What is the job satisfaction and active participationof medical staff in public hospital reform: a studyin Hubei province of China

Background: In China, public hospital reform has been underway for almost 5 years, and 311 pilot county hospitals are the current focus. This study aimed to assess the job satisfaction and active participation of medical staff in the reform. A total of 2268 medical staff members in pilot and non-pilot county hospitals in Hubei, China, were surveyed. Methods: Questionnaires were used to collect data. The Pearson chi-square statistical method was used to assess the differences between pilot and non-pilot county hospitals and identify the factors related to job satisfaction as well as the understanding and perception of the reform. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine the significant factors that influence the job satisfaction of medical staff in pilot county hospitals. Results: Medical staff members in pilot county hospitals expressed higher satisfaction on current working situation, performance appraisal system, concern showed by leaders, hospital management, and compensation packages (P < 0.05). They were exposed to work-related stress at a higher extent (P < 0.05) and half of them worked overtime. Within pilot county hospitals, less than half of the medical staff members were satisfied with current job and they have evidently less satisfaction on compensation packages and learning and training opportunities. The working hours and work stress were negatively related to the job satisfaction (P < 0.05). Satisfaction on the performance appraisal system, hospital management, compensation packages, and learning and training opportunities were positively related to job satisfaction (P < 0.05). Medical staff in pilot county hospitals exhibited better understanding of and more positive attitude towards the reform (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Pilot county hospitals have implemented some measures through the reform, but there still are deficiencies. The government officials and hospital administrators should pay attention to influencing factors of job satisfaction and focus on the reasonable demands of medical staff. In addition, the medical staff in pilot county hospitals exhibited a better understanding of the public hospital reform programme and showed more firm confidence, but there still were some medical staff members who hold negative attitude. The publicity and education of the public hospital reform still need improvement. Keywords: Medical staff, China, Public hospital reform, Working situation, Satisfaction, Understanding, Perceptio

Research on the Organizational Development Model for Intercultural Communication Competence

On the basis of the three factors theory composed of knowledge, motivation and skills in intercultural communication competence, constructed index system of intercultural communication competence. Through the survey of 350 DL University’s undergraduates, the overall level of their intercultural communication competence is 3.34 by SPSS software，Knowledge factor, motivation factor and skills factor are 3.16, 3.62 and 3.24. The data shows that the DL University’s undergraduates’ intercultural communication competence is at the medium level，and the attitude or requirement of the undergraduates in DL University to expect or participate in intercultural communication are relatively strong, but the knowledge and skills of intercultural communication are inefficient. Finally, put forward the organizational development model with the integration of knowledge, motivation and skills based on the data analysis results

Factors influencing the work passion of Chinese community health service workers: an investigation in five provinces

BACKGROUND: After the implementation of new healthcare reform, Chinese government paid increasing attention to developing community health service (CHS). The current focus is mainly on cultivating community general practitioners but paying less attention to the working status and occupational demands of in-service CHS workers. Work passion is playing an important role for medical workers. With work passion, CHS workers’ team will become more stable and more effective, ensuring the sustainable development of CHS system. At present, the work passion of CHS workers is relatively low. Studying on influencing factors of work passion of CHS workers, promoting their work passion, and making them keep enthusiasm for work are significant. METHODS: A total of 100 CHS organizations were sampled randomly in 10 cities from 5 Chinese provinces for this study. A total of 3450 CHS workers from these CHS institutions took part in the surveys. Questionnaires were used to collect data, including socio-demographic information, work passion and opinion on influencing causes, and work-related satisfaction. Pearson chi-square statistical method was used to identify the factors related to CHS workers’ work passion. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine the significant factors that influence CHS workers’ work passion. RESULTS: A total of 38.77% of those who accomplished the questionnaire expressed that they didn’t have passion for current work. The related factors that influence CHS workers’ work passion are (1) socio-demographic factors such as age, and years of employment, and (2) other work-related factors such as learning and training opportunities, compensation packages, work stress, and personal development opportunities. CHS workers were most dissatisfied with the balance between remuneration and workload, job promotion opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, the government should concern for CHS workers’ working status and work-related demands, pay more attention and meet their demands for reasonable compensation packages and self-development, balance the income and workload, provide more learning and training opportunities and personal development opportunities for CHS workers, in order to promote CHS workers’ work satisfaction, improve their work passion and enthusiasm

Effects of School-Based Interventions on Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption among Chinese Children and Adolescents

We set up a series of school-based interventions on the basis of an ecological model targeting sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) reduction in Chinese elementary and middle schools and evaluated the effects. A total of 1046 students from Chinese elementary and middle schools were randomly recruited in an intervention group, as were 1156 counterparts in a control group. The interventions were conducted in the intervention schools for one year. The participants were orally instructed to answer all the questionnaires by themselves at baseline and after intervention. The difference in difference statistical approach was used to identify the effects exclusively attributable to the interventions. There were differences in grade composition and no difference in sex distribution between the intervention and control groups. After adjusting for age, sex, and group differences at baseline, a significant reduction in SSB intake was found in the intervention group post intervention, with a decrease of 35.0 mL/day (p = 0.034). Additionally, the frequency of SSB consumption decreased by 0.2 times/day (p = 0.071). The students in the elementary schools with interventions significantly reduced their SSB intake by 61.6 mL/day (p = 0.002) and their frequency of SSB consumption by 0.3 times/day (p = 0.017) after the intervention. The boys in the intervention group had an intervention effect of a 50.2 mL/day reduction in their SSB intake (p = 0.036). School-based interventions were effective in reducing SSB consumption, especially among younger ones. The boys were more responsive to the interventions than the girls. (ChiCTR, ChiCTR1900020781.

