Introduction: Orthostatic Hypotension (OH) is a frequent situation during consultation in hypertensive patients. The prevalence in the general population increases with age and it is recommended to systematically...Introduction: Orthostatic Hypotension (OH) is a frequent situation during consultation in hypertensive patients. The prevalence in the general population increases with age and it is recommended to systematically search for it in patients with multiple comorbidities. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension;describe their socio- demographic profile, the various clinical and paraclinical aspects and the predisposing factors of orthostatic hypotension in treated hypertensives, controlled or not. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, from January 2 to June 30, 2022 in the cardiology department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital. Included in this study were all patients who presented with orthostatic hypotension under antihypertensive treatment, regardless of age and sex, and who agreed to participate in the study. The non-inclusion criteria were hypertensive patients without OH and those who had not agreed to participate in the study. Each patient had blood pressure and heart rate measured in the supine position at room temperature and with an empty bladder. Then the measurement is taken again three (3) minutes after the switch to orthostatism. We retained the diagnosis of OH if the SBP drops by at least 20 mmHg and/or the PAD by at least 10 mmHg three (3) min after the transition to orthostatism. Our data obtained were analyzed in the Epi-info 7.4.0 software. Results: During our study period, we investigated 385 presented with OH, 12.2%. The mean age of the patients was 60.83 years ± 10.01 years and hypertensive patients, 47 of whom the M/F sex ratio was 0.81. In our study, blood pressure was not controlled in 36.2% of our patients with a predominance of grade 3 hypertension, a rate of 55.32%. Renal failure, anemia, heart failure and stroke were the main comorbidities associated with the occurrence of HO. The most incriminated factors were age with a frequency of 74.47%, followed by obesity at 44.68% and diabetes at 27.66%. BP was normally controlled with a rate of 68.8% in treated hypertensive patients with OH. It is found much more in patients using triple therapy, a rate of 61.71%. Conclusion: The prevalence of OH is high in our department. It is found much more in patients using triple therapy. The most incriminated factors were age followed by obesity and diabetes.展开更多
Earthquake-triggered landslides have aroused widespread attention because of their tremendous ability to harm people's lives and properties.The best way to avoid and mitigate their damage is to develop landslide h...Earthquake-triggered landslides have aroused widespread attention because of their tremendous ability to harm people's lives and properties.The best way to avoid and mitigate their damage is to develop landslide hazard maps and make them available to the public in advance of an earthquake.Future construction can then be built according to the level of hazard and existing structures can be retrofit as necessary.During recent years various approaches have been made to develop landslide hazard maps using statistical analysis or physical models.However,these methods have limitations.This study introduces a new GIS-based approach,using the contributing weight model,to evaluate the hazard of seismically-induced landslides.In this study,the city and surrounding area of Dujiangyan was selected as the research area because of its moderate-high seismic activity.The parameters incorporated into the model that related to the probability of landslide occurrence were:slope gradient,slope aspect,geomorphology,lithology,base level,surface roughness,earthquake intensity,fault proximity,drainage proximity,and road proximity.The parameters were converted into raster data format with a resolution of 25×25m2 pixels.Analysis of the GIS correlations shows that the highest earthquake-induced landslide hazard areas are mainly in the hills and in some of the moderately steep mountainous areas of central Dujiangyan.The highest hazard zone covers an area of 11.1% of the study area,and the density distribution of seismically-induced landslides was 3.025/km2 from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.The moderately hazardous areas are mainly distributed within the moderately steep mountainous regions of the northern and southeastern parts of the study area and the hills of the northeastern part;covering 32.0% of the study area and with a density distribution of 2.123/km2 resulting from the Wenchuan earthquake.The lowest hazard areas are mainly distributed in the topographically flat plain in the northeastern part and some of the relatively gently slopes in the moderately steep mountainous areas of the northern part of Dujiangyan and the surrounding area.The lowest hazard areas cover 56.9% of the study area and exhibited landslide densities of 0.941/km2 and less from the Wenchuan earthquake.The quality of the hazard map was validated using a comparison with the distribution of landslides that were cataloged as occurring from the Wenchuan earthquake.43.1% of the study area consists of high and moderate hazardous zones,and these regions include 83.5% of landslides caused by the Wenchuan earthquake.The successful analysis shows that the contributing weight model can be effective for earthquake-triggered landslide hazard appraisal.The model's results can provide the basis for risk management and regional planning is.展开更多
