New scientific experiments can be inspired by a simple question, and in the case of John Mercer, that question was, "So, John, do toning shoes work?"

新的科学技术实验往往是由一些简单的问题推动的，就约翰·莫瑟而言，那么这个问题就是，“约翰，塑身鞋真的有效吗？”

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The process was discovered by John Mercer in 1850 when he noticed that cotton undergoes a general swelling and shrinking when it is treated with caustic soda solution.

该工艺是杰恩·默瑟在1850年发明的，他发现棉经过苛性钠处理后，会有膨胀和收缩现象。

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"There is no need for this, " John Mercer from the NFU told me.

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John Hawkins of Mercer, an actuarial firm, reckons that premiums have fallen by 10-20% over the past 18 months and Paternoster, a new specialist insurance company, puts the drop at about 8% in the first quarter alone (though premiums rose again by 3% in April).

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The eastern suburbs have been home to many of Seattle's wealthy residents since the late 1800s, but the software boom in the 1990s sparked new interest in Medina, Bellevue and Mercer Island, says John Deely, principal managing broker at Coldwell Banker Bain based in Seattle.

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