For reinforced concrete structures located along the seaside, the penetration of chloride ions into concrete may be a threat to the durability of the structures. Experimental investigations were carried out to study t...For reinforced concrete structures located along the seaside, the penetration of chloride ions into concrete may be a threat to the durability of the structures. Experimental investigations were carried out to study the effect of chloride content on the bond behavior between concrete and fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) plates. Direct shear tests were conducted on the FRP strengthened concrete members. Before testing, the specimens were immersed in NaCl solutions with concentrations ranging from 3%—15% for di...展开更多
AIM:To investigate the utility of immunohistochemical(IHC) staining with an antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tuberculosis) for the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis(TB).METHODS:We retrospectively identified...AIM:To investigate the utility of immunohistochemical(IHC) staining with an antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tuberculosis) for the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis(TB).METHODS:We retrospectively identified 10 patients(4 males and 6 females;mean age = 65.1 ± 13.6 years) with intestinal TB.Clinical characteristics,including age,gender,underlying disease,and symptoms were obtained.Chest radiograph and laboratory tests,including sputum Ziehl-Neelsen(ZN) staining,M.tuberculosis culture,and sputum polymerase chain reaction(PCR) for tubercle bacilli DNA,as well as Tuberculin skin test(TST) and QuantiFERON-TB gold test(QFT),were examined.Colonoscopic records recorded on the basis of Sato's classification were also reviewed,in addition to data from intestinal biopsies examined for histopathological findings,including hematoxylin and eosin staining,and ZN staining,as well as M.tuberculosis culture,and PCR for tubercle bacilli DNA.For the present study,archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded(FFPE) intestinal tissue samples were immunohistochemically stained using a commercially available species-specific monoclonal antibody to the 38-kDa antigen of the M.tuberculosis complex.These sections were also stained with the pan-macrophage marker CD68 antibody.RESULTS:From the clinical data,we found that no patients were immunocompromised,and that the main symptoms were diarrhea and weight loss.Three patients displayed active pulmonary TB,six patients(60%) had a positive TST,and 4 patients(40%) had a positive QFT.Colonoscopic findings revealed that all patients had type 1 findings(linear ulcers in a circumferential arrangement or linear ulcers arranged circumferentially with mucosa showing multiple nodules),all of which were located in the right hemicolon and/or terminal ileum.Seven patients(70%) had concomitant healed lesions in the ileocecal area.No acid-fast bacilli were detected with ZN staining of the intestinal tissue samples,and both M.tuberculosis culture and PCR for tubercle bacilli DNA were negative in all samples.The histopathological data revealed that tuberculous granulomas were present in 4 cases(40%).IHC staining in archived FFPE samples with anti-M.tuberculosis monoclonal antibody revealed positive findings in 4 patients(40%);the same patients in which granulomas were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining.M.tuberculosis antigens were found to be mostly intracellular,granular in pattern,and primarily located in the CD68 + macrophages of the granulomas.CONCLUSION:IHC staining with a monoclonal antibody to M.tuberculosis may be an efficient and simple diagnostic tool in addition to classic examination methods for the diagnosis of intestinal TB.展开更多
New digital trends are transforming the media industry landscape, modifying elemental characteristics and attitudes of companies as well as of consumers. Firms often claim that their presence in social media （SM） is...New digital trends are transforming the media industry landscape, modifying elemental characteristics and attitudes of companies as well as of consumers. Firms often claim that their presence in social media （SM） is a key element to success. SM helps companies rethink the traditional one-way flow of their marketing messages and to incorporate a new interactive pattern into their communications. Nevertheless, these tendencies involve problems of strategic myopia for firms that do not structurally integrate these tools. One main problem is that institutions can rarely differentiate between the various types of SM and the attributes thereof, while the literature equally reveals a number of contradictions in the subject. The present conceptual paper lays the foundations of a strategic approach to SM and discusses its theoretical implications. Following an overview on the concept of SM, through a content analysis of the specialized management literature （n = 14）, we present various best practices and reflect on the apparent lack of strategic thinking in using SM as a marketing application. Then, we compare these practical examples with general marketing strategy theory. By merging theory and practice, we aim to provide an insight towards a well-founded application of SM as a genuinely strategic marketing tool.展开更多
Social convergence is one of the most important objectives for European integration. It is understood as a process of cohesion and assimilation of countries in the area of social development, which is the conditions a...Social convergence is one of the most important objectives for European integration. It is understood as a process of cohesion and assimilation of countries in the area of social development, which is the conditions and standards of living of the citizens of the European countries （EU27）. The aim of the article was to investigate whether there is convergence or divergence in the EU27 area, taking into account multidimensional analysis of social convergence. Methodology used in the article was taxonomic and statistical tool. It allowed applying the synthetic approach to the issue. The time taken into consideration was the period of 2000-2013. The article showed that the area of the EU27 is very diversified in terms of social development. It allows indicating five groups of countries similar to each other due to the level of social development, although the differences among the groups are significant. The analysis of convergence led to the conclusion that the process of ＂catching up＂ occurred until 2007. Then this process has stopped and even divergence trends are visible due to crisis 2008/2009. The period of 2008-2011 revealed the greatest disparities of development among the EU countries.展开更多