The Grand Canal (Hangzhou section), People's Republic of China, has been highly contaminated by heavy metals from both industrial and municipal sources since 1950s. This study investigated the distribution of heav...The Grand Canal (Hangzhou section), People's Republic of China, has been highly contaminated by heavy metals from both industrial and municipal sources since 1950s. This study investigated the distribution of heavy metals including As, Cr, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The results showed that these metals are largely accumulated in the top 0 3 meter layer of the river sediment.Despite the contamination, heavy metal concentrations in solution are increased in some locations only. The only exception is Zn whose concentrations are extremely high both in solution and in the top layer sediment. The top layer sediment appears to have reached almost its sorption capacity with respect to aqueous Zn. The extent of contamination is in the sequence of Zn>Cu>Pb>As>Cd. It is speculated that Cu distribution has been significantly affected by its binding to organic matter in the top layer sediment. Based on Pb distribution in both water and sediment, it is suggested that Pb transport in the canal is associated with colloids or particles suspended in water. The study showed that the top layer sediment in the Grand Canal serves as a sink to anthropogenic contaminants consisting of heavy metals as well as organic compounds.展开更多
Huntington’s disease（HD）is an autosomal dominant,monogenic,progressive,neurodegenerative and rare disease with a frequency of10 per 100,000 in the Caucasian population and occurring more rarely in other races（Squi...Huntington’s disease（HD）is an autosomal dominant,monogenic,progressive,neurodegenerative and rare disease with a frequency of10 per 100,000 in the Caucasian population and occurring more rarely in other races（Squitieri et al.,1994）.HD is,nevertheless,one of the most frequently and extensively studied diseases of those caused by a dynamic mutation.The HD mutation is located on the short arm of the 4th chromosome within the HTT gene.展开更多
The audit expectation gap is critical to the auditing profession because the greater the unfulfilled expectations from the public, the lower is the credibility, earning potential and prestige associated with the work...The audit expectation gap is critical to the auditing profession because the greater the unfulfilled expectations from the public, the lower is the credibility, earning potential and prestige associated with the work of auditors. The aim of this paper is to uncover the causes of an audit expectation gap. It is revealed that the existence of an audit expectation gap is due to complicated nature of an audit function; conflicting role of auditors; retrospective evaluation of auditors＇ performance; time lag in responding to changing expectation; and self-regulation process of the auditing profession.展开更多
The objective of our study was to study the epidemiological, etiological and contributory factors of maternal deaths in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the regional hospital center (RHC) of Ouahigouya from...The objective of our study was to study the epidemiological, etiological and contributory factors of maternal deaths in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the regional hospital center (RHC) of Ouahigouya from 2013 to 2015. We carried out a descriptive and analytical study on maternal deaths in maternity of the RHC of Ouahigouya, including all patients who died in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the RHC of Ouahigouya from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015, which meets WHO’s definition of maternal death. We recorded 151 maternal deaths and 5481 live births, a maternal mortality ratio of 2755 per 100,000 live births. The most affected women were women aged 20 - 24 years (27.8%), multiparous (25.5%), married women (88.7%) and those without income-generating activities (85.4%). The main causes of death from direct obstetrical complications were hemorrhage (38.3%), infections (21.5%), abortions (16.8%) and complications of hypertension disorders (15.8%) and for indirect obstetrical complications, malaria (36.6%), anemia (29.5%), and HIV/AIDS (9.1%). Contributing factors to maternal deaths prior to admission were delay in referral (33.3%) and delay in transfer (31.5%) and delay in admission (32.8%) and delay in diagnosis (23.4). From our study, it appears elsewhere as well as that most maternal deaths are preventable, hence the need for coordinated actions to effectively fight against maternal mortality.展开更多
Organic-inorganic nanojunctions can result in a selective scattering of charge carrier depending on their energy, which leads to a simultaneous increase in the Seebeck coefficient S and the power factor. In this work,...Organic-inorganic nanojunctions can result in a selective scattering of charge carrier depending on their energy, which leads to a simultaneous increase in the Seebeck coefficient S and the power factor. In this work, the nanojunction is successfully employed at the organic-inorganic semiconductor interface of polyparaphenylene （PPP） and Zn1-xAgxO nanoparticles through the sol-gel method. The presence of nanoinclusions PPP in Zno.gAgoa 0 matrix is found to be effective in improving the figure of merit （ZT） by the dual effects of an increase in the power factor consistent with the heterojunetion effect and a reduction in thermal conductivity. Zno.gAgo.10/0.1 wt% PPP exhibits a maximum figure of merit, i.e., ZT= 0.22.展开更多
This study investigated the crash contributing factors to the injury outcomes and the characteristics of the night time crashes at freeway mainline segments. Multinomial logit model (MNL) was selected to estimate the ...This study investigated the crash contributing factors to the injury outcomes and the characteristics of the night time crashes at freeway mainline segments. Multinomial logit model (MNL) was selected to estimate the explanatory variables at a 95% confidence level. The six-year crash data (2005-2010) were obtained in the State of Florida, USA and five injury level outcomes, no injury, possible injury, non-incapacitating injury, capacitating injury, and fatal injury, were considered. The no injury level was selected as the baseline category.展开更多
