Writing the Silenced Female Body, Scrutinizing the Grand Narrative of Colonization and Decolonization: The Body in Zoë Wicomb’s David’s Story

David’s Story by Zoë Wicomb addresses the complexities of representing female suffering and the limitations of traditional historical narratives in capturing the experiences of marginalized bodies.It challenges the grand narratives of national history by emphasizing the indispensable role of women’s experiences.Through characters like Dulcie and Rachael,Wicomb portrays the female body as a site of resistance and resilience,highlighting the need for more nuanced and inclusive ways of documenting history.Underscoring the inexpressibility of trauma and the limitations of language and representation,the novel self-reflexively acknowledges its own aporia of completing the narrative,embodying the ongoing struggle to capture the full breadth of human experience.

Being Human in a More-Than-Human World:Between a Silence Catalyst for(Re)Aestheticization and an Art Catalyst for Relationships

The contribution moves from highlighting how,in the context of Michel Serres’and posthumanism’s proposal of rethinking the human and the world in a perspective of inter-implication and universal co-belonging,silence(of the human word)assumes the function of a catalyst for the recognition/re-aestheticization of the human body in its sensory-aesthetic-cognitive-relational-hybrid dimensionality,and,with and for it,of the world in its agency(including artistic).Within the framework of this perspective,the investigation thus proposes a reading of art as a relation/catalyzer of relations,that is,as a(re)activation of positive relations of the human with and for a world that reveals itself to be increasingly hyper-complex,that is,more-than-human,in the continuity/inseparability of nature and culture.Taking Serresian ideas on artistic practices as non(only)human forms of expression and posthumanist“isomorphic”positions on non-human agency as tools,the research then highlights the“more-than-human”scope of art and the fact that artistic practices are responsive actions.So much so that,the human being emerges as co-agent and,of course,co-owner.

Comparison of Self-Perception of Esthetics and Orthodontic Treatment Needs among Dental and Non-Dental Students with Assessment by Orthodontist

Objectives: The present study was conducted to compare the self-perception of esthetics and wish for seeking orthodontic treatment among dental and non-dental students. The realistic orthodontic treatment needs were confirmed by expert orthodontist. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 255 male students (Dental—75, Medical—93 and Pharmacy—87 students). The questionnaire included 20 items covering dental esthetics self-perception (10 questions), self-confidence and psychological impact (5 questions), and the need for seeking orthodontic treatment (5 questions) on a five-point Likert scale. The realistic orthodontic treatment needs were confirmed by photographs using aesthetic component of IOTN and clinical examination for the participants and analysis of jaw models using Dental aesthetic index (DAI). Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA was used to check the significant difference between groups. Results: The overall average esthetic self-perception score for total sample was 3.83. The overall average psychological impact score for the whole sample was 2.67. The total percentage of participants who either agree or strongly agree with the question related to their perception of need for seeking orthodontic treatment was 70%. According to the assessment of orthodontic needs using AC-IOTN, 19.8% required definitive treatment. According to the assessment of orthodontic treatment needs based on DAI, 20.3% and 9.9% needed highly desirable (DAI 31 - 35) and definite need of treatment (DAI ≥ 36) respectively. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there was no difference between the esthetic perception of dental and non-dental students. The self-perception for seeking orthodontic treatment was over-reported by participants compared to real requirement as assessed by orthodontic specialist. Dental esthetics has no psychological impact on academic performance and self-confidence as perceived by study participants.

Host-induced gene silencing of the Verticillium dahliae thiamine transporter protein gene(VdThit)confers resistance to Verticillium wilt in cotton

Verticillium wilt(VW),induced by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae(Vd),poses a substantial threat to a diverse array of plant species.Employing molecular breeding technology for the development of cotton varieties with heightened resistance to VW stands out as one of the most efficacious protective measures.In this study,we successfully generated two stable transgenic lines of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.),VdThitRNAi-1 and VdThit-RNAi-2,using host-induced gene silencing(HIGS)technology to introduce double-stranded RNA(dsRNA)targeting the thiamine transporter protein gene(VdThit).Southern blot analysis confirmed the presence of a single-copy insertion in each line.Microscopic examination showed marked reductions in the colonization and spread of Vd-mCherry in the roots of VdThit-RNAi cotton compared to wild type(WT).The corresponding disease index and fungal biomass of VdThit-RNAi-1/2 also exhibited significant reductions.Real-time quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)analysis demonstrated a substantial inhibition of VdThit expression following prolonged inoculation of VdThit-RNAi cotton.Small RNA sequencing(sRNA-Seq)analysis revealed the generation of a substantial number of VdThit-specific siRNAs in the VdThit-RNAi transgenic lines.Additionally,the silencing of VdThit by the siVdThit produced by VdThit-RNAi-1/2 resulted in the elevated expression of multiple genes involved in the thiamine biosynthesis pathway in Vd.Under field conditions,VdThit-RNAi transgenic cotton exhibited significantly enhanced disease resistance and yield compared with WT.In summary,our findings underscore the efficacy of HIGS targeting VdThit in restraining the infection and spread of Vd in cotton,thereby potentially enabling the development of cotton breeding as a promising strategy for managing VW.