Enhancing Butanol Production under the Stress Environments of Co-Culturing <i>Clostridium acetobutylicum/Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> Integrated with Exogenous Butyrate Addition

<div><p>In this study, an efficient acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation strategy integrating <i>Clostridium acetobutylicum</i>/<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> co-culturing system with exogenous butyrate addition, was proposed and experimentally conducted. In solventogenic phase, by adding 0.2 g-DCW/L-broth viable <i>S</i>. <i>cerevisiae</i> cells and 4.0 g/L-broth concentrated butyrate solution into <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i> culture broth, final butanol concentration and butanol/acetone ratio in a 7 L anaerobic fermentor reached the highest levels of 15.74 g/L and 2.83 respectively, with the increments of 35% and 43% as compared with those of control. Theoretical and experimental analysis revealed that, the proposed strategy could, 1) extensively induce secretion of amino acids particularly lysine, which are favorable for both <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i> survival and butanol synthesis under high butanol concentration environment; 2) enhance the utilization ability of <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i> on glucose and over-produce intracellular NADH for butanol synthesis in <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i> metabolism simultaneously; 3) direct most of extra consumed glucose into butanol synthesis route. The synergetic actions of effective amino acids assimilation, high rates of substrate consumption and NADH regeneration yielded highest butanol concentration and butanol ratio in <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i> under this stress environment. The proposed method supplies an alternative way to improve ABE fermentation performance by traditional fermentation technology.</p></div

Eating Out-of-Home in Adult Residents in Shanghai and the Nutritional Differences among Dining Places

Background: With the rapid development of Shanghai’s economy, diet habits have undergone great changes. The study aimed to examine the situation of out-of-home (OH) eating in Shanghai adults and the nutrition characteristics of eating in different dining places, and to assess the social demographic determinants of eating OH. Method: Data was sourced from the Shanghai Diet and Health Survey (SDHS) involving people aged 18 years or older in 2012–2013. The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and three-day 24-h dietary recall (24-HDR) were used to collect dietary intake data on how people eat out in a cross-sectional study of 1689 adults. OH food refers to the food prepared or consumed away from home. We define that people who eat at least one meal prepared away from home in each survey have a habit of eating outside. The multiple linear and logistic regression methods were used for statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of eating OH and at restaurants was only 55.1% and 31.8%, respectively. There was an increase in energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, and iron intake while eating OH. Restaurant and company/school canteen consumption were both associated with an increase in daily total energy intake of 140 kcal and 91 kcal, and fat intake of 6.0 g and 4.3 g, respectively. However, eating at restaurants was associated with higher intake of 548 mg of sodium. However, no significant association was observed between eating at canteens and higher sodium intake. Conclusions: Eating OH related to a poor diet quality, and the diet quality was different between restaurant and canteen food. There may be a need for interventions to target residents’ overall dining-out behavior, particularly focusing on the consumption of restaurant food

ABE fermentation performance with different operation strategies.

<p><b>(A)</b> ABE fermentation by <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i> (control, case #a). <b>(B)</b> ABE fermentation by <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i> with exogenous butyrate addition (case #b). <b>(C)</b> ABE fermentation by co-culturing <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i>/<i>S</i>. <i>cerevisiae</i> (case #c). <b>(D)</b> ABE fermentation by co-culturing <i>C</i>. <i>acetobutylicum</i>/<i>S</i>. <i>cerevisiae</i> in coupling with exogenous butyrate addition (case #d). ●: butanol; ■: acetone; ▲: ethanol; ▽: butyrate; ○: glucose. <b>(E)</b>-<b>(F)</b> Change patterns of pH and gas production with different operation strategies. Thin line: case #a (control); dash dot line: case #b; broken line: case #c; bold line: case #d. Dashed arrow: the instant of initiating the consecutive butyrate additions (case #b); solid arrow: the instant of adding <i>S</i>. <i>cerevisiae</i> culture broth (case #c) and <i>S</i>. <i>cerevisiae</i> culture broth/concentrated butyrate solution (case #d).</p

Economical evaluation of the proposed fermentation strategy using synthetic butyrate and butyrate fermentative supernatant.

<p>* Corn-starch consumption was calculated by 0.9×(glucose consumed amount) in ABE fermentation.</p><p>** Butyrate yield on glucose in butyrate fermentation was 0.38. The glucose consumed amount in butyrate fermentation was 10.5 g/L glucose (1/0.38×4 g-glucose/L).</p><p>Economical evaluation of the proposed fermentation strategy using synthetic butyrate and butyrate fermentative supernatant.</p