Consumption is an active process that engages the social world for individuals to make use of certain products. For many, the living room is the locus of product use, social activities, cultural values, and the person...Consumption is an active process that engages the social world for individuals to make use of certain products. For many, the living room is the locus of product use, social activities, cultural values, and the personal narrative of the people who live in it. Consumers engage with their furniture in order for it to function effectively for them： It is thus used to furnish both the home and the self as well. Creating a certain living space with a particular use of furniture and interior decoration is the precise way in which the resident forms its arrangements, and builds a relationship with the surrounding objects in that living space. This activity, I argue, positions the residents in the process of presenting their personality characteristics and cultural identity. The Ethnographic approach is most appropriate methodology for research into such a personal area： the living room within the domestic environment. The topic of this research falls between different fields of studies including consumerism and media. This research reviews the influence of advertising in magazines and furniture shops on the meaning of living space design and how that encourages higher levels of consumption.展开更多
A preloading frame is firstly designed to accurately apply external flexural stress to concrete specimens. Then a method is developed to measure one and two dimensional (1D and 2D) chloride ion concentrations at diffe...A preloading frame is firstly designed to accurately apply external flexural stress to concrete specimens. Then a method is developed to measure one and two dimensional (1D and 2D) chloride ion concentrations at different distances from the surface of concrete under flexural stress. Using this method and the preloading frame, 1D and 2D stress-diffusion is systematically investigated for fly ash concretes made with different fly ash contents (0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60%), and water to binder ratios (0.3, 0.35, and 0.4). The stress accelerating effect on 1D and 2D chloride ion diffusion is also quantitatively analyzed through a comparison between stress-diffusion and nonstress-diffusion. A diffusion accelerating effect caused by external flexural stress can clearly be observed through the comparison. In order to quantify the stress accelerating effect, a stress accelerating factor is proposed in this paper. The relationship between stress accelerating factor and external stress-to-ultimate stress ratio is given as an exponential function. Finally, the process of the initiation, prorogation, and distribution of microcracks on the tensile face of specimen is observed in-situ by using a small-sized loading frame and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The above research provides an insight into chloride attack on the edge reinforcing bars of concrete structures under flexural stress, such as large-span beam and board in the field of civil engineering.展开更多
Surface texturing is a widely accepted approach for friction reduction between mechanical components. Through-mask electrochemical mieromachining is a simple and reliable process for metal surface texturing in which m...Surface texturing is a widely accepted approach for friction reduction between mechanical components. Through-mask electrochemical mieromachining is a simple and reliable process for metal surface texturing in which mass transport conditions have profound influence on final machined quality. An ultrasonic stirrer is usually adopted for mass transfer enhancement. However, understanding of the effects of ultrasonic stirring on mass transfer is limited, and is far from sufficient for developing guidelines for its practical application. In this work, the influences of ultrasonic stirring parameters on mass transfer have been investigated numerically and experimentally. With the numerical method, periodic pressure change in the electrolyte over time has been obtained, showing that ultrasonic stirring results in drastic transient pressure change in electrolyte fluid fields. Parameters related to ultrasonic frequency, vibration amplitude, and the depth of anode surface immersed in the electrolyte solution influence pressure amplitude. Validation experiments have been conducted and etched surface profile and morphology characterized, which show that the experimental observations are in agreement with numerical predictions. With the optimized mass transfer, well-defined micro-pits array of 30 gm and a smooth etched surface on tin-bronze substrate in large scale have been demonstrated.展开更多
Crystal packing has strong influence on the charge mobility for organic semiconductors, so the elucidation of the structure-property relationship is important for the design of high-performance organic semiconductors....Crystal packing has strong influence on the charge mobility for organic semiconductors, so the elucidation of the structure-property relationship is important for the design of high-performance organic semiconductors. Halogen substitution has been shown to be a promising strategy to alter the crystal structure without significantly changing the molecular size in previous reports. This paper studies the influence of halogenation on charge transport in single crystals of chrysene derivatives from a theoretical standpoint. The structure-property relationship is first rationalized by investigating the reorganization energy and electronic coupling from the density functional theory calculations. Based on the Marcus charge transfer theory, the mobilities in the molecular monolayer are then calculated with the random walk simulation technique from which the angular resolution anisotropic mobilities are obtained on the fly. It is shown that the mobilities become much larger for holes than those for electrons in the molecular monolayer when the halogenation occurs. Furthermore, the intra-layer charge transport is little influenced by the inter-layer pathways in the single crystals of the halogenated chrysene derivatives, while the opposite case is shown for the crystal of the nonhalogenated chrysene derivative. The reason for the variations of charge transport is discussed theoretically.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50538086)National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China ("973" Program, No.2009CB623200)the Excellent Young Teachers Program of Southeast University
文摘For reinforced concrete structures located along the seaside, the penetration of chloride ions into concrete may be a threat to the durability of the structures. Experimental investigations were carried out to study the effect of chloride content on the bond behavior between concrete and fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) plates. Direct shear tests were conducted on the FRP strengthened concrete members. Before testing, the specimens were immersed in NaCl solutions with concentrations ranging from 3%—15% for di...