Meta-silencer with designable timbre

Timbre,as one of the essential elements of sound,plays an important role in determining sound properties,whereas its manipulation has been remaining challenging for passive mechanical systems due to the intrinsic dispersion nature of resonances.Here,we present a meta-silencer supporting intensive mode density as well as highly tunable intrinsic loss and offering a fresh pathway for designable timbre in broadband.Strong global coupling is induced by intensive mode density and delicately modulated with the guidance of the theoretical model,which efficiently suppresses the resonance dispersion and provides desirable frequency-selective wave-manipulation capacity for timbre tuning.As proof-of-concept demonstrations for our design concepts,we propose three meta-silencers with the designing targets of high-efficiency broadband sound attenuation,efficiency-controlled sound attenuation and designable timbre,respectively.The proposed meta-silencers all operate in a broadband frequency range from 500 to 3200 Hz and feature deep-subwavelength sizes around 50 mm.Our work opens up a fundamental avenue to manipulate the timbre with passive resonances-controlled acoustic metamaterials and may inspire the development of novel multifunctional devices in noise-control engineering,impedance engineering,and architectural acoustics.

Host-Induced Gene Silencing of Effector AGLIP1 Enhanced Resistance of Rice to Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA

Rice sheath blight, caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA, is a major disease in rice-growing areas worldwide. Effectors of phytopathogenic fungi play important roles during the infection process of fungal pathogens onto their host plants. However, the molecular mechanisms by which R. solani effectors regulate rice immunity are not well understood. Through prediction, 78 candidate effector molecules were identified. Using the tobacco rattle virus-host induced gene silencing(TRV-HIGS) system, 45 RNAi constructs of effector genes were infiltrated into Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. The results revealed that eight of these constructs resulted in a significant reduction in necrosis caused by infection with the AG1-IA strain GD-118. Additionally, stable rice transformants carrying the double-stranded RNA construct for one of the effector genes, AGLIP1, were generated to further verify the function of this gene. The suppression of the AGLIP1 gene increased the resistance of both N. benthamiana and rice against GD-118, and also affected the growth rate of GD-118, indicating that AGLIP1 is a key pathogenic factor. Small RNA sequencing showed that the HIGS vectors were processed into si RNAs within the plants and then translocated to the fungi, leading to the silencing of the target genes. As a result, AGLIP1 might be an excellent candidate for HIGS, thereby enhancing crop resistance against the pathogen and contributing to the control of R. solani infection.

Stress response silencing by an E3 ligase mutated in neurodegeneration

Stress response pathways detect and alleviate adverse conditions to safeguard cell and tissue homeostasis,yet their prolonged activation induces apoptosis and disrupts organismal health1-3.How stress responses are turned off at the right time and place remains poorly understood.Here we report a ubiquitin-dependent mechanism that silences the cellular response to mitochondrial protein import stress.

Michel Serres and Posthuman Subjectivities:Silencing and Trans-lation to Explore Co-implications

The contribution aims to examine the co-implications between Serres’work and posthumanist ideas of body and subjectivity.This scope is pursued primarily through the methodological choice of a gerund,such as silencing,and the harnessing of its performative,processual,and relational value.Building on Serres’conception of silence as a dilation of the me the paper will follow Serresian anti-Cartesian reflections on the interchangeability of subject and object,his conception of the pre-positional body,and his thematization of the soul-body relationship.In close inter-implication with the employment of silencing is then the choice,again as a methodological device,of the preposition trans,made to act in order to explore the affinities/overlaps/assonances between Serres’theorization of the body,dimension of the human,and posthumanist conceptions of body/subjectivity.

From Silence to Voice： An Interpretation of Black Motherhood in Sula

Toni Morrison has made great achievements in American literary history. In her famous work Sula, motherhood is an essential theme which has attracted public attention. This essay interprets the abnormal maternal love provided by silenced black mothers in Sula and the ways for black women to break the silence.

Understanding the Cultural Specificity behind Silence and Reticence in the EAP Classroom

Non-native-English-speaking (NNS) students' silent and reticent behaviour,which make the EAP (English for Academic Purpose) class seem ineffective and boring,might be unfavourably evaluated by a native English speaker of Western culture. By giving an overview of international students' inactive participation in the classroom,which prevents teachers from Western culture making a proper judgement on study mood,this paper will explore culturally based perceptions of international students' silent and reticent behaviour in the EAP classroom,and analyse the reasons behind NNS students' silent reaction.

Different uses of silence both in high-context and low-context cultures

Silence, as a form of nonverbal communication, may be interpreted in various ways depending upon the culture. The purpose of this study is to explain misunderstanding concerned with the uses of silence in conversations situated in different cultural backgrounds, and then give possible methods to avoid it. The explanation is mainly based on the two categories related to the context posed by Edward Hall： high-context culture ＆ low-context culture. In this part, the study also contrasts distinct verbal styles in America ＆ Japan, in addition, it analyses different attitudes towards silence from three aspects： traditional value, religion and power distance. At end, the study is concluded with four solutions that try to solve the problem.

