ENVIRONMENTAL SURROUNDINGS AND PERSONAL WELL-BEING IN URBAN CHINA

We examine the relationship between atmospheric pollution, water pollution, traffic congestion, access to parkland and personal well-being using a survey administered across six Chinese cities in 2007. In contrast to existing studies of the determinants of well-being by economists, which have typically employed single item indicators to measure well-being, we use the Personal Well-Being Index (PWI). We also employ the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) to measure job satisfaction, which is one of the variables for which we control when examining the relationship between environmental surroundings and personal well-being. Previous research by psychologists has shown the PWI and JSS to have good psychometric properties in western and Chinese samples. A robust finding is that in cities with higher levels of atmospheric pollution and traffic congestion, respondents report lower levels of personal well-being ceteris paribus. We find that a one standard deviation increase in suspended particles or sulphur dioxide emissions is roughly equivalent to a 12-13 percent reduction in average monthly income in the six cities. This result suggests that the personal well-being of China's urban population can be enhanced if China were to pursue a more balanced growth path which curtailed atmospheric pollution.China, Environment, Pollution, Personal Well-Being.

Exploring the Relationship Between Morphine Concentration and Oversedation in Children After Cardiac Surgery

Titrating analgesic and sedative drugs in pediatric intensive care remains a challenge for caregivers due to the lack of pharmacodynamic knowledge in this population. The aim of the current study is to explore the concentration-effect relationship for morphine-associated oversedation after c

Additive effect of cerebral atrophy on cognition in dementia-free elderly with cerebrovascular disease

Objective: To explore the additive effect of neurodegenerative diseases, measured by atrophy, on neurocognitive function in Asian dementia-free elderly with cerebrovascular disease (CeVD). Methods: The present study employed a cross-sectional design and was conducted between 2010 and 2015 among community-dwelling elderly participants recruited into the study. Eligible participants were evaluated with an extensive neuropsychological battery and neuroimaging. The weighted CeVD burden scale comprising markers of both small- and large-vessel diseases was applied, with a score of ≥2, indicating significant CeVD burden. Cortical atrophy (CA) and medial temporal atrophy (MTA) were graded using the global cortical atrophy scale and Schelten's scale, respectively. Global and domain-specific (attention, executive function, language, visuomotor speed, visuoconstruction, visual memory, and verbal memory) neurocognitive performance was measured using a locally validated neuropsychological battery (Vascular Dementia Battery, VDB). Results: A total of 819 dementia-free participants were included in the analysis. Among none-mild CeVD subjects, there was no significant difference in the global cognitive performance across atrophy groups (no atrophy, CA, and CA+MTA). However, in moderate-severe CeVD subjects, CA+MTA showed significantly worse global cognitive performance compared with those with CA alone (mean difference=-0.35, 95% CI -0.60 to -0.11, p=0.002) and those without atrophy (mean difference=-0.46, 95% CI -0.74 to -0.19, p<0.001, p<0.001). In domain-specific cognitive performance, subjects with CA+MTA performed worse than other groups in visual memory (p=0.005), executive function (p=0.001) and visuomotor speed (p<0.001) in moderate-severe CeVD but not in none-mild CeVD. Conclusions and relevance: Atrophy and moderate-severe CeVD burden showed an additive effect on global and domain-specific cognitive performance. This study highlights the importance of investigating the mechanisms of clinico-pathological interactions between neurodegenerative processes and vascular damage, particularly in the pre-dementia stage

An effective local routing strategy on the BA network

In this paper, We propose a effective routing strategy on the basis of the so-called nearest neighbor search strategy by introducing a preferential delivering exponent alpha. we assume that the handling capacity of one vertex is proportional to its degree when the degree is smaller than a cut-off value $K$, and is infinite otherwise. It is found that by tuning the parameter alpha, the scale-free network capacity measured by the order parameter is considerably enhanced compared to the normal nearest-neighbor strategy. Traffic dynamics both near and far away from the critical generating rate R_c are discussed. We also investigate R_c as functions of m (connectivity density), K (cutoff value). Due to the low cost of acquiring nearest-neighbor information and the strongly improved network capacity, our strategy may be useful and reasonable for the protocol designing of modern communication networks.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Solidification of Al alloys under electromagnetic pulses and characterization of the 3D microstructures under synchrotron x-ray tomography