文摘AIM:To investigate the utility of immunohistochemical(IHC) staining with an antibody to Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M.tuberculosis) for the diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis(TB).METHODS:We retrospectively identified 10 patients(4 males and 6 females;mean age = 65.1 ± 13.6 years) with intestinal TB.Clinical characteristics,including age,gender,underlying disease,and symptoms were obtained.Chest radiograph and laboratory tests,including sputum Ziehl-Neelsen(ZN) staining,M.tuberculosis culture,and sputum polymerase chain reaction(PCR) for tubercle bacilli DNA,as well as Tuberculin skin test(TST) and QuantiFERON-TB gold test(QFT),were examined.Colonoscopic records recorded on the basis of Sato's classification were also reviewed,in addition to data from intestinal biopsies examined for histopathological findings,including hematoxylin and eosin staining,and ZN staining,as well as M.tuberculosis culture,and PCR for tubercle bacilli DNA.For the present study,archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded(FFPE) intestinal tissue samples were immunohistochemically stained using a commercially available species-specific monoclonal antibody to the 38-kDa antigen of the M.tuberculosis complex.These sections were also stained with the pan-macrophage marker CD68 antibody.RESULTS:From the clinical data,we found that no patients were immunocompromised,and that the main symptoms were diarrhea and weight loss.Three patients displayed active pulmonary TB,six patients(60%) had a positive TST,and 4 patients(40%) had a positive QFT.Colonoscopic findings revealed that all patients had type 1 findings(linear ulcers in a circumferential arrangement or linear ulcers arranged circumferentially with mucosa showing multiple nodules),all of which were located in the right hemicolon and/or terminal ileum.Seven patients(70%) had concomitant healed lesions in the ileocecal area.No acid-fast bacilli were detected with ZN staining of the intestinal tissue samples,and both M.tuberculosis culture and PCR for tubercle bacilli DNA were negative in all samples.The histopathological data revealed that tuberculous granulomas were present in 4 cases(40%).IHC staining in archived FFPE samples with anti-M.tuberculosis monoclonal antibody revealed positive findings in 4 patients(40%);the same patients in which granulomas were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining.M.tuberculosis antigens were found to be mostly intracellular,granular in pattern,and primarily located in the CD68 + macrophages of the granulomas.CONCLUSION:IHC staining with a monoclonal antibody to M.tuberculosis may be an efficient and simple diagnostic tool in addition to classic examination methods for the diagnosis of intestinal TB.
文摘New digital trends are transforming the media industry landscape, modifying elemental characteristics and attitudes of companies as well as of consumers. Firms often claim that their presence in social media （SM） is a key element to success. SM helps companies rethink the traditional one-way flow of their marketing messages and to incorporate a new interactive pattern into their communications. Nevertheless, these tendencies involve problems of strategic myopia for firms that do not structurally integrate these tools. One main problem is that institutions can rarely differentiate between the various types of SM and the attributes thereof, while the literature equally reveals a number of contradictions in the subject. The present conceptual paper lays the foundations of a strategic approach to SM and discusses its theoretical implications. Following an overview on the concept of SM, through a content analysis of the specialized management literature （n = 14）, we present various best practices and reflect on the apparent lack of strategic thinking in using SM as a marketing application. Then, we compare these practical examples with general marketing strategy theory. By merging theory and practice, we aim to provide an insight towards a well-founded application of SM as a genuinely strategic marketing tool.
文摘Social convergence is one of the most important objectives for European integration. It is understood as a process of cohesion and assimilation of countries in the area of social development, which is the conditions and standards of living of the citizens of the European countries （EU27）. The aim of the article was to investigate whether there is convergence or divergence in the EU27 area, taking into account multidimensional analysis of social convergence. Methodology used in the article was taxonomic and statistical tool. It allowed applying the synthetic approach to the issue. The time taken into consideration was the period of 2000-2013. The article showed that the area of the EU27 is very diversified in terms of social development. It allows indicating five groups of countries similar to each other due to the level of social development, although the differences among the groups are significant. The analysis of convergence led to the conclusion that the process of ＂catching up＂ occurred until 2007. Then this process has stopped and even divergence trends are visible due to crisis 2008/2009. The period of 2008-2011 revealed the greatest disparities of development among the EU countries.