Arsenic in drinking water is a worldwide health problem that is associated with cardiovascular disease, but the cause is currently unknown. In order to examine whether arsenic affects vasomotor tone in blood vessels, ...Arsenic in drinking water is a worldwide health problem that is associated with cardiovascular disease, but the cause is currently unknown. In order to examine whether arsenic affects vasomotor tone in blood vessels, we investigated the effect of arsenic on agonist-induced vasorelaxation and vasoconstriction using the isolated rat aortic rings in in vitro organ bath system. Treatment with inorganic arsenite (AsⅢ) inhibited acetylcholine-induced relaxation of aortic rings by inhibiting production of nitric oxide in endothelium.展开更多
As the"Belt and Road"is gaining ground with higher quality,China’s think tanks have played a unique role in facilitating policy communication,enhancing people-to-people connectivity and promoting practical ...As the"Belt and Road"is gaining ground with higher quality,China’s think tanks have played a unique role in facilitating policy communication,enhancing people-to-people connectivity and promoting practical cooperation,and have contributed a lot of"Chinese wisdom"to the development of BRI.展开更多
Most of the existing literature on the emergence of new consumption and its essence is based on the discussion of micro consumption phenomena. This paper takes new consumption phenomena in the digital media-dominated ...Most of the existing literature on the emergence of new consumption and its essence is based on the discussion of micro consumption phenomena. This paper takes new consumption phenomena in the digital media-dominated polymedia environment as the object of study to review the theoretical history of “mediatization,” and explores new consumption’s emergence, essence, and related issues systematically through deductive reasoning. More specifically, this paper is to first interpret the mediatization theory and then analyze two dimensions(i.e., the formation of mediatized consumption and the resultant reinvention of practice rules) from the perspective of media affordances. On this basis, we conclude mediatized consumption’s essence, forms, and practice rules. This study indicates that new consumption is essentially mediatized consumption, which concerns “media-shaped consumption” and “consumption-shaped media,” and that new consumption has two representations;consumption-oriented media and banal consumption. Media affordances make new consumption fields human-oriented, connecting “people” and “things,” and are becoming a major contributor to the formation of mediatized consumption. Thus, the practice rules concerning “people, goods, and fields” in the new consumption sector are reinvented;the social interactions in the “middle region” are highlighted;the imaginative, narrative, and social characteristics of goods are emphasized;and the cross-field integration of consumption is realized.展开更多
MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are a class of endogenous small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. Recent studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of hypertrophy.We in...MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are a class of endogenous small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. Recent studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of hypertrophy.We investigated miR-16 expression and their potential roles in a rat model of hypertrophy induced by abdominal artery constriction (AAC).miR-16 expression was significantly decreased, and CCND1 and CCND2 protein were markedly increased without obvious change of its mRNA level after hypertrophy induction.CCND1 and CCND2 levels were increased without changing their transcript levels in neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes(NRVC) induced by PE,and miR-16 was down-regulated in this process with significantly up-regulatedβ-MHC,ANF and MLC-2 expression.Conversely,introduction of functional miR-16,CCND1 siRNA or CCND2 siRNA into NRVCs could repress cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.These results implicate that miR-16 is involved in contributing to cardiac hypertrophy,one of the mechanisms may be resulted from post-transcriptional regulation of CCND1 and CCND2.展开更多
<strong>Background:</strong> Erectile dysfunction, which is defined as difficult to attain and maintain an erectile function enough to permit sufficient sexual performance, is accepted to be a big problem ...<strong>Background:</strong> Erectile dysfunction, which is defined as difficult to attain and maintain an erectile function enough to permit sufficient sexual performance, is accepted to be a big problem especially among diabetic patients. <strong>Objective </strong>To assess the Magnitude and factors contributing to Erectile Dysfunction Among Diabetic men attending the diabetic clinic in Debre Tabor Comprehensive and Specialized hospital, North West Ethiopia. <strong>Methods:</strong> Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 362 participants in Debre Tabor Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital from August - December 2020 using systematic random sampling technique. Data were analyzed with SPSS Version 23. Binary and multivariable logistic regressions were done to identify factors which were contributing to erectile dysfunction. P-value < 0.05 and the corresponding 95% CI of odds ratios were considered to declare the result as statistically significant. <strong>Results:</strong> Three hundred sixty-two diabetes patients participating in the study with the mean age being 44.4 ± 14.47 (range: 18 - 78) years were interviewed. The majority (59.7% with CI: 54.4:64.6) of the diabetes patients suffered from erectile dysfunction and 13.3% (95% CI 17.8% - 26.8%) were found to have severe erectile dysfunction. Bi-variable analysis showed duration of diabetes (>10 years), type of diabetes (type II), physical exercise, drinking alcohol, BMI, blood glucose, and blood pressure were associated with erectile dysfunction at 5% level (p ≤ 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that duration of diabetes 10 years (AOR = 6.2, 95% CI: 2.78 - 13.85, p = 0.001), co-existing hypertension (AOR: 3.59, 95% CI: 1.58 - 8.19, p = 0.002), physically inactive (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.53 - 8.31, p = 0.003), unsafe level alcohol intake (AOR: 3.09;95% CI 1.45 - 6.59*, p = 0.003) and raised blood glucose (AOR: 15.26, 95% CI: 7.82 - 29.77, p = 0.004) were independent risk factors but no association was found with other variables. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The magnitude of erectile dysfunction in this study population was 59.7% and associated with the type of diabetes;duration of diabetic, physical exercise, alcohol drinking, increase in blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose level were independently correlated with erectile dysfunction.展开更多
