themultiplicative Gaussian colored noise can lead to the resonance-like peak on MFPT curves, while the increasingintensity of the additiveGaussian white noise results in theminimum of MFPT. In addition, the correlation timesare negatively correlated with MFPT. As for the SNR, we find the intensities of both the Gaussian white noise andthe Gaussian colored noise, as well as their correlation intensity can induce SR. Especially, SNR is monotonouslyincreased in the case ofGaussian white noisewith the change of the correlation time.At last, the optimal parametersin BPNN structure are analyzed for MFPT from three aspects: the penalty factors, the number of neural networklayers and the number of nodes in each layer.

On the Equality of Weighted BajratarevićMeans to Quasi-Arithmetic Means

In this paper, we considered the equality problem of weighted Bajraktarević means with weighted quasi-arithmetic means. Using the method of substituting for functions, we first transform the equality problem into solving an equivalent functional equation. We obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions for the equality equation.

Target acquisition performance in the presence of JPEG image compression

This paper presents an investigation on the effect of JPEG compression on the similarity between the target image and the background,where the similarity is further used to determine the degree of clutter in the image.Four new clutter metrics based on image quality assessment are introduced,among which the Haar wavelet-based perceptual similarity index,known as HaarPSI,provides the best target acquisition prediction results.It is shown that the similarity between the target and the background at the boundary between visually lossless and visually lossy compression does not change significantly compared to the case when an uncompressed image is used.In future work,through subjective tests,it is necessary to check whether this presence of compression at the threshold of just noticeable differences will affect the human target acquisition performance.Similarity values are compared with the results of subjective tests of the well-known target Search_2 database,where the degree of agreement between objective and subjective scores,measured through linear correlation,reached a value of 90%.

Digital Literacy in the Rural Environment of Rivers State, Nigeria

While literacy can generally be defined as the basic ability to read,write,and also count,digital literacy can be described as the ability to perform all these tasks using electronic means.These means would include modern electronic gadgets,such as mobile phones,tablets,computers,kindle books,and the like.To be digitally literate would therefore require the existence of modern technologies such as internet facilities that would make it possible to access online reading and writing.The rural environment,particularly in developing areas,is usually characterised by a seeming lack of modern amenities and even worse,digital internet networks.Yet,those who live in the rural areas of Rivers State belong to the modern digital era and deserve to be digitally literate.This paper examines the prerequisites for digital literacy and explores how these can be achieved for citizens who inhabit the rural areas of an industrially-nascent state like Rivers State.

A Study of EM Algorithm as an Imputation Method: A Model-Based Simulation Study with Application to a Synthetic Compositional Data

Compositional data, such as relative information, is a crucial aspect of machine learning and other related fields. It is typically recorded as closed data or sums to a constant, like 100%. The statistical linear model is the most used technique for identifying hidden relationships between underlying random variables of interest. However, data quality is a significant challenge in machine learning, especially when missing data is present. The linear regression model is a commonly used statistical modeling technique used in various applications to find relationships between variables of interest. When estimating linear regression parameters which are useful for things like future prediction and partial effects analysis of independent variables, maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) is the method of choice. However, many datasets contain missing observations, which can lead to costly and time-consuming data recovery. To address this issue, the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm has been suggested as a solution for situations including missing data. The EM algorithm repeatedly finds the best estimates of parameters in statistical models that depend on variables or data that have not been observed. This is called maximum likelihood or maximum a posteriori (MAP). Using the present estimate as input, the expectation (E) step constructs a log-likelihood function. Finding the parameters that maximize the anticipated log-likelihood, as determined in the E step, is the job of the maximization (M) phase. This study looked at how well the EM algorithm worked on a made-up compositional dataset with missing observations. It used both the robust least square version and ordinary least square regression techniques. The efficacy of the EM algorithm was compared with two alternative imputation techniques, k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) and mean imputation (), in terms of Aitchison distances and covariance.

