Microwave-assisted synthesis, anticonvulsant activity and quantum mechanical modelling of N-（4-bromo-3-methylphenyl） semicarbazones

Objective： To study the effect of halo substitution on disubstituted aryl semicarbazones on the anticonvulsant potential and model the activity based on quantum mechanics. Methods： A series of twenty-six compounds of N^4-（4-bromo-3-methylphenyl） semicarbazones were synthesized and evaluated for the anticonvulsant activity in the maximal electroshock seizure （MES） and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole （scPTZ） seizure threshold tests. Some potential compounds were also tested in the subcutaneous strychnine （scSTY） and subcutaneous picrotoxin （scPIC） seizure threshold tests. The synthesized compounds were tested for behavioral impairment and CNS （central nervous system） depression in mice. Quantum mechanical modelling was carried out on these compounds to gain understanding on the structural features essential for activity. Results： Some compounds possessed broad spectrum anticonvulsant activity as indicated by their effect in pentylenetetrazole, strychnine, picrotoxin and maximal electroshock seizures models in resemblance to other aryl semicarbazone derivatives reported earlier. The higher the difference in HOMO （highest occupied molecular orbital） and LUMO （lowest unoccupied molecular orbital） energy levels was, the greater was the activity profile. Conclusion： The pharmacophoric requirements for compounds to exhibit anticonvulsant activity that includes one aryl unit in proximity to a hydrogen donor-acceptor domain and an electron donor have been justified with the molecular orbital surface analysis of the synthesized compounds.     

Genetic analysis of fruit shape traits at different maturation stages in sponge gourd

The fruit shape is important quantitative trait closely related to the fruit quality. However, the genetic model of fruit shapes has not been proposed. Therefore, in the present study, analysis of genetic effects for fruit shape traits （fruit length and fruit perimeter） in sponge gourd was conducted by employing a developmental genetic model including fruit direct effects and maternal effects. Analysis approaches of unconditional and conditional variances were applied to evaluate the genetic behavior of fruit shape traits at economical and physiological maturation times. The results of variance analysis indicated that fruit length and fruit perimeter were simultaneously affected by fruit direct genetic effects and maternal effects. Fruit direct genetic effects were relatively more important for fruit shape traits at whole developmental period. The gene expression was most active at the economical maturation stage （1-12 d after flowering） for two shape traits, and the activation of gene was mostly due to direct dominance effects at physiological maturation stage （13-60 datter flowering）. The coefficients due to different genetic effects, as well as the phenotypic correlation coefficients, varied significantly between fruit shape traits themselves at various maturation stages. The results showed that it was relatively easy to improve fruit shape traits for industrial purpose by carefully selecting the parents at economical maturation stage instead of that at physiological maturation stage.     

Teachers' education, classroom quality, and young children's academic skills: results from seven studies of preschool programs

In an effort to provide high-quality preschool education, policymakers are increasingly requiring public preschool teachers to have at least a Bachelor's degree, preferably in early childhood education. Seven major studies of early care and education were used to predict classroom quality and children's academic outcomes from the educational attainment and major of teachers of 4-year-olds. The findings indicate largely null or contradictory associations, indicating that policies focused solely on increasing teachers' education will not suffice for improving classroom quality or maximizing children's academic gains. Instead, raising the effectiveness of early childhood education likely will require a broad range of professional development activities and supports targeted toward teachers' interactions with children.     

Improbable or impossible? How children reason about the possibility of extraordinary events

The present study investigated the development of possibility-judgment strategies between the ages of 4 and 8. In Experiment 1, 48 children and 16 adults were asked whether a variety of extraordinary events could or could not occur in real life. Although children of all ages denied the possibility of events that adults also judged impossible, children frequently denied the possibility of events that adults judged improbable but not impossible. Three additional experiments varied the manner in which possibility judgments were elicited and confirmed the robustness of preschoolers' tendency to judge improbable events impossible. Overall, it is argued that children initially mistake their inability to imagine circumstances that would allow an event to occur for evidence that no such circumstances exist.     

Locus and nature of perceptual phonological deficit in Spanish children with reading disabilities

The aims of this study were (a) to determine whether Spanish children with reading disabilities (RD) show a speech perception deficit and (b) to explore the locus and nature of this perceptive deficit. A group of 29 children with RD, 41 chronological age-matched controls, and 27 reading ability-matched younger controls were tested on tasks of speech perception. The effect of linguistic unit (word vs. syllable) and type of phonetic contrast (voicing, place and manner of articulation) were analyzed in terms of the number of errors and the response time. The results revealed a speech perception deficit in Spanish children with RD that was independent of the type of phonetic contrast and of linguistic unit.     