XUE Huifeng,Editor in Chief of Aerospace China,accepted an interview by Mara Hvistendahl,a contributing editor of the journal Science on August30,2017,whereby he introduced the thought,theory and application of the Ch...XUE Huifeng,Editor in Chief of Aerospace China,accepted an interview by Mara Hvistendahl,a contributing editor of the journal Science on August30,2017,whereby he introduced the thought,theory and application of the Chinese school of systems engineering as well as the development of QIAN Xuesen think tank.The origin,foundation,展开更多
Keeping young children healthy can be challenging at the best of times, as Li Haijie, a 34-year-old mother of two knows only too well. For example, to have her first child vaccinated, she had to queue for hours in a c...Keeping young children healthy can be challenging at the best of times, as Li Haijie, a 34-year-old mother of two knows only too well. For example, to have her first child vaccinated, she had to queue for hours in a crowded. noisy room, in her hometown of Jining, in east China＇s Shandong Province.展开更多
AFTER his son was diagnosed with acute leukemia in 2013, a man known by the pseudonym Liu Hal sold all of his property to pay for his treatments. But. after two bone marrow transplants in the ensuing three years, part...AFTER his son was diagnosed with acute leukemia in 2013, a man known by the pseudonym Liu Hal sold all of his property to pay for his treatments. But. after two bone marrow transplants in the ensuing three years, part of which were funded by donations via an online charity platform established by Tencent Holdings Ltd.展开更多
Objective To evaluate the risk factors of myasthenic crisis (MC) after thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) . Methods A retrospective study was conducted in 84 patients with MG from July 1995 to December 2009. The fo...Objective To evaluate the risk factors of myasthenic crisis (MC) after thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) . Methods A retrospective study was conducted in 84 patients with MG from July 1995 to December 2009. The following factors were evaluated: sex,age,history of preoperative myasthenic crisis,Ossermen classification, steroid hormones use and anticholinesterase drugs before operation,operation methods,operation time,thymoma,展开更多
Purpose:A social question & answer(SQA) community's long-term sustainability depends on its members' willingness to stay and contribute their knowledge continuously in the community.This research aims to i...Purpose:A social question & answer(SQA) community's long-term sustainability depends on its members' willingness to stay and contribute their knowledge continuously in the community.This research aims to investigate the critical factors which influence users' intention to continue contributing knowledge in the SQA community.Design/methodology/approach:Grounded on information systems(IS) continuance theory,this study put forward a model of the factors that influence SQA community members' intention to continue contributing knowledge.Survey was conducted to gather data from knowledge contributors of four major Chinese SQA communities(Baidu Knows,Sina iAsk,Soso Ask and Yahoo! Knowledge).By using the partial least squares(PLS) technique,research hypotheses derived from the proposed model were empirically validated.Findings:Except enjoyment in helping others and knowledge self-efficacy,all other factors including extrinsic reward,reputation enhancement,realization of self-worth,perceived usefulness,attitude towards knowledge contribution,and satisfaction exert significant impacts on users' continuance intentions in an SQA community.Research limitations:First,important factors such as the ease of use of information systems which may influence users' continuance intentions were not investigated in the study.Second,the study sample needs to be enlarged,and users of smaller SQA communities should also be included,to make the results more representative.Practical implications:This study will help SQA community designers and managers develop or improve incentive mechanisms to attract more people to contribute their knowledge and promote the development of the SQA community.Originality/value:This study improves the previous research models and puts forward a model of user continuance intention to contribute knowledge in an SQA community.It will extend the understanding of SQA community users' intention to continue contributing knowledge by distinguishing these users' different roles and focusing only on knowledge contributors.展开更多
A decline in atmospheric oxygen concentration is projected in the 21st century given the background of global warming.The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is located at a high altitude,and thus,it faces a hypoxia challenge;how...A decline in atmospheric oxygen concentration is projected in the 21st century given the background of global warming.The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is located at a high altitude,and thus,it faces a hypoxia challenge;however,knowledge of the factors contributing to its atmospheric oxygen concentration is still lacking.Here,we conducted joint observations of ecosystem oxygen production and carbon sinks and near-surface atmospheric oxygen concentrations on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and meteorological elements at Beijing Fangshan Station.Using seasonal differences and statistical methods,we calculated the relative contribution rates of vegetation to changes in atmospheric oxygen concentration.Our results indicate that solar radiation,atmospheric humidity,and ecosystem oxygen consumption and production have a significant impact on the atmospheric oxygen concentration,and the impact shows temporal and spatial differences.Vegetation significantly impacts the oxygen concentration,with a contribution rate of 16.7%–24.5%,which is underestimated in existing research.Our findings provide important insights into the factors that influence atmospheric oxygen concentration and highlight the contribution of vegetation.To better understand the oxygen dynamics of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,we recommend further field observations of soil respiration and vegetation photosynthesis to clarify the contributions of carbon storage,carbon sinks and other factors to the near-surface atmospheric oxygen concentration.展开更多
