An energy-efficient framework for multirate query in wireless sensor networks

2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

COVID-19 In Children Across Three Asian Cosmopolitan Regions

As another wave of COVID-19 outbreak has approached in July 2020, a larger scale COVID-19 pediatric Asian cohort summarizing the clinical observations is warranted. Children confirmed with COVID-19 infection from the Republic of Korea, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Wuhan, China, during their first waves of local outbreaks were included. Their clinical characteristics and the temporal sequences of the first waves of local paediatric outbreaks were compared. Four hundred and twenty three children with COVID-19 were analyzed. Wuhan had the earliest peak, followed by Korea and HKSAR. Compared with Korea and Wuhan, patients in HKSAR were significantly older (mean age: 12.9 vs. 10.8 vs. 6.6 years, p < 0.001, respectively) and had more imported cases (87.5% vs. 16.5% vs. 0%, p < 0.001, respectively). The imported cases were also older (13.4 vs. 7.6 years, p < 0.001). More cases in HKSAR were asymptomatic compared to Korea and Wuhan (45.5% vs. 22.0% vs. 20.9%, p < 0.001, respectively), and significantly more patients from Wuhan developed fever (40.6% vs. 29.7% vs. 21.6%, p=0.003, respectively). There were significantly less imported cases than domestic cases developing fever after adjusting for age and region of origin (p = 0.046). 5.4% to 10.8% of patients reported anosmia and ageusia. None developed pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PMIS-TS). In general, adolescents were more likely to be asymptomatic and less likely to develop fever, but required longer hospital stays. In conclusion, majority patients in this pediatric Asian cohort had a mild disease. None developed PIMS-TS. Their clinical characteristics were influenced by travel history and age

Students’ decision-making about postgraduate education at G University in China: the main factors and the role of family and of teachers

The paper draws on findings from a case study which explored factors influencing students’ decision-making of postgraduate (PG) education at G University in China. Both questionnaires and follow-up interviews were used for data collection. This paper reports the main reasons for students’ choices of subject and institution for PG education, and the influences of families and teachers, and of guanxi in their decision-making. The findings show that both families and teachers play important roles in shaping students’ decision-making about PG education. It provides insights into students’ decision-making about higher education embedded in the Chinese culture of Confucianism

Suicide prevention through restricting access to suicide means and hotspots

In this review, the terms ‘suicide’ and ‘suicide deaths’ refer to self-harm behaviours that have resulted in fatal consequences and ‘suicide attempt’ refers to self-harm behaviours that did not cause death. Suicide is a complex phenomenon arising from the interplay of multiple factors, such as psychiatric disorders, psychological characteristics, life events, and genetic/ biological factors to name a few. When someone is hopeless and suicidal, access to specific methods of suicide is a vital issue; it serves as a crucial element in determining the likelihood of suicidal thoughts being translated into a suicide attempt or death ( Hawton, 2007 ). In this chapter, we review the characteristics of individuals adopting different methods of suicide and explore the existing evidence on the effectiveness of prevention practices that restrict access to the means and sites of suicide. After reviewing the empirical evidence on suicide prevention through restriction to means and hotspots (popular locations where suicide events are clustered), we apply the concept of utility functions from economic theories/models to the formulation of individual choices in suicide ( Cutler, Glaeser, & Norberg, 2001 ; Hamermesh & Soss, 1974 ; Marcotte, 2003 )

Suicide in Asia: opportunities and challenges

Asian countries account for approximately 60% of the world's suicides, but there is a great mismatch in the region between the scale of the problem and the resources available to tackle it. Despite certain commonalities, the continent itself is culturally, economically, and socially diverse. This paper reviews current epidemiologic patterns of suicide, including suicide trends, sociodemographic factors, urban/rural living, suicide methods, sociocultural religious influences, and risk and protective factors in Asia, as well as their implications. The observed epidemiologic distributions of suicides reflect complex interplays among the traditional value/culture system, rapid economic transitions under market globalization, availability/desirability of suicide methods, and sociocultural permission/prohibitions regarding suicides. In general, compared with Western countries, Asian countries still have a higher average suicide rate, lower male-to-female suicide gender ratio, and higher elderly-to-general-population suicide ratios. The role of mental illness in suicide is not as important as that in Western countries. In contrast, aggravated by access to lethal means in Asia (e.g., pesticide poisoning and jumping), acute life stress (e.g., family conflicts, job and financial security issues) plays a more important role than it does in Western countries. Some promising suicide prevention programs in Asia are illustrated. Considering the specific socioeconomic and cultural aspects of the region, community-based suicide intervention programs integrating multiple layers of intervention targets may be the most feasible and cost-effective strategy in Asia, with its populous areas and limited resources. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Sequence-based prediction of protein-protein interactions using weighted sparse representation model combined with global encoding

2015-2016 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Means restriction for suicide prevention

Limitation of access to lethal methods used for suicide-so-called means restriction-is an important population strategy for suicide prevention. Many empirical studies have shown that such means restriction is eff ective. Although some individuals might seek other methods, many do not; when they do, the means chosen are less lethal and are associated with fewer deaths than when more dangerous ones are available. We examine how the spread of information about suicide methods through formal and informal media potentially aff ects the choices that people make when attempting to kill themselves. We also discuss the challenges associated with implementation of means restriction and whether numbers of deaths by suicide are reduced.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

An energy-efficient framework for multi-rate query in wireless sensor networksnergy-aware protocol for data gathering applications in wireless sensor networks

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