Smoke-free Community: Building a smoke-free community: parntnership, implementation and evaluation

Parallel Session: Community Enpowermentpublished_or_final_versio

"My Mother Wants Me to Jiaru-haomen (Marry Into a Rich and Powerful Family)!": Exploring the Pathways to "Altruistic Individualism" in Chinese Professional Women’s Filial Strategies of Marital Choice

In an era of individualization, Chinese individuals often have to face the challenge of balancing their personal choices with their filial obligations. While a host of “filial strategies” are well-documented in traditional areas of filial contention such as elderly care and relating with in-laws, there are none in the area of sheng nü or “leftover women’s” marital choices. This study sets out to explore the “marital filial strategies” of unmarried Chinese professional women who face filial contentions in their “marriage timing” and “partner choice.” It was found that the combination of the filial strategies of “deferring” to parents’ matchmaking demands, followed by “negotiation” of one’s partner choice, led to the ideal condition of “altruistic individualism” that “combined personal freedom with engagement with others.” On a wider level, sheng nü’s filial strategies of marital choice could serve as an exemplar for all modern Chinese individuals who strove to conduct congenial filial relationships without compromising their own ideals.published_or_final_versio

Successful islet allotransplantation in diabetic rats immunosuppressed with FK506: A functional and immunological study

The effect of a novel immunosuppressive agent, FK506, on fresh islet allografts was evaluated in diabetic rats across major histocompatibility complex (MHC) barriers with respect to the transplantation (TR) site, islet source, treatment regimen, and antidonor antibody (Ab) titers of the recipients after TR. The functional periods of Wistar (Wi) islets transplanted under kidney capsule (KC) or intraportally (IPo) and of a mixture of Wi and Lewis (Le) islets under KC or IPo in nonimmunosuppressed ACI rat recipients were 6.9 ± 0.4 (n = 7), 6.4 ± 0.5 (n = 7), 5.6 ± 0.4 (n = 7), and 6.2 ± 0.4 (n = 5) days, respectively. FK506 treatment at 1 mg/kg/d intramuscularly (IM) for 2 weeks (protocol I) following islet TR under KC and IPo significantly prolonged the allograft function to more than 71.8 ± 11.3 (n = 10) and 161.7 ± 18.6 (n = 11) days, respectively. Additional treatment with FK506 at 1 mg/kg/wk (protocol II) further increased the islet survival under KC to more than 212.6 ± 22.3 (n = 8) days. With this FK506 treatment protocol, the Wi + Le mixed-islet allograft function was extended to more than 106.1 ± 10.5 (n = 7) and 167.9 ± 28.6 (n = 7) days under KC and IPo, respectively. Nephrectomy in 8 8 ACI rats with long-term-functioning Wi (n = 6) and Wi + Le (n = 2) islet allografts resulted in their return to hyperglycemia. Immunohistochemical staining showed abundant insulin-positive cells at the graft site, with small numbers of CD4- and CD8-positive cells present in the vicinity of the normal-appearing islets. Macrophages were not detected. The immunosuppressive effect of FK506 was further tested in ACI rats presensitized by a previous Wi islet TR. When the duration between the first and second TR under KC was 114.3 ± 20.5 days, protocol II treatment significantly prolonged the graft function to more than 152.9 ± 28.7 (n = 8) days. However, with a short duration of about 2 weeks between the two TRs, the same FK506 protocol achieved islet graft function of 14.0 ± 3.8 days (n = 7). Additional immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide did not further improve the survival time. Antidonor Abs detected in ACI recipients of Wi islet allografts were significantly lower in the FK506-treated animals compared with the nontreatment group. Wi and Le skin grafts performed in three ACI rats with long-term-functioning Wi islets IPo caused the rejection of the islet allografts. Skin grafts were also rejected in the first-set fashion. Six ACI recipients with long-term-functioning IPo Wi islet allografts were rendered hyperglycemic by streptozocin (STZ) injection. Long-term normoglycemia without further FK506 immunosuppression was achieved following retransplantation with fresh Wi islets IPo (n = 2), but not under KC (n = 2). The results of the present study indicate that FK506 was an effective immunosuppressant for islet allotransplantation in diabetic ACI rats across MHC barriers with islets from two donor strains, as well as in sensitized recipients whose antidonor activities had subsided. The efficacy of the immunosuppression was influenced by the FK506 treatment protocol and the site of the islet transplant. The results suggest that FK506 could be useful in clinical islet TR. © 1994

Integrating health promotion into nursing curricula in Hong Kong

The health care system in Hong Kong has historically been steeped in the biomedical paradigm. Health care reform, however, is finally putting health promotion on the agenda of governments and health care providers. As the largest group of providers in Hong Kong, nurses must assume a leadership role in the transition of the current illness-focused system to one that emphasizes health and promotes wellness. For nurses to take up the challenge of health promotion, they need to acquire the requisite knowledge and skills. Nursing curricula must emphasize this new paradigm and provide opportunities for students to develop expertise in health promotion and disease prevention. This article describes a health-promotion initiative carried out by 1st-year students in an undergraduate nursing program in Hong Kong. The health-promotion project aims to prepare graduates who will be able to meet health care needs and function effectively in the future health care system. Not only will these nurses be capable of becoming future leaders of the health-promotion movement in Hong Kong, they are also contributing to the health and wellness of Hong Kong citizens.published_or_final_versio

Strengthening family relationship to increase family health, happiness and harmony: Findings from a Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) project under FAMILY: A Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society Project in Hong Kong

Oral Poster Presentation SessionSham Shui Po (SSP) district is one of the districts with high population density and lowest median household income. A CBPR project “Enhancing Family Well-being Project” was conducted by SSP District Social Welfare Office and School of Public Health, the University of Hong Kong from February 2012 to May 2013. (1) To promote family health, happiness and harmony (3Hs) by building capacity for families to enhance family relationship; (2) To investigate the effectiveness of CBPR programmes in improving family relationship and 3Hs. After training, based on positive psychology, social service workers in 30 participating organizations designed and organized their own programmes (one 2-hour session; one 1-hour booster) on one self-selected theme (“Gratitude”, “Hope/Resilience” and “