文摘Introduction: Orthostatic Hypotension (OH) is a frequent situation during consultation in hypertensive patients. The prevalence in the general population increases with age and it is recommended to systematically search for it in patients with multiple comorbidities. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension;describe their socio- demographic profile, the various clinical and paraclinical aspects and the predisposing factors of orthostatic hypotension in treated hypertensives, controlled or not. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, from January 2 to June 30, 2022 in the cardiology department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital. Included in this study were all patients who presented with orthostatic hypotension under antihypertensive treatment, regardless of age and sex, and who agreed to participate in the study. The non-inclusion criteria were hypertensive patients without OH and those who had not agreed to participate in the study. Each patient had blood pressure and heart rate measured in the supine position at room temperature and with an empty bladder. Then the measurement is taken again three (3) minutes after the switch to orthostatism. We retained the diagnosis of OH if the SBP drops by at least 20 mmHg and/or the PAD by at least 10 mmHg three (3) min after the transition to orthostatism. Our data obtained were analyzed in the Epi-info 7.4.0 software. Results: During our study period, we investigated 385 presented with OH, 12.2%. The mean age of the patients was 60.83 years ± 10.01 years and hypertensive patients, 47 of whom the M/F sex ratio was 0.81. In our study, blood pressure was not controlled in 36.2% of our patients with a predominance of grade 3 hypertension, a rate of 55.32%. Renal failure, anemia, heart failure and stroke were the main comorbidities associated with the occurrence of HO. The most incriminated factors were age with a frequency of 74.47%, followed by obesity at 44.68% and diabetes at 27.66%. BP was normally controlled with a rate of 68.8% in treated hypertensive patients with OH. It is found much more in patients using triple therapy, a rate of 61.71%. Conclusion: The prevalence of OH is high in our department. It is found much more in patients using triple therapy. The most incriminated factors were age followed by obesity and diabetes.
基金supported by the 973 Program of China (Grant No.2008CB425802)the International Cooperation Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No.2007DFA21150 and 2009DFB20196)
文摘Earthquake-triggered landslides have aroused widespread attention because of their tremendous ability to harm people's lives and properties.The best way to avoid and mitigate their damage is to develop landslide hazard maps and make them available to the public in advance of an earthquake.Future construction can then be built according to the level of hazard and existing structures can be retrofit as necessary.During recent years various approaches have been made to develop landslide hazard maps using statistical analysis or physical models.However,these methods have limitations.This study introduces a new GIS-based approach,using the contributing weight model,to evaluate the hazard of seismically-induced landslides.In this study,the city and surrounding area of Dujiangyan was selected as the research area because of its moderate-high seismic activity.The parameters incorporated into the model that related to the probability of landslide occurrence were:slope gradient,slope aspect,geomorphology,lithology,base level,surface roughness,earthquake intensity,fault proximity,drainage proximity,and road proximity.The parameters were converted into raster data format with a resolution of 25×25m2 pixels.Analysis of the GIS correlations shows that the highest earthquake-induced landslide hazard areas are mainly in the hills and in some of the moderately steep mountainous areas of central Dujiangyan.The highest hazard zone covers an area of 11.1% of the study area,and the density distribution of seismically-induced landslides was 3.025/km2 from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.The moderately hazardous areas are mainly distributed within the moderately steep mountainous regions of the northern and southeastern parts of the study area and the hills of the northeastern part;covering 32.0% of the study area and with a density distribution of 2.123/km2 resulting from the Wenchuan earthquake.The lowest hazard areas are mainly distributed in the topographically flat plain in the northeastern part and some of the relatively gently slopes in the moderately steep mountainous areas of the northern part of Dujiangyan and the surrounding area.The lowest hazard areas cover 56.9% of the study area and exhibited landslide densities of 0.941/km2 and less from the Wenchuan earthquake.The quality of the hazard map was validated using a comparison with the distribution of landslides that were cataloged as occurring from the Wenchuan earthquake.43.1% of the study area consists of high and moderate hazardous zones,and these regions include 83.5% of landslides caused by the Wenchuan earthquake.The successful analysis shows that the contributing weight model can be effective for earthquake-triggered landslide hazard appraisal.The model's results can provide the basis for risk management and regional planning is.
