澳門居民的宗教信仰與生活經驗

澳門是國際城市，享譽世界的不單有欣欣向榮的旅遊業及博彩業，還有其深厚的歷史、宗教及文化底蘊。本文利用 2005、2007 及 2009 年連續三次全澳入戶調查的實徵數據，嘗試勾勒當前澳門居民宗教信仰的輪廓。總體而言，超過一半澳門受訪者表示沒有宗教信仰，約四分一信奉中國傳統宗教或民間習俗，十分一信奉佛教或道教，只有 5%屬於天主教徒或基督教徒。數據分析顯示：女性、年長及非本地出生受訪者有信仰的比例較高，而信奉天主教及基督教的受訪者則擁有較高的教育水平並享有較佳的社經地位。與其他信仰者相比，天主教及基督教信徒較常參加宗教活動，有較好的健康狀況，亦在多個生活領域中──包括家庭生活狀況、家庭經濟狀況及工作狀況等──表現得較為滿足。雖然超過半數澳門居民沒有信仰，但他們同樣展示出一些如強調自力更生、以家庭為中心，以及尊重法律、秩序及社會規則等「意索」（ethos），明顯地，這些核心價值是支持澳門成為多元城市，並且享有多元文化的基礎。As an international city, Macao is known to the world not only for its flourishing gaming and tourism sectors, but also for its rich history, religion, and culture. Drawing on empirical data obtained from three consecutive territory-wide household surveys conducted in 2005, 2007, and 2009 respectively, this paper attempts to shed light on the current religious profile of Macao residents. Generally, over half of Macao residents claim to have no religious beliefs, while one quarter of the respondents believe in the Chinese folk religion. About one-tenth claim to be Buddhists or Taoists, while around 5 percent call themselves Catholics or Protestants. An in-depth analysis further shows that female, older, and non-locally born respondents are more religious, while Catholics and Protestants are better educated and have a higher socioeconomic status than other segments of the population. Compared with those of other religious beliefs, Catholics and Protestants participate in religious activities more frequently, are in better health, and are more satisfied with various aspects of life including their family life, household economy, and work. Although over half of Macao residents are not religious, they are similarly self-reliant, family-oriented and, more importantly, respectful of law, order, and social rules. These core values, to a certain extent, mark Macao as a pluralistic society that emphasizes diversity and multi-culturalism

Cloning, expression, and functional analysis of human dopamine D1 receptors

Aim : To construct an HEK293 cell line stably expressing human dopamine D 1 receptor (D 1 R). Methods : cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR using total RNA from human embryo brain tissue as the template. The PCR products were subcloned into the plasmid pcDNA3 and cloned into the plasmid pcDNA3.1. The cloned D 1 R cDNA was sequenced and stably expressed in HEK293 cells. Expression of D 1 R in HEK293 cells was monitored by the [ 3 H]SCH23390 binding assay. The function of D 1 R was studied by the cAMP accumulation assay, CRE-SEAP reporter gene activity assay, and intracellular calcium assay. Results : An HEK293 cell line stably expressing human D 1 R was obtained. A saturation radioligand binding experiment with [ 3 H]SCH23390 demonstrated that the K d and B max values were 1.5±0.2 nmol/L and 2.94±0.15 nmol/g of protein, respectively. In the [ 3 H]SCH23390 competition assay, D 1 R agonist SKF38393 displaced [ 3 H]SCH23390 with an IC 50 value of 2.0 (1.5–2.8) Μmol/L. SKF38393 increased the intracellular cAMP level and CRE-SEAP activity through D 1 R expressed in HEK293 cells in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC 50 value of 0.25 (0.12–0.53) Μmol/L and 0.39 (0.27–0.57) Μmol/L at 6 h/0.59 (0.22–1.58) Μmol/L at 12 h, respectively. SKF38393 also increased the intracellular calcium level in a concentration-dependent manner with EC 50 value of 27 (8.6–70) nmol/L. Conclusion : An HEK293 cell line stably expressing human D 1 R was obtained successfuly. The study also demonstrated that the CRE-SEAP activity assay could be substituted for the cAMP accumulation assay for measuring increase in cAMP levels. Thus, both intracellular calcium measurements and the CRE-SEAP activity assay are suitable for high-throughput screening in drug research.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75187/1/j.1745-7254.2005.00017.x.pd

Microwave assisted heterogeneous catalysis: effects of varying oxygen concentrations on the oxidative coupling of methane

