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The study aimed to analyze the applicability of the World Health Organization's exclusionary guidelines for Urinary creatinine (Ucr) in the general Chinese population, and to identify Ucr related factors. We conduct a cross-sectional study using baseline data from 21,167 participants in the China National Human Biomonitoring Program. Mixed linear models and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to analyze the associations between explanatory variables and Ucr concentration. The geometric mean and median concentrations of Ucr in the general Chinese population were 0.90 g/L and 1.01 g/L, respectively. And 9.36% samples were outside 0.3–3.0 g/L, including 7.83% below the lower limit and 1.53% above the upper limit. Middle age, male, obesity, smoking, higher frequency of red meat consumption and chronic kidney disease were associated significantly with higher concentrations of Ucr. Results of the RCS showed Ucr was positively and linearly associated with body mass index, inversely and linearly associated with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides level, and glomerular filtration rate, and were non-linearly associated with triiodothyronine. The age- and gender-specific cut-off values of Ucr that determine the validity of urine samples in the general Chinese population were recommended. To avoid introducing bias into epidemiologic associations, the potential predictors of Ucr observed in the current study should be considered when using Ucr to adjust for variations in urine dilution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The cuff leak test (CLT) has been shown to have excellent specificity and moderate sensitivity for predicting postextubation stridor (PES). However, the ventilator flow waveform and the subject position are not uniform in current clinical practice. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in the respiratory ICU of the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University. Prior to extubation, 4 CLTs, combining 2 different postures and ventilator flow waveforms, were conducted, and the diagnostic performance of each test was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 143 included subjects, PES occurred in 13 (9.1%), and 10 (7%) subjects required re-intubation. Initially, an air leak volume of 110 mL was used as the standard to judge performance. The test that involved the square waveform and the subject in semi-recumbent position (test 4) had the best diagnostic performance, with a specificity of 80% and a sensitivity of 67% for predicting PES. After analyzing the receiver operating characteristic curve, an optimal diagnostic threshold of 116 mL for air leak volume was found to result in a specificity of 92% and a sensitivity of 63% for test 4. Additionally, when the air leak ratio of test 4 was 0.32, the area under the curve was 0.76, the specificity was 92%, and the sensitivity was 62%. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, performing the CLT with the subject in semi-recumbent position using the square waveform appeared to allow for the best prediction of PES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the influence of emotion regulation on empathic ability among undergraduate nursing students, as well as the mediating role of emotional intelligence and self-consistency congruence. A cross-sectional study was employed to examine the relationship between the emotion regulation and empathic ability in Chinese nursing students. A total of 761 undergraduate nursing students were surveyed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Chinese version), the Gross Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Wang and Law's Emotional Intelligence Scale and the Self-Harmony Scale. There was a significant positive correlation between emotion regulation, empathic ability and self-harmony. Significant positive correlations were also found between emotion regulation, empathic ability and emotional intelligence. Mediation analysis revealed that self-harmony and emotional intelligence partially mediated the predictive relationship between emotion regulation and empathic ability, with self-harmony showing a more significant mediating effect. The findings suggest that emotion regulation among undergraduate nursing students indirectly influences their empathic ability through parallel mediating effects of self-harmony and emotional intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social commerce is an emerging platform that entails different social features to attract the attention of online consumers. Borrowing insights from the psychological contract theory, this study examines the characteristics of social commerce platforms, such as platform interactivity and rating and reviews that influence the consumers' purchase intentions. An online survey of 430 consumers was conducted on a popular social commerce site in China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling and fuzzy sets qualitative comparative analysis techniques are used to analyze this mediation model. The results reveal the positive relationships between (1) psychological contract and purchase intention; (2) platform interactivity and relational contract; and (3) rating and reviews and transactional contract. Besides, partial mediating effects of relational contract, on the relationship between platform interactivity and purchase intention, and transactional contract, on the relationship between rating and reviews and purchase intention, are also observed. Moreover, fuzzy sets qualitative comparative analysis validates the robustness of platform characteristics with psychological contracts and purchase intentions. Overall findings suggest that the platform characteristics have the potential to transform