文摘The Grand Canal (Hangzhou section), People's Republic of China, has been highly contaminated by heavy metals from both industrial and municipal sources since 1950s. This study investigated the distribution of heavy metals including As, Cr, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The results showed that these metals are largely accumulated in the top 0 3 meter layer of the river sediment.Despite the contamination, heavy metal concentrations in solution are increased in some locations only. The only exception is Zn whose concentrations are extremely high both in solution and in the top layer sediment. The top layer sediment appears to have reached almost its sorption capacity with respect to aqueous Zn. The extent of contamination is in the sequence of Zn>Cu>Pb>As>Cd. It is speculated that Cu distribution has been significantly affected by its binding to organic matter in the top layer sediment. Based on Pb distribution in both water and sediment, it is suggested that Pb transport in the canal is associated with colloids or particles suspended in water. The study showed that the top layer sediment in the Grand Canal serves as a sink to anthropogenic contaminants consisting of heavy metals as well as organic compounds.
文摘Huntington’s disease（HD）is an autosomal dominant,monogenic,progressive,neurodegenerative and rare disease with a frequency of10 per 100,000 in the Caucasian population and occurring more rarely in other races（Squitieri et al.,1994）.HD is,nevertheless,one of the most frequently and extensively studied diseases of those caused by a dynamic mutation.The HD mutation is located on the short arm of the 4th chromosome within the HTT gene.
文摘The audit expectation gap is critical to the auditing profession because the greater the unfulfilled expectations from the public, the lower is the credibility, earning potential and prestige associated with the work of auditors. The aim of this paper is to uncover the causes of an audit expectation gap. It is revealed that the existence of an audit expectation gap is due to complicated nature of an audit function; conflicting role of auditors; retrospective evaluation of auditors＇ performance; time lag in responding to changing expectation; and self-regulation process of the auditing profession.
文摘The objective of our study was to study the epidemiological, etiological and contributory factors of maternal deaths in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the regional hospital center (RHC) of Ouahigouya from 2013 to 2015. We carried out a descriptive and analytical study on maternal deaths in maternity of the RHC of Ouahigouya, including all patients who died in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the RHC of Ouahigouya from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015, which meets WHO’s definition of maternal death. We recorded 151 maternal deaths and 5481 live births, a maternal mortality ratio of 2755 per 100,000 live births. The most affected women were women aged 20 - 24 years (27.8%), multiparous (25.5%), married women (88.7%) and those without income-generating activities (85.4%). The main causes of death from direct obstetrical complications were hemorrhage (38.3%), infections (21.5%), abortions (16.8%) and complications of hypertension disorders (15.8%) and for indirect obstetrical complications, malaria (36.6%), anemia (29.5%), and HIV/AIDS (9.1%). Contributing factors to maternal deaths prior to admission were delay in referral (33.3%) and delay in transfer (31.5%) and delay in admission (32.8%) and delay in diagnosis (23.4). From our study, it appears elsewhere as well as that most maternal deaths are preventable, hence the need for coordinated actions to effectively fight against maternal mortality.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 51476095 and 51206103the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission under Grant No 13YZ128the Program for Professor of Special Appointment(Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning
文摘Organic-inorganic nanojunctions can result in a selective scattering of charge carrier depending on their energy, which leads to a simultaneous increase in the Seebeck coefficient S and the power factor. In this work, the nanojunction is successfully employed at the organic-inorganic semiconductor interface of polyparaphenylene （PPP） and Zn1-xAgxO nanoparticles through the sol-gel method. The presence of nanoinclusions PPP in Zno.gAgoa 0 matrix is found to be effective in improving the figure of merit （ZT） by the dual effects of an increase in the power factor consistent with the heterojunetion effect and a reduction in thermal conductivity. Zno.gAgo.10/0.1 wt% PPP exhibits a maximum figure of merit, i.e., ZT= 0.22.