文摘Consumption is an active process that engages the social world for individuals to make use of certain products. For many, the living room is the locus of product use, social activities, cultural values, and the personal narrative of the people who live in it. Consumers engage with their furniture in order for it to function effectively for them： It is thus used to furnish both the home and the self as well. Creating a certain living space with a particular use of furniture and interior decoration is the precise way in which the resident forms its arrangements, and builds a relationship with the surrounding objects in that living space. This activity, I argue, positions the residents in the process of presenting their personality characteristics and cultural identity. The Ethnographic approach is most appropriate methodology for research into such a personal area： the living room within the domestic environment. The topic of this research falls between different fields of studies including consumerism and media. This research reviews the influence of advertising in magazines and furniture shops on the meaning of living space design and how that encourages higher levels of consumption.
基金Project supported by the National Basic Research Program (973) of China (No. 2009CB623200)the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (No. 20100092110029)+1 种基金the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (No. NCET-08-0116)the Guangxi Key Laboratory of Disaster Prevention and Reduction (No. 2008TM KF009), China
文摘A preloading frame is firstly designed to accurately apply external flexural stress to concrete specimens. Then a method is developed to measure one and two dimensional (1D and 2D) chloride ion concentrations at different distances from the surface of concrete under flexural stress. Using this method and the preloading frame, 1D and 2D stress-diffusion is systematically investigated for fly ash concretes made with different fly ash contents (0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60%), and water to binder ratios (0.3, 0.35, and 0.4). The stress accelerating effect on 1D and 2D chloride ion diffusion is also quantitatively analyzed through a comparison between stress-diffusion and nonstress-diffusion. A diffusion accelerating effect caused by external flexural stress can clearly be observed through the comparison. In order to quantify the stress accelerating effect, a stress accelerating factor is proposed in this paper. The relationship between stress accelerating factor and external stress-to-ultimate stress ratio is given as an exponential function. Finally, the process of the initiation, prorogation, and distribution of microcracks on the tensile face of specimen is observed in-situ by using a small-sized loading frame and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The above research provides an insight into chloride attack on the edge reinforcing bars of concrete structures under flexural stress, such as large-span beam and board in the field of civil engineering.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.51375381,51775431,51675422&51575427)
文摘Surface texturing is a widely accepted approach for friction reduction between mechanical components. Through-mask electrochemical mieromachining is a simple and reliable process for metal surface texturing in which mass transport conditions have profound influence on final machined quality. An ultrasonic stirrer is usually adopted for mass transfer enhancement. However, understanding of the effects of ultrasonic stirring on mass transfer is limited, and is far from sufficient for developing guidelines for its practical application. In this work, the influences of ultrasonic stirring parameters on mass transfer have been investigated numerically and experimentally. With the numerical method, periodic pressure change in the electrolyte over time has been obtained, showing that ultrasonic stirring results in drastic transient pressure change in electrolyte fluid fields. Parameters related to ultrasonic frequency, vibration amplitude, and the depth of anode surface immersed in the electrolyte solution influence pressure amplitude. Validation experiments have been conducted and etched surface profile and morphology characterized, which show that the experimental observations are in agreement with numerical predictions. With the optimized mass transfer, well-defined micro-pits array of 30 gm and a smooth etched surface on tin-bronze substrate in large scale have been demonstrated.
基金financially supported by the Major State Basic Research Development Programs of China (2011CBA00701)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21003030 and 20973049)+1 种基金the Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology (HC201117)and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (20110490102)
文摘Crystal packing has strong influence on the charge mobility for organic semiconductors, so the elucidation of the structure-property relationship is important for the design of high-performance organic semiconductors. Halogen substitution has been shown to be a promising strategy to alter the crystal structure without significantly changing the molecular size in previous reports. This paper studies the influence of halogenation on charge transport in single crystals of chrysene derivatives from a theoretical standpoint. The structure-property relationship is first rationalized by investigating the reorganization energy and electronic coupling from the density functional theory calculations. Based on the Marcus charge transfer theory, the mobilities in the molecular monolayer are then calculated with the random walk simulation technique from which the angular resolution anisotropic mobilities are obtained on the fly. It is shown that the mobilities become much larger for holes than those for electrons in the molecular monolayer when the halogenation occurs. Furthermore, the intra-layer charge transport is little influenced by the inter-layer pathways in the single crystals of the halogenated chrysene derivatives, while the opposite case is shown for the crystal of the nonhalogenated chrysene derivative. The reason for the variations of charge transport is discussed theoretically.