consumers' purchase intentions through psychological contracts. The study provides new insights on consumers' behavior in social commerce milieus, along with its theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the county level population distribution is essential for supporting a wide variety of local planning processes. Previous researchers found that impervious surfaces had a strong linear relationship with population. But few studies have reported estimating population in a county area of China with impervious surfaces. In this paper, a population distribution model for a county area in China was established using demographic information at the county level (i.e., total population, non-agricultural population, and agricultural population) and impervious surfaces derived from Landsat TM images. The model was conducted to distribute the population of Fujin County, Heilongjiang Province, China. Population data of 123 villages and 11 towns of Fujin County were used to evaluate the model. The results indicated that the model performs better than area-based approaches, particularly in the estimation of town populations (17.86 percent mean relative error). The results of village population estimation were acceptable, with a mean relative error of 25.3 percent. As a result, impervious surfaces cannot provide height information and identify non-residential areas in developed areas of zhens (urban cores of towns). The model suggests the difficulty of non-agricultural population estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On the basis of analyzing the actual state of resource utilization of construction waste in Beijing, the limiting measures and supportive policies were studied intensively. A series of policies were proposed, such as landfill ban, recycling management model of construction project, adjustment measures of project cost components, examination and approval system of resource utilization of construction waste enterprises, declaration and approval system of resource utilization of construction waste at the construction field, preferential policy of resource utilization of construction waste, funded capital of resource utilization of construction waste and supportive policies like incentive measures of recycle products promotion of construction waste in Beijing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: According to the current management situation of construction waste, the current laws and regulations of construction waste management was analyzed according to the current management situation of construction waste in Beijing. At last put forward the problems and solutions for the current management policy of construction waste in Beijing to provide conductive effects for the revision and consummation of laws and regulations of construction waste management in Beijing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Combining with empirical method, sector classification, locations of catering industry and comprehensive method, it curve fits and calculates the discharge of Beijing restaurant wastewater from 2004 to 2007 by four fitting formula, logarithm, Linear, power exponent and exponent, and then analyze the precision, propose the best calculation way of each forecast method. Compared with the curve fitting, the pessimistic modeling is more precise. It is suitable to forecast the discharge of Beijing restaurant wastewater. Finally, it got the prediction of the discharge of restaurant wastewater from 2008 to 2012 in Beijing, and provides a basis for forecasting the discharge and treating the restaurant wastewater. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The statistic method in Chinese character frequency study is an important method on measuring the value of Chinese characters. It is also applicable to the standardization of Chinese characters, the Chinese language teaching, the relevant dictionary compiling, the information management in Chinese, and the development of Chinese character theory. However, we have problems in the traditional method: the lack of statistic unit made the Outcome difficult to explain, and the corpus error caused it unreasonable. This article hence heads to solve these problems by building up a proper Chinese character form database and a statistical unit system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A. D. ), the recruitment to the central bureaucracy is called "xuan guan"; the process to become monk is called "xuan fo". Although one is secular and the other non-secular, there are many similari- ties in both competition processes and therefore, the common practice of the bureaucratic officials and the religious monks of- ten match each other. For example, the officials and the monks not only borrow popular idioms from each other, but also mutually copy organization models and written forms. After the middle of the Dynasty, the bureaucracy system, which is based upon the imperial examination, is highly influenced by the religious xuan-fo system. The genres of poetry criticism, such as "xiu ju", "ge" and "shi" are all results from the co-influence of the two selection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The epidemiological characteristics of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is fundamental to improving the prevention and control of DR-TB. Mutations in katG3l5 is thought to be the most predictive molecule markers for Isoniazid (INH) resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). However, mutations to these genes have not been thoroughly studied in China, and epidemiological evidence of their expression levels are especially lacking in the southwest of China, which has a high TB burden within the population. Methods: MTB isolates were obtained from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis at the TB dispensary and Chest hospital in Chongqing city between June 2003 and June 2006. Proportion methods were used to test the sensitivity to INH, RFP, SM and EMB of cultured MTB. A total of 100 MTB isolates were also randomly selected for analysis of the molecular mutation spectrum katG by DNA sequencing. Results: Totally 1 089 MTB isolates that completed positive sputum cultures and evaluated for their sensitivity to the four first-line drugs among 2 777 patients with TB. The prevalence of DR-TB and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were 27.7% (302/1 089) and 7.3% (79/1 089), respectively. The resistance to anti-TB drugs was found to be highest for SM (163%) and INH (140%). There was also a significant increase in the prevalence of resistance to RFP and EMB (P>0.01), and an increase in MDR-TB between June 2003 and June 2004 and between July 2005 and June 2006. The total mutation rate of katG315 was 75-5% (37/49) in INH-resistant MTB, and mutation sites included S315T, S315N and S315I with mutation rates of 81-1% (30/37), 13-5% (5/37) and 5-4% (2/37), respectively. No katG315 mutants were found in any of the 48 INH-sensitive MTB. Our preliminary diagnostic results suggest that mutations in katG315 may potentially serve as molecular markers that can be used to diagnose the resistance to anti-TB drug of INH. Conclusion: In the Chongqing, DR-TB and MDR-TB are increasing, and are becoming key problems for tuberculosis control. The use of katG315 mutations as potential molecule markers for drug resistance to INH may help improve patient treatment and decrease the spread of the disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tourism marketing information system (Tour MIS) is system engineering. This system engineering is a marketing decision support system that supports the tourism industry and educational and research institutions in collecting, storing, processing, and disseminating information. Austria developed Tour MIS which should meet the need of decision-maker of tourism enterprise and tourism destination. Tourism is developing very fast in China. It is necessary to set up a Tour MIS of China. In this article, Tour MIS of Austria will be analysed so as to provide some lessons of China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this preliminary qualitative study was to gain insight into community health needs in order to develop health program for community in Chongqing. Methods: Totally 40 participants were assigned into 6 focus group discussions. All groups were led by local language speakers, and their talking was recorded after gaining informed consent. Transcribed data were coded and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: The main obtained themes were that community health problems were chronic noncommunicable disease, main health service needs included regularly free check-up and health education, and perceived health risk factors were unhealthy lifestyle and behavior as well as environment problems. Conclusion: Our community health needs assessment (CHNA) with FGDs indicate that residents realize the importance of prevention of disease. Our study identifies that primarily community health promotion is one of the priorities of community health service needs, including reorienting health service, health education, guiding behavior or lifestyle, and creating healthy environments. The findings of this study can provide guidance to the development of more effective and pertinent health program in this community. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective To investigate the plasma lipid levels in a national representative sample of subjects and to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia in the Chinese population. Methods Plasma lipid profile was analyzed using the data obtained during the Chinese national nutrition and health survey (CNHS) in 2002 which involved 14 252 participants at the age of 18 years or older. Results The mean levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the participants were 3.81 mmol/L, 1.10 mmol/L, and 1.30 mmol/L, respectively. In the groups of participants at the age of 18–44 years, 45–59 years, and over 60 years the mean TC level was 3.70 mmol/L, 4.09 mmol/L and 4.21 mmol/L, respectively, and the mean TG level was 07 mmoI/L, 1.21 mmol/L, 1.20 mmol/L, 1.29 mmol/L, 1.33 mmol/L, and 1.33 mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in Chinese adults was 18.6% and 22.2% in males and 15.9% in females. Dyslipidemia prevalence was higher in urban districts than in rural areas (21.0% vs. 17.7%). The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL cholesterol was 2.9%, 11.9%, and 7.4% respectively among the participants. Conclusion Dyslipidemia has become one of the important health risk factors in the Chinese population. There is no significantly difference in the prevalence of dyslipidemia between the groups of participants at the age of 45–59 years and over 60 years. This study provides important lipid profile data for policy making and guideline development for the prevention of dyslipidemia in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional science education in China weakened the teaching of practical knowledge and basic skills, and neglected the scientific educational objective which are suitable for the daily-life of students and the demands of society. So it led to a lower level of the pupils' technological literacy. Amid the basic education curriculum reform, it is necessary and feasible to implement foundation technology education. At present, measures should be taken as follows: enriching the contents of science curriculum, expanding the space of science teaching, developing students' ability for conducting science experiments and science inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]