A novel programmable electromagnetic pulse device was developed and used to study the solidification of Al-15 pct Cu and Al-35 pct Cu alloys. The pulsed magnetic fluxes and Lorentz forces generated inside the solidifying melts were simulated using finite element methods, and their effects on the solidification microstructures were characterized using electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray tomography. Using a discharging voltage of 120 V, a pulsed magnetic field with the peak Lorentz force of ~1.6 N was generated inside the solidifying Al-Cu melts which were showed sufficiently enough to disrupt the growth of the primary Al dendrites and the Al2Cu intermetallic phases. The microstructures exhibit a strong correlation to the characteristics of the applied pulse, forming a periodical pattern that resonates the frequency of the applied electromagnetic field

Posterior eye shape measurement with retinal OCT compared to MRI

PURPOSE. Posterior eye shape assessment by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to study myopia. We tested the hypothesis that optical coherence tomography (OCT), as an alternative, could measure posterior eye shape similarly to MRI. METHODS. Macular spectral-domain OCT and brain MRI images previously acquired as part of the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases study were analyzed. The right eye in the MRI and OCT images was automatically segmented. Optical coherence tomography segmentations were corrected for optical and display distortions requiring biometry data. The segmentations were fitted to spheres and ellipsoids to obtain the posterior eye radius of curvature (Rc) and asphericity (Qxz). The differences in Rc and Qxz measured by MRI and OCT were tested using paired t-tests. Categorical assignments of prolateness or oblateness using Qxz were compared. RESULTS. Fifty-two subjects (67.8 ± 5.6 years old) with spherical equivalent refraction from +0.50 to -5.38 were included. The mean paired difference between MRI and original OCT posterior eye Rc was 24.03 ± 46.49 mm (P = 0.0005). For corrected OCT images, the difference in Rc decreased to -0.23 ± 2.47 mm (P = 0.51). The difference between MRI and OCT asphericity, Qxz, was -0.052 ± 0.343 (P = 0.28). However, categorical agreement was only moderate (j = 0.50). CONCLUSIONS. Distortion-corrected OCT measurements of Rc and Qxz were not statistically significantly different from MRI, although the moderate categorical agreement suggests that individual differences remained. This study provides evidence that with distortion correction, noninvasive office-based OCT could potentially be used instead of MRI for the study of posterior eye shape

Asia-Pacific working group consensus on non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: An update 2018

Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding remains an important emergency condition, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. As endoscopic therapy is the 'gold standard' of management, treatment of these patients can be considered in three stages: pre-endoscopic treatment, endoscopic haemostasis and post-endoscopic management. Since publication of the Asia-Pacific consensus on non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) 7 years ago, there have been significant advancements in the clinical management of patients in all three stages. These include pre-endoscopy risk stratification scores, blood and platelet transfusion, use of proton pump inhibitors; during endoscopy new haemostasis techniques (haemostatic powder spray and over-the-scope clips); and post-endoscopy management by second-look endoscopy and medication strategies. Emerging techniques, including capsule endoscopy and Doppler endoscopic probe in assessing adequacy of endoscopic therapy, and the pre-emptive use of angiographic embolisation, are attracting new attention. An emerging problem is the increasing use of dual antiplatelet agents and direct oral anticoagulants in patients with cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. Guidelines on the discontinuation and then resumption of these agents in patients presenting with NVUGIB are very much needed. The Asia-Pacific Working Group examined recent evidence and recommends practical management guidelines in this updated consensus statement

Comparing benefits from many possible computed tomography lung cancer screening programs: Extrapolating from the National Lung Screening Trial using comparative modeling

Background: The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) demonstrated that in current and former smokers aged 55 to 74 years, with at least 30 pack-years of cigarette smoking history and who had quit smoking no more than 15 years ago, 3 annual computed tomography (CT) screens reduced lung cancer-specific mortality by 20% relative to 3 annual chest X-ray screens. We compared the benefits achievable with 576 lung cancer screening programs that varied CT screen number and frequency, ages of screening, and eligibility based on smoking. Methods and Findings: We used five independent microsimulation models with lung cancer natural history parameters previously calibrated to the NLST to simulate life histories of the US cohort born in 1950 under all 576 programs. 'Efficient' (within model) programs prevented the greatest number of lung cancer deaths, compared to no screening, for a given number of CT screens. Among 120 'consensus efficient' (identified as efficient across models) programs, the average starting age was 55 years, the stopping age was 80 or 85 years, the average minimum pack-years was 27, and the maximum years since quitting was 20. Among consensus efficient programs, 11% to 40% of the cohort was screened, and 153 to 846 lung cancer deaths were averted per 100,000 people. In all models, annual screening based on age and smoking eligibility in NLST was not efficient; continuing screening to age 80 or 85 years was more efficient. Conclusions: Consensus results from five models identified a set of efficient screening programs that include annual CT lung cancer screening using criteria like NLST eligibility but extended to older ages. Guidelines for screening should also consider harms of screening and individual patient characteristics