The oxidative coupling of methane was investigated over alumina supported La2O3/CeO2 catalysts under microwave dielectric heating conditions at different oxygen concentrations. It was observed that, at a given temperature using microwave heating, selectivities for both ethane and ethylene were notably higher when oxygen was absent than that in oxygen/methane mixtures. The differences were attributed to the localised heating of microwave radiation resulting in temperature inhomogeneity in the catalyst bed. A simplified model was used to estimate the temperature inhomogeneity; the temperature at the centre of the catalyst bed was 85 °C greater than that at the periphery when the catalyst was heated by microwaves in a gas mixture with an oxygen concentration of 12.5% (v/v), and the temperature difference was estimated to be 168 °C in the absence of oxygen

Baseline characteristics influencing quality of life in women undergoing gynecologic oncology surgery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Quality of life (QoL) measurements are important in evaluating cancer treatment outcomes. Factors other than cancer and its treatment may have significant effects on QoL and affect assessment of treatments. Baseline data from longitudinal studies of women with endometrial or ovarian cancer or adnexal mass determined at surgery to be benign were analyzed to determine the degree to which QoL is affected by baseline differences in demographic variables and health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study examined the effect of independent variables on domains of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G) pre-operatively in gynecologic oncology patients undergoing surgery for pelvic mass suspected to be malignant or endometrial cancer. Patients also completed the Short Form Medical Outcomes Survey (SF-36) questionnaire (a generic health questionnaire that measures physical and mental health). Independent variables were surgical diagnosis (ovarian or endometrial cancer, benign mass), age, body mass index (BMI), educational level, marital status, smoking status, physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) summary scores of the SF-36. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the influence of these variables on FACT-G domain scores (physical, functional, social and emotional well-being).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Data were collected on 157 women at their pre-operative visit (33 ovarian cancer, 45 endometrial cancer, 79 determined at surgery to be benign). Mean scores on the FACT-G subscales and SF-36 summary scores did not differ as a function of surgical diagnosis. PCS, MCS, age, and educational level were positively correlated with physical well-being, while increasing BMI was negatively correlated. Functional well-being was positively correlated with PCS and MCS and negatively correlated with BMI. Social well-being was positively correlated with MCS and negatively correlated with BMI and educational level. PCS, MCS and age were positively correlated with emotional well-being. Models that included PCS and MCS accounted for 30 to 44% of the variability in baseline physical, emotional, and functional well-being on the FACT-G.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>At the time of diagnosis and treatment, patients' QoL is affected by inherent characteristics. Assessment of treatment outcome should take into account the effect of these independent variables. As treatment options become more complex, these variables are likely to be of increasing importance in evaluating treatment effects on QoL.</p

Optically detected spin-orbit torque ferromagnetic resonance in an in-plane magnetized ellipse (article)

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from AIP Publishing via the DOI in this recordThe dataset associated with this article is available in ORE at: https://doi.org/10.24378/exe.3343Time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy has been used to perform optically-detected, phaseresolved spin-orbit torque ferromagnetic resonance (SOT-FMR) measurements on a microscale CoFeB ellipse at the centre of a Pt Hall cross subject to RF and DC current. Time-resolved polar Kerr images revealed localized dynamics with large amplitude at the center, and weaker amplitude at the edges. Therefore, field swept SOT-FMR spectra were acquired from the so-called center mode to probe the SOTs active at the center of the ellipse, thus minimising non-uniform edge contributions. When the magnetic field was applied at 30° from the hard axis of the ellipse and a DC current applied, a marked asymmetry was observed in the amplitude and linewidth of the FMR peaks as the applied field was reversed. Both absorptive and dispersive parts of the spectra were in good agreement with a macrospin calculation. The damping parameter (α) and the Slonczewski torque parameter (ST) were determined to be 0.025 and (6.75±0.75)×10-7 Oe A-1 cm2 respectively. The hard axis SOT-FMR linewidth was found to be almost independent of the DC current value, suggesting that the SOT has minimal influence in the hard axis configuration and also that thermal effects were insignificant. This study paves the way to spatially-resolved measurements of SOT probed using localized modes of microscale devices that go beyond the spatially averaged capability of electrical measurement techniques.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

Parenteral thiamine for prevention and treatment of delirium in critically ill adults: a systematic review protocol