Predominant types of regional cold waves in North China and their historical changes

寒潮事件对东亚地区的社会经济,生态系统和人体健康影响巨大.根据1980-2019年间10月至次年3月的每日寒潮记录和K-means聚类,本文识别出了中国两种不同类型的区域性寒潮(T1和T2). T1区域性寒潮主要影响东北地区,T2区域性寒潮则主要影响华北和东部地区.与T1区域性寒潮相比, T2区域性寒潮强度更强,持续时间更长,影响范围更广. 1980–2019年期间, T1区域性寒潮的频率显著增加,而T2区域性寒潮的频率则没有趋势变化. T1和T2区域性寒潮事件均与西伯利亚高压增强有关,然而与它们相关的对流层中层波列明显不同.在T1区域性寒潮事件发生期间,西伯利亚-蒙古上空出现负-正模态的500-hPa位势高度异常波列,削弱了东亚大槽,导致西伯利亚冷空气东移.T1区域寒潮频次增加趋势可能与全球变暖引起的500-hPa位势高度的线性趋势变化有关.与T2区域寒潮事件相关的波列则在乌拉尔山脉,蒙古和华北地区形成了脊-槽-脊环流异常,导致冷空气向东南方向入侵.本文得出结论,由于两类区域寒潮影响不同,西伯利亚高压增强和对流层中层波列模态在我国区域性寒潮事件的预报中应综合考虑.

Photographs and Cartoons: Differences in Interpretation of the Visual Semiotics

This study looks at the interaction between the process of intersemiosis and resemiosis in multimodality. The importance of both phases is widely acknowledged as part of the meaning making process but many practical studies focus on the first rather than the second. In particular this study looks at two groups of images about gender relations in Saudi Arabia following the post-2017 reforms of the male guardianship laws. One group are mostly made up of photographs and the second group of cartoons and posters. One important finding is that the latter tend to be less ambiguous in their semiotic structure than the former. In particular, there are instances in the first group where a standard study of intersemiosis indicates low modality but the image may be seen as inherently plausible by many observers. This suggests that while resemiosis can be applied to a single image it may be more appropriate as a tool when applied to an overall news article or set of images. In the same way that not all individual semiotic modes are complementary in how they build meaning, then it is possible for different images to be supportive, contradictory or unclear when studied in isolation.

Influence of quarantine during the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic on physical and psychosocial aspects:perceptions of 214 Brazilian athletes

Background:Social distancing may affect athletes,training,causing negative effects on mental and physical health.Objective:This study therefore aimed to characterize the perception of Brazilian athletes about their physical and psychosocial aspects,sleep quality and coping strategies during the quarantine of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study with online survey,performed with Brazilian athletes(amateur and professional)over 18 years.The main outcomes measures assessed were physical and psychosocial aspects,sleep quality and coping strategies.Results:A total of 214 athletes were included.The average weekly hours of training during the quarantine was 4.71±3.71 h,of which 64.5%athletes(138/214)were oriented by medical staff during training.For 52.8%(113/214)of athletes,training intensity during the quarantine was different/very different from the intensity before the quarantine.79.4%athletes(170/214)reported moderate to extreme difficulties in keeping the same level of training during the quarantine.77.1%athletes(165/214)had moderate to extreme anxiety and each of the athletes had concern about his or her athletic career future,including return to the sport.72.9%athletes(156/214)reported change in sleep schedule during the quarantine period.Conclusion:The quarantine period during COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the athlete^perception about training routine,since athletes reported reduction in training hours and training intensity.Overall,the athletes reported that they were moderately to extremely anxious.They also had concerns about their career in the future,as well as concerns regarding return to sport.

Analysis of the Symbolic Meaning of James Joyce’s Araby

Araby is a short story by the famous Irish stream-of-consciousness writer James Joyce.Through a series of images,the novel expresses the theme of the story:the“mental paralysis”of Dubliners and the“spiritual Epiphany”of the little boy,which reflects the spiritual barren of Dubliners at that time.Through the analysis of the symbolic meaning of many images in the work,this paper reveals the social background and religious significance hidden behind the images.