An Analysis of the Cause of College Student’s English Classroom Silence and Its Solution from the Perspective of Pragmatics

This study is aimed at the common classroom silence phenomenon in contemporary college English class. First of all, thispaper explains the meaning of silence from the pragmatic point of view, and takes the students in the Xi’an Innovation College ofYan’an University for instance. Based on a questionnaire survey of 200 students in the Xi’an Innovation College of Yan’an Univer-sity, the reasons are analyzed from two perspectives of teachers and students. This paper makes an analysis of all kinds of factors,so as to put forward effective solutions to eliminate the classroom silence.

The Study on Communicative Functions of Silence Based on the Revelence Theory

Silence,as a type of non-verbal communication,expresses special meanings of the speakers.The core of this study is focused on the functions of silence in conversations from the famous American TV series Prison Break(Season I),in order to reveal that silence,as an important tool in human communication,has richness of meaning and complexity of use.

The Power of Silence in To the Lighthouse

Traditionally, silence is regarded as an absence, inaction, emptiness, or inferiority, but it figures in Woolf's novels as a presence, power, creativity, and superiority, and infused with a new psychic and narrative life. The present paper will examine Woolf's expression of silence in her masterpiece To the Lighthouse to reveal the power of silence.

The Voice of Silence in Communication——from cross-culture perspective

This paper makes a study of silence from cross-culture perspective and holds that silence is an indispensable component of human communication without which the proper decoding of the information would be impossible.

Transplantation of Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced cells in a poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) scaffold for the treatment of spinal cord injury

Inhibition of neurite growth, which is in large part mediated by the Nogo-66 receptor, affects neural regeneration following bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation. The tissue engineering scaffold poly（D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） has good histocompatibility and can promote the growth of regenerating nerve fibers. The present study used small interfering RNA to silence Nogo-66 receptor gene expression in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells, which were subsequently transplanted with poly（D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） into the spinal cord lesion regions in rats. Simultaneously, rats treated with scaffold only were taken as the control group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry revealed that at 4 weeks after transplantation, rats had good motor function of the hind limb after treatment with Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced ceils prus the poly（O,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） scaffold compared with rats treated with scaffold only, and the number of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and neuron-like cells was also increased. At 8 weeks after transplantation, horseradish peroxidase tracing and transmission electron microscopy showed a large number of unmyelinated and myelinated nerve fibers, as well as intact regenerating axonal myelin sheath following spinal cord hemisection injury. These experimental findings indicate that transplantation of Nogo-66 receptor gene-silenced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells plus a poly（D,L-lactide-co-glycolic acid） scaffold can significantly enhance axonal regeneration of spinal cord neurons and improve motor function of the extremities in rats following spinal cord injury.

CFD analysis of sound pressure in tank gun muzzle silencer

The high pressure waves generated due to muzzle blast flow of tank gun during firing is a critical issue to examine. The impulsive noise from the gun has various negative effects such as damage of human bodies, damage of structures, creating an environmental, social problem and also military problems such as exposure of location of troops. This high pressure impulsive sound, generated during the blast flow, was studied and attenuated. An axisymmetric computational domain was constructed by employing Spalart Allmaras turbulence model. Approximately 90% of pressure and 20 dB of sound level are reduced due to the use of the three baffle silencer at the muzzle end of the gun barrel, in comparison with the tank gun without silencer. Also, the sound pressure level at different points in the ambient region shows the same attenuation in results. This study will be helpful to understand the blast wave characteristics and also to get a good idea to design silencer for large caliber weapon system.

Silence in WAITING FOR GODOT

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Trans-acting factors from the human fetal liver bindingto the human ε-globin gene silencer

The developmental stage-specific silencing of the human ε-globin gene during embryonic life is controlled, inpart, by the silencer (-392bp～-177bp) upstream of thisgene. In order to elucidate its role, the nuclear extractfrom the human fetal liver has been prepared and the interactions between trans-acting factors and this silencerelement have been examined. By using DNasel footprinting assay, a major protected region from -278bp to -235bpwithin this silencer element was identified. Furthermore,we found in gel mobility shift assay and Southwestern blotting assay that there were at least four trans-acting factors (MW ≈ 32, 28, 26 and 22kD) in the nuclear extractisolated from the human fetal liver, which could specifically bind to this region. Our results suggested that thesetrans-acting factors might play an important role in silencing the human embryonic ε-globin gene expression at thefetal stage through the interactions with this silencer.

Time-domain CFD computation and analysis of acoustic attenuation performance of water-filled silencers

The multi-dimensional time-domain computational fluid dynamics(CFD) approach is extended to calculate the acoustic attenuation performance of water-filled piping silencers. Transmission loss predictions from the time-domain CFD approach and the frequency-domain finite element method(FEM) agree well with each other for the dual expansion chamber silencer, straight-through and cross-flow perforated tube silencers without flow. Then, the time-domain CFD approach is used to investigate the effect of flow on the acoustic attenuation characteristics of perforated tube silencers. The numerical predictions demonstrate that the mean flow increases the transmission loss, especially at higher frequencies, and shifts the transmission loss curve to lower frequencies.