Background: Delirium is an acute confusional state, common in critical illness and associated with cognitive decline. There is no effective pharmacotherapy to prevent or treat delirium, although it is scientifically plausible that thiamine could be effective. Thiamine studies in dementia patients are inconclusive. Aside from small numbers, all used oral administration: bioavailability of thiamine is poor; parenteral thiamine bypasses this. In the UK, parenteral thiamine is administered as a compound vitamin B and C solution (Pabrinex®). The aim of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of parenteral thiamine (alone or in a compound solution) in preventing or treating delirium in critical illness. Methods: We will search for studies in electronic databases (MEDLINE (Pro-Quest), EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS, CNKI, AMED, and Cochrane CENTRAL), clinical trials registries (WHO International Clinical Trials Registry, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Controlled-trials.com), and grey literature (Google Scholar, conference proceedings, and Index to Theses). We will perform complementary searches of reference lists of included studies, relevant reviews, clinical practice guidelines, or other pertinent documents (e.g. official documents and government reports). We will consider quasi-randomised or randomised controlled trials in critically ill adults. We will include studies that evaluate parenteral thiamine versus standard of care, placebo, or any other non-pharmacological or pharmacological interventions. The primary outcomes will be the delirium core outcome set, including incidence and severity of delirium and cognition. Secondary outcomes are adapted from the ventilation core outcome set: duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay, and adverse events incidence. Screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment will be undertaken independently by two reviewers. If data permits, we will conduct meta-analyses using a random effects model and, where appropriate, sensitivity and subgroup analyses to explore sources of heterogeneity. Discussion: This review will provide evidence for the effectiveness of parental thiamine in the prevention or treatment of delirium in critical care. Findings will contribute to establishing the need for a multicentre study of parenteral thiamine in the prevention and treatment of critical care delirium. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42019118808.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.published version, accepted versio

Observation of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering

The coherent elastic scattering of neutrinos off nuclei has eluded detection for four decades, even though its predicted cross-section is the largest by far of all low-energy neutrino couplings. This mode of interaction provides new opportunities to study neutrino properties, and leads to a miniaturization of detector size, with potential technological applications. We observe this process at a 6.7-sigma confidence level, using a low-background, 14.6-kg CsI[Na] scintillator exposed to the neutrino emissions from the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Characteristic signatures in energy and time, predicted by the Standard Model for this process, are observed in high signal-to-background conditions. Improved constraints on non-standard neutrino interactions with quarks are derived from this initial dataset

MegaSNPHunter: a learning approach to detect disease predisposition SNPs and high level interactions in genome wide association study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The interactions of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are highly hypothesized to affect an individual's susceptibility to complex diseases. Although many works have been done to identify and quantify the importance of multi-SNP interactions, few of them could handle the genome wide data due to the combinatorial explosive search space and the difficulty to statistically evaluate the high-order interactions given limited samples.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three comparative experiments are designed to evaluate the performance of MegaSNPHunter. The first experiment uses synthetic data generated on the basis of epistasis models. The second one uses a genome wide study on Parkinson disease (data acquired by using Illumina HumanHap300 SNP chips). The third one chooses the rheumatoid arthritis study from Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) using Affymetrix GeneChip 500K Mapping Array Set. MegaSNPHunter outperforms the best solution in this area and reports many potential interactions for the two real studies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The experimental results on both synthetic data and two real data sets demonstrate that our proposed approach outperforms the best solution that is currently available in handling large-scale SNP data both in terms of speed and in terms of detection of potential interactions that were not identified before. To our knowledge, MegaSNPHunter is the first approach that is capable of identifying the disease-associated SNP interactions from WTCCC studies and is promising for practical disease prognosis.</p

Polarized epithelium-sperm co-culture system reveals stimulatory factors for the secretion of mouse epididymal quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase 1

Spermatozoa acquire fertilization ability through post-translational modifications. These membrane surface alterations occur in various segments of the epididymis. Quiescin sulfhydryl oxidases, which catalyze thioloxidation reactions, are involved in disulfide bond formation, which is essential for sperm maturation, upon transition and migration in the epididymis. Using castration and azoospermia transgenic mouse models, in the present study, we showed that quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase 1 (QSOX1) protein expression and secretion are positively correlated with the presence of testosterone and sperm cells. A two-dimensional in vitro epithelium-sperm co-culture system provided further evidence in support of the notion that both testosterone and its dominant metabolite, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, promote epididymal QSOX1 secretion. We also demonstrated that immature caput spermatozoa, but not mature cauda sperm cells, exhibited great potential to stimulate QSOX1 secretion in vitro, suggesting that sperm maturation is a key regulatory factor for mouse epididymal QSOX1 secretion. Proteomic analysis identified 582 secretory proteins from the co-culture supernatant, of which 258 were sperm-specific and 154 were of epididymal epitheliumorigin. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that these secreted proteins exhibit functions known to facilitate sperm membrane organization, cellular activity, and sperm-egg recognition. Taken together, our data demonstrated that testosterone and sperm maturation status are key regulators of mouse epididymal QSOX1 protein expression and secretion.</p

Comparison of Anterior Segment Optical Tomography Parameters Measured Using a Semi-Automatic Software to Standard Clinical Instruments

10.1371/journal.pone.0065559PLoS ONE86