Improving credibility assessment in child sexual abuse allegations: the role of the NICHD investigative interview protocol

OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to explore whether the credibility of children's statements regarding their alleged experiences of child sexual abuse could be assessed in a more valid and reliable way when investigative interviews were conducted using the NICHD protocol rather than in an unstructured manner. METHODS: Forty-two experienced Israeli youth investigators each assessed the credibility of allegations of sexual abuse made by alleged victims of sexual abuse when interviewed either with or without the protocol. Half of the alleged incidents were judged likely to have happened ("plausible") on the basis of independent evidence, while half were deemed unlikely to have happened ("implausible"). RESULTS: More non-protocol than protocol interviews were rated as "No judgment possible" rather than either credible or incredible. Allegations made in protocol interviews were more accurately rated as credible or incredible when they were either plausible or implausible, respectively, than those made in non-protocol statements. Levels of inter-rater reliability were also higher when protocol interviews were rated. The differences were significant only for plausible cases, however. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the NICHD protocol facilitated the assessment of credibility by child investigators although incredible allegations (those describing incidents that were unlikely to have happened) remained difficult to detect, even when the protocol was used.     

桂林街9号

作为这座城市最陈旧的居民区,承载了林囡囡十九年心事的桂林街终于要拆了。林囡囡踩着一双破了个洞的帆布鞋,一遍遍反复丈量着街道,在每一棵桃树下收集着失落的往事、失落的老林、失落的赵小春．和失落的母亲。     

美国优质网络课程的案例介绍

近十年来,我国高校网络课程建设成果显著,但其中暴露出的理论与实践相脱离的现象也比较严重。通过介绍美国德克萨斯A&M大学Dooley教授开设的网络课程《远程教育的高级方法》,尝试剖析其作为优质网络课程在管理平台、教学设计、交互安排、评价方法以及支持服务等方面所具有的特征,以期与国内远程教育的研究者和实践者分享经验。     

‘灿烂’品种兔眼蓝莓花青素提取物在体内的抗氧化活性（英文）

蓝莓富含花青素等酚类化合物,具有良好的保健功能。本研究旨在研究从‘灿烂’品种兔眼蓝莓中提取的蓝莓花青素在小鼠体内的抗氧化活性。C57BL/6J健康雄性小鼠被分成不同剂量组,各组蓝莓花青素提取物（BAE）浓度分别为100、400和800 mg/kg。在不同时间点（0.1、0.5、1、2、4、8和12 h）将小鼠处死,收集其血浆、眼球、肠、肝和脂肪组织,比较其抗氧化活性,测定指标包括总抗氧化能力（T-AOC）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-PX/GPX）含量,以及氧化应激标志物丙二醛（MDA）水平。结果表明：蓝莓花青素在小鼠体内具有良好的抗氧化活性,并呈浓度依赖性,BAE浓度越高,T-AOC值越高,MDA水平越低。抗氧化酶SOD活性、GSH-PX含量以及Cu,Zn-SOD、Mn-SOD和GPX的m RNA水平均证实,BAE在小鼠消化后通过改善其抗氧化防御系统发挥抗氧化作用。蓝莓花青素提取物的体内抗氧化活性表明,蓝莓花青素可以被开发成功能性食品或营养配料,用于预防或治疗氧化应激相关的疾病。     

中俄跨境合作：未实现的历史机遇(二)

在俄罗斯国家漫长的历史进程中,对地理位置偏远、经济欠发达东部地区的开发利用始终是国家需要面对的现实问题,行之有效的方法之一便是跨境合作。许多拥有共同边界,但彼此并没有一体化责任的国家均把跨境合作的理念和实践作为国家发展的“武器”(手段)。无论是拥有共同边界,还是邻国的积极响应,这些因素都无法保证跨境合作取得成功,也无法保障边境地区经济发展取得成效。俄罗斯远东地区跨境合作的发展进程,关键在于中俄跨境合作。中俄边境跨境合作的最新状况是深入理解当代中俄关系和中俄边境合作的共同规律和发展特点的重要支点。中俄边境合作的主要发展趋势和特点表现为“从自然上升到有序衰落”的过程。形成这一过程的主要因素是俄罗斯政府对远东地区实行严格监管政策,并且通过对俄罗斯远东地区与周边国家跨境合作的中心化和集中化体现出来。