文摘This study investigated the crash contributing factors to the injury outcomes and the characteristics of the night time crashes at freeway mainline segments. Multinomial logit model (MNL) was selected to estimate the explanatory variables at a 95% confidence level. The six-year crash data (2005-2010) were obtained in the State of Florida, USA and five injury level outcomes, no injury, possible injury, non-incapacitating injury, capacitating injury, and fatal injury, were considered. The no injury level was selected as the baseline category.
文摘Arsenic in drinking water is a worldwide health problem that is associated with cardiovascular disease, but the cause is currently unknown. In order to examine whether arsenic affects vasomotor tone in blood vessels, we investigated the effect of arsenic on agonist-induced vasorelaxation and vasoconstriction using the isolated rat aortic rings in in vitro organ bath system. Treatment with inorganic arsenite (AsⅢ) inhibited acetylcholine-induced relaxation of aortic rings by inhibiting production of nitric oxide in endothelium.
文摘As the"Belt and Road"is gaining ground with higher quality,China’s think tanks have played a unique role in facilitating policy communication,enhancing people-to-people connectivity and promoting practical cooperation,and have contributed a lot of"Chinese wisdom"to the development of BRI.
基金a phased research result of the“New Changes in Media and New Consumerism”(18BXW085)a program funded by the National Social Science Fund of China(NSSFC)。
文摘Most of the existing literature on the emergence of new consumption and its essence is based on the discussion of micro consumption phenomena. This paper takes new consumption phenomena in the digital media-dominated polymedia environment as the object of study to review the theoretical history of “mediatization,” and explores new consumption’s emergence, essence, and related issues systematically through deductive reasoning. More specifically, this paper is to first interpret the mediatization theory and then analyze two dimensions(i.e., the formation of mediatized consumption and the resultant reinvention of practice rules) from the perspective of media affordances. On this basis, we conclude mediatized consumption’s essence, forms, and practice rules. This study indicates that new consumption is essentially mediatized consumption, which concerns “media-shaped consumption” and “consumption-shaped media,” and that new consumption has two representations;consumption-oriented media and banal consumption. Media affordances make new consumption fields human-oriented, connecting “people” and “things,” and are becoming a major contributor to the formation of mediatized consumption. Thus, the practice rules concerning “people, goods, and fields” in the new consumption sector are reinvented;the social interactions in the “middle region” are highlighted;the imaginative, narrative, and social characteristics of goods are emphasized;and the cross-field integration of consumption is realized.
文摘MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are a class of endogenous small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. Recent studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of hypertrophy.We investigated miR-16 expression and their potential roles in a rat model of hypertrophy induced by abdominal artery constriction (AAC).miR-16 expression was significantly decreased, and CCND1 and CCND2 protein were markedly increased without obvious change of its mRNA level after hypertrophy induction.CCND1 and CCND2 levels were increased without changing their transcript levels in neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes(NRVC) induced by PE,and miR-16 was down-regulated in this process with significantly up-regulatedβ-MHC,ANF and MLC-2 expression.Conversely,introduction of functional miR-16,CCND1 siRNA or CCND2 siRNA into NRVCs could repress cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.These results implicate that miR-16 is involved in contributing to cardiac hypertrophy,one of the mechanisms may be resulted from post-transcriptional regulation of CCND1 and CCND2.
文摘<strong>Background:</strong> Erectile dysfunction, which is defined as difficult to attain and maintain an erectile function enough to permit sufficient sexual performance, is accepted to be a big problem especially among diabetic patients. <strong>Objective </strong>To assess the Magnitude and factors contributing to Erectile Dysfunction Among Diabetic men attending the diabetic clinic in Debre Tabor Comprehensive and Specialized hospital, North West Ethiopia. <strong>Methods:</strong> Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 362 participants in Debre Tabor Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital from August - December 2020 using systematic random sampling technique. Data were analyzed with SPSS Version 23. Binary and multivariable logistic regressions were done to identify factors which were contributing to erectile dysfunction. P-value < 0.05 and the corresponding 95% CI of odds ratios were considered to declare the result as statistically significant. <strong>Results:</strong> Three hundred sixty-two diabetes patients participating in the study with the mean age being 44.4 ± 14.47 (range: 18 - 78) years were interviewed. The majority (59.7% with CI: 54.4:64.6) of the diabetes patients suffered from erectile dysfunction and 13.3% (95% CI 17.8% - 26.8%) were found to have severe erectile dysfunction. Bi-variable analysis showed duration of diabetes (>10 years), type of diabetes (type II), physical exercise, drinking alcohol, BMI, blood glucose, and blood pressure were associated with erectile dysfunction at 5% level (p ≤ 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that duration of diabetes 10 years (AOR = 6.2, 95% CI: 2.78 - 13.85, p = 0.001), co-existing hypertension (AOR: 3.59, 95% CI: 1.58 - 8.19, p = 0.002), physically inactive (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.53 - 8.31, p = 0.003), unsafe level alcohol intake (AOR: 3.09;95% CI 1.45 - 6.59*, p = 0.003) and raised blood glucose (AOR: 15.26, 95% CI: 7.82 - 29.77, p = 0.004) were independent risk factors but no association was found with other variables. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The magnitude of erectile dysfunction in this study population was 59.7% and associated with the type of diabetes;duration of diabetic, physical exercise, alcohol drinking, increase in blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose level were independently correlated with erectile dysfunction.
