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Self-care behavior plays a major role in diabetic management. However, in China, a satisfactory instrument has not yet been developed to evaluate the compliance of self-care behavior for young patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The Diabetes Behavior Rating Scale (DBRS) has a potential to be the first mature instrument. The purpose of this study is to cross-culturally adapt the DBRS, and preliminarily evaluate its psychometric properties. The instrument translation included translation, back translation and culture adaptation. Psychometric properties were assessed in a sample of 116 young patients with T1DM adapting insulin injection therapy. The Chinese version of the DBRS was divided to four subscales. Cronbach's a for the total scale was 0.92. The mean inter-item and item-total correlations were 0.35 and 0.54 respectively. Test-retest reliability showed good temporal stability (r=0.81, P=0.001). Negative correlations were found between DBRS scores with the Diabetes Distress Scale scores (r=-0.32, P=0.003) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels (r=-0.36, P=0.002). Higher DBRS scores correlated with better glycemic control. The Chinese insulin injection therapy version of the DBRS is well translated and culturally adapted. It shows good overall reliability and validity and appears to be a valuable tool for assessing the diabetic self-care behaviors for young patients with T1DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, the circadian clock is an endogenous mechanism that controls a wide range of biological processes. To date, as one of the key world crops, little is known about the molecular mechanism and components of the circadian clock in maize ( Zea mays). In this study, we characterized the CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1 gene of maize ( ZmCCA1), an ortholog of CCA1 in Arabidopsis thaliana ( AtCCA1). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that ZmCCA1 was expressed in leaves and stem apex meristems in a rhythmic pattern under long day and short day conditions, and its peak gene expression appeared during the morning. ZmCCA1 transcripts accumulated in all tissues evaluated, with higher levels in tassels and ears. Additionally, the expression of another photoperiod gene ZmTOC1 peaked 12 h after dawn on long days and at 10 h after dawn on short days. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the ZmCCA1 protein is directed to the cell nucleus. Overexpression of ZmCCA1 in Arabidopsis reduced the expression levels of downstream genes, including GIGANTEA ( AtGI), CONSTANS ( AtCO), and FLOWERING LOCUST ( AtFT), and resulted in longer hypocotyls and delayed flowering. Taken together, our data suggest that ZmCCA1 may be a core component of the circadian clock in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-fault ground motions, potentially with large amplitude and typical velocity pulses, may significantly impact the performance of a wide range of structures. The current study is aimed at evaluating the safety implications of the near-fault effect on nuclear power plant facilities designed according to the Chinese code. To this end, a set of nearfault ground motions at rock sites with typical forward-directivity effect is examined with special emphasis on several key parameters and response spectra. Spectral comparison of the selected records with the Chinese and other code design spectra was conducted. The bi-normalized response spectra in terms of different corner periods are utilized to derive nuclear design spectra. It is concluded that nuclear design spectra on rock sites derived from typical rupture directivity records are significantly influenced both by the earthquake magnitude and the rupture distance. The nuclear design spectra specified in the code needs to be adjusted to reflect the near-fault directivity effect of large earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a performance-based methodology for the assessment of seismic vulnerability and capacity of buildings. The vulnerability assessment methodology is based on the HAZUS methodology and the improved capacitydemand-diagram method. The spectral displacement ( S d) of performance points on a capacity curve is used to estimate the damage level of a building. The relationship between S d and peak ground acceleration (PGA) is established, and then a new vulnerability function is expressed in terms of PGA. Furthermore, the expected value of the seismic capacity index (SCev) is provided to estimate the seismic capacity of buildings based on the probability distribution of damage levels and the corresponding seismic capacity index. The results indicate that the proposed vulnerability methodology is able to assess seismic damage of a large number of building stock directly and quickly following an earthquake. The SCev provides an effective index to measure the seismic capacity of buildings and illustrate the relationship between the seismic capacity of buildings and seismic action. The estimated result is compared with damage surveys of the cities of Dujiangyan and Jiangyou in the M8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, revealing that the methodology is acceptable for seismic risk assessment and decision making. The primary reasons for discrepancies between the estimated results and the damage surveys are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In displacement‐based seismic design, constant‐ductility strength demand spectra (CDSDS) are useful for preliminary design of new structures where the global displacement ductility capacity is known. The CDSDS can provide the required inelastic lateral strength of new structures from the required elastic lateral strength. Based on a statistical study of the nonlinear time history for a single‐degree‐of‐freedom system, the mean CDSDS corresponding to four site conditions are presented, and expressions of the inelastic spectra are proposed. It is concluded that site conditions, ductility level, and structural period have important effects on the CDSDS; however, damping and post‐yield stiffness effects are of minor importance.

Several equivalent representations of pulse‐type ground motions in a near‐fault region are studied to provide a quantitative understanding of certain dynamic properties of simple pulses. The objective is to describe near‐fault motions with eight sets of simple pulse waveforms and to find the distinctions between them. Dynamic time history response features of a damped single‐degree‐of‐freedom system subjected to pulse excitations are examined. These special aspects of pulse waveforms and their response spectra should be taken into account in the estimation of ground motions for a project site close to a fault.