The Comparative Study of Chuangtse’s English Translations Under the Theory of Spirit Transmission and Meaning Conveyance

Cultural-loaded word is one of the most popular topics in translation studies.The theory of spirit transmission and meaning conveyance provides a new way for the translation of cultural-loaded word.Based on the A Happy Excursion,this paper makes a comparative analysis of the translation strategies of seven English versions.This study will reveal the similarities and differences between Chinese and foreign translators’translation strategies.

An Exploratory Study of the Interpersonal Meanings of President Xi’s New Year Speech Based on Appraisal Theory

The research examines President Xi’s 2021 New Year speech with research questions centering around its abundant interpersonal meanings.Through qualitative content analysis,the research finds that it is typical for Chinese president to frequently use judgment and appreciation resources in reviewing the past year.Even in the face of the pandemic and natural disasters,the overall emotions of the speech remain positive,which corresponds to the forward-looking feature of New Year speech.Significance of the study abounds and future research can investigate how COVID-19 impacts the ideologies conveyed through political leaders’speeches through a comparative lens and how to produce more understandings that can help dismantle stereotypes and discrimination hidden in reports about COVID-19 by using Appraisal Theory critically,systematically,and comprehensively.

Sustainability as an Ethical Aspect of the Theory-Practice Gap in Business Schools

This paper aims to reframe sustainability as an ethical aspect of the theory-practice gap in business and management education for sustainable development,which should be viewed as an integral part of knowledge produced and disseminated in business schools.The paper adopts a narrative approach to review the relevant literature on two streams of research,namely,the theory-practice gap and sustainability in reforming business schools.The synthesis and discussion of the existing literature suggest that while sustainability is frequently viewed with an ethical sentiment,the existing research overlooks its significance in bringing together knowledge and practice in business schools.This paper highlights the potential of sustainability as a theoretical lens in bridging the theory-practice gap in business schools;proposing to rethink the conceptual space that lies in ethics for further theoretical developments.The author urges business and management scholars to engage in burgeoning debates on business school reforms relating to the theory-practice gap and sustainability with an emphasis on ethics.The author contends that the neglected theoretical linkages between the theory-practice gap and sustainability provide fruitful directions for future research.Through a moral lens,business schools can move toward responsible management education for a more sustainable future.

Elliptical vibration chiseling:a novel process for texturing ultra-high-aspect-ratio microstructures on the metallic surface

High-aspect-ratio metallic surface microstructures are increasingly demanded in breakthrough applications,such as high-performance heat transfer enhancement and surface plasmon devices.However,the fast and cost-effective fabrication of high-aspect-ratio microstructures on metallic surfaces remains challenging for existing techniques.This study proposes a novel cutting-based process,namely elliptical vibration chiseling(EV-chiseling),for the high-efficiency texturing of surface microstructures with an ultrahigh aspect ratio.Unlike conventional cutting,EV-chiseling superimposes a microscale EV on a backward-moving tool.The tool chisels into the material in each vibration cycle to generate an upright chip with a high aspect ratio through material deformation.Thanks to the tool’s backward movement,the chip is left on the material surface to form a microstructure rather than falling off.Since one microstructure is generated in one vibration cycle,the process can be highly efficient using ultrafast(>1 kHz)tool vibration.A finite element analysis model is established to explore the process mechanics of EV-chiseling.Next,a mechanistic model of the microstructured surface generation is developed to describe the microstructures’aspect ratio dependency on the process parameters.Then,surface texturing tests are performed on copper to verify the efficacy of EV-chiseling.Uniformed micro ribs with a spacing of 1–10μm and an aspect ratio of 2–5 have been successfully textured on copper.Compared with the conventional EV-cutting that uses a forward-moving tool,EV-chiseling can improve the aspect ratio of textured microstructure by up to 40 times.The experimental results also verify the accuracy of the developed surface generation model of microstructures.Finally,the effects of elliptical trajectory,depth of cut,tool shape,and tool edge radius on the surface generation of micro ribs have been discussed.