文摘XUE Huifeng,Editor in Chief of Aerospace China,accepted an interview by Mara Hvistendahl,a contributing editor of the journal Science on August30,2017,whereby he introduced the thought,theory and application of the Chinese school of systems engineering as well as the development of QIAN Xuesen think tank.The origin,foundation,
文摘Keeping young children healthy can be challenging at the best of times, as Li Haijie, a 34-year-old mother of two knows only too well. For example, to have her first child vaccinated, she had to queue for hours in a crowded. noisy room, in her hometown of Jining, in east China＇s Shandong Province.
文摘AFTER his son was diagnosed with acute leukemia in 2013, a man known by the pseudonym Liu Hal sold all of his property to pay for his treatments. But. after two bone marrow transplants in the ensuing three years, part of which were funded by donations via an online charity platform established by Tencent Holdings Ltd.
文摘Objective To evaluate the risk factors of myasthenic crisis (MC) after thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) . Methods A retrospective study was conducted in 84 patients with MG from July 1995 to December 2009. The following factors were evaluated: sex,age,history of preoperative myasthenic crisis,Ossermen classification, steroid hormones use and anticholinesterase drugs before operation,operation methods,operation time,thymoma,
基金supported by Wuhan University Development Program for Researchers Born after the 1970s
文摘Purpose:A social question & answer(SQA) community's long-term sustainability depends on its members' willingness to stay and contribute their knowledge continuously in the community.This research aims to investigate the critical factors which influence users' intention to continue contributing knowledge in the SQA community.Design/methodology/approach:Grounded on information systems(IS) continuance theory,this study put forward a model of the factors that influence SQA community members' intention to continue contributing knowledge.Survey was conducted to gather data from knowledge contributors of four major Chinese SQA communities(Baidu Knows,Sina iAsk,Soso Ask and Yahoo! Knowledge).By using the partial least squares(PLS) technique,research hypotheses derived from the proposed model were empirically validated.Findings:Except enjoyment in helping others and knowledge self-efficacy,all other factors including extrinsic reward,reputation enhancement,realization of self-worth,perceived usefulness,attitude towards knowledge contribution,and satisfaction exert significant impacts on users' continuance intentions in an SQA community.Research limitations:First,important factors such as the ease of use of information systems which may influence users' continuance intentions were not investigated in the study.Second,the study sample needs to be enlarged,and users of smaller SQA communities should also be included,to make the results more representative.Practical implications:This study will help SQA community designers and managers develop or improve incentive mechanisms to attract more people to contribute their knowledge and promote the development of the SQA community.Originality/value:This study improves the previous research models and puts forward a model of user continuance intention to contribute knowledge in an SQA community.It will extend the understanding of SQA community users' intention to continue contributing knowledge by distinguishing these users' different roles and focusing only on knowledge contributors.
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(Grant Nos.2019QZKK0606&2019QZKK0906)。
文摘A decline in atmospheric oxygen concentration is projected in the 21st century given the background of global warming.The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is located at a high altitude,and thus,it faces a hypoxia challenge;however,knowledge of the factors contributing to its atmospheric oxygen concentration is still lacking.Here,we conducted joint observations of ecosystem oxygen production and carbon sinks and near-surface atmospheric oxygen concentrations on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and meteorological elements at Beijing Fangshan Station.Using seasonal differences and statistical methods,we calculated the relative contribution rates of vegetation to changes in atmospheric oxygen concentration.Our results indicate that solar radiation,atmospheric humidity,and ecosystem oxygen consumption and production have a significant impact on the atmospheric oxygen concentration,and the impact shows temporal and spatial differences.Vegetation significantly impacts the oxygen concentration,with a contribution rate of 16.7%–24.5%,which is underestimated in existing research.Our findings provide important insights into the factors that influence atmospheric oxygen concentration and highlight the contribution of vegetation.To better understand the oxygen dynamics of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,we recommend further field observations of soil respiration and vegetation photosynthesis to clarify the contributions of carbon storage,carbon sinks and other factors to the near-surface atmospheric oxygen concentration.
