秦岭植物新纪录种--马■儿

研究报道了秦岭地区马儿属Zehneria一新纪录种-马■儿(Zehneria indica(Lour.) Keraudren),并对该种植物的形态特征与分布做了简要描述。该种植物与同属植物钮子瓜(Zehneria maysorensis(Wight et Arn.) Arn.)形态相似,对二者形态特征进行了比较。

Modelling Distribution of Under-Five Child Diarrhoea across Malawi

Analysis of diarrhoea data in Malawi has been commonly done using classical methods. However, different approaches, such as Bayesian methods, have been introduced in literature. This study aimed at trying out semi-parametric methods in comparison with classical ones, as well as how each isolates risk factors for child diarrhoea. This was done by fitting Logit, Poisson, and Bayesian models to 2006 Malawi Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey data. The comparison between Logit and Poisson models was done via chi-square＇s goodness-of-fit test. Confidence and Credible Intervals were used to compare Logit/Poisson and Bayesian model estimates. Modelling and inference in Bayesian method was done through MCMC techniques. The results showed agreement in significance and direction of estimates from Bayesian and Poisson/Logit models, but Poisson provided better fit than Logit model. Further, all the models identified child＇s age, breastfeeding status, region of stay and toilet-sharing status as significant factors for determining the child＇s risk. The models ruled out effects of mother＇s education, area of residence, and source of drinking water on the risk. Bayesian model separately proved significant closeness to lake/river factor. The findings imply that classical and semi-parametric models are equally helpful when estimating the child＇s risk to diarrhoea.

The Lifeline for Suicide Prevention of Children and Teenagers in Bucharest, Romania

Suicide is one of the leading causes of teenagers＇ deaths. Even whether it is preventable, most of the time, there are still very few projects or actions of the local authorities and/or organisations in Romania, due to the lack of information and resources. The suicide prevention line for children and teenagers in Bucharest is presented and evaluated after five years of activity. It may be considered as one example of good practice, since it managed to put together local knowledge, human resources, and social actors. The suicide prevention line for children and teenagers in Bucharest has been established in 2009 by the General Directorate of Social Welfare of Bucharest Municipality, in partnership with the Psychiatric Hospital ＂Prof. dr. Alexandru Obregia＂. The finances are provided by the Welfare Department, the location belongs to the Psychiatric Hospital, and the mental health services are coordinated by a neuro-psychiatrist. There are about 30 volunteers taking the phone calls 24/7. Since 2011, they established the Association of Suicidology.

On the Tarmac of Nationhood： Dismantling Caste and Tribal Loyalty in Aravind Adiga＇s The White Tiger and Shadrach Ambanasom＇s Son of the Native Soil

The White Tiger is Aravind Adiga＇s first novel just like Son of the Native Soil which is Shadrach Ambanasom＇s first oeuvre. The two novels address two major social concerns （the caste system and tribal loyalty） that impair national cohesion in India and Cameroon respectively. Briefly speaking, the caste refers to the classification of peoples in India （and other South Asian countries） into in-marrying hereditary social classes of the privileged and the underprivileged while tribal loyalty refers to selfish attachment to a tribe or clan to the detriment of community or national feeling. The two concepts are related in the sense that the word ＂caste＂ derives from the Spanish or Portuguese ＂casta＂ meaning race, lineage, breed or clan. In both cases therefore, the issues of sectionalism, division, discrimination, selfishness, marginalization, and hegemony （amongst others） are at play--issues that impede the notion of nationhood. Read principally from the Marxist perspective of power dynamics and class struggle, the paper argues that Adiga and Ambanasom through skillful manipulation of symbols, time, characters and events, try to imagine the deconstruction of caste and ethnic loyalty in India and Cameroon respectively, which to the two authors, are only historically and socially erected edifices rather than natural order. For the two authors, although global forces may seem to play in favor of a more equitable human society, a necessarily violent revolution might be required to dismantle a blighted body politico-modus operandi that has operated in the people＇s psyche for a long time, as characters and events in the two novels reveal.

Low Blood Lead Concentrations and Cognitive Development of Primary School Children from Three Areas in Malaysia

A study on to identify the relationship between blood lead and cognitive development was conducted on primary school children in Malaysia. About 413 children aged 62^/1 - 82^/1 years from urban （236）, rural （80） and industrial areas （97） were studied. Blood lead was analyzed using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer （GFAAS）. Cognitive development was measured by the ＇McCarthy Scales of Children＇s Abilities Test＇ （MSCA）. Significant differences found in the mean cognitive scores between the urban （94.40）, industrial （102.90） and suburban children （101.24） （p 〈 0.001）, with the blood lead between the urban （3.66 p.g/dL）, industrial （3.54 μg/dL） and suburban children （3.04μg/dL） （p = 0.022）. Significant inverse correlations between blood lead and cognitive scores found for all groups （p 〈 0.001）, urban （p 〈 0.001） and suburban children （p 〈 0.001）. Low blood lead significantly influenced the cognitive development for all children after adjusting for confounders （p _〈 0.001）. The urban children＇s cognitive scores were significantly influenced by blood lead levels and household income （p 〈 0.001）. However, for the suburban children, the cognitive score were significantly influenced by the blood lead levels, the mothers＇ education, number of siblings, sequence in the family and the household income （p 〈 0.001 ）. Blood lead below 10μg/dL influenced the cognitive development. Urban children had higher blood lead but suburban children with lower blood lead were also vulnerable to the effect of lead on their cognitive development.

Effect of icariin on apoptosis in hippocampal neurons cultured in high glucose

OBJECTIVE:To investigate effect of icariin on apoptosis in hippocampal neurons cultured in high glucose,and the possible mechanism behind the action.METHODS:Hippocampus was obtained from newborn 24 h Sprague-Dawley rats and then primarily cultured.Then hippocampal neurons were divided into normal control group,high glucose group,icariin group,icariin + protein kinase B(Akt) inhibitor group and Akt agonist group.After each group was cultured in different conditioned medium for 72 h,we detected the apoptosis of neurons with flow cytometry,and the expression of Akt,p-Akt,B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax) with western blot.RESULTS:Compared with the normal control group,the apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons increased significantly(P < 0.01),and p-Akt/Aktand Bcl-2/Bax decreased significantly(P < 0.01) in high glucose group.Compared with the high glucose group,the apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons decreased significantly(P < 0.01),and p-Akt/Akt and Bcl-2/Bax increased significantly(P < 0.05)in icariin group and Akt agonist group.Compared with the icariin + Akt inhibitor group,the apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons decreased significantly(P < 0.01),and p-Akt/Akt and Bcl-2/Bax increased significantly(P < 0.01) in icariin group.CONCLUSION:Icariin could reduce the apoptosis of neurons cultured in high glucose,which may be achieved by increasing the phosphorylation of Akt protein in Akt signal pathway,then increasing the expression of Bcl-2 and inhibiting the expression of Bax.

Searches for Dark Matter via Mono-W Production in Inert Doublet Model at the LHC

The Inert Doublet Model(IDM) is one of the many beyond Standard Model scenarios with an extended scalar sector, which provide a suitable dark matter particle candidate. Dark matter associated visible particle production at high energy colliders provides a unique way to determine the microscopic properties of the dark matter particle. In this paper, we investigate that the mono-W + missing transverse energy production at the Large Hadron Collider(LHC),where W boson decay to a lepton and a neutrino. We perform the analysis for the signal of mono-W production in the IDM and the Standard Model(SM) backgrounds, and the optimized criteria employing suitable cuts are chosen in kinematic variables to maximize signal significance. We also investigate the discovery potential in several benchmark scenarios at the 14 TeV LHC. When the light Z_2 odd scalar higgs of mass is about 65 GeV, charged Higgs is in the mass range from 120 GeV to 250 GeV, it provides the best possibility with a signal significance of about 3σ at an integrated luminosity of about 3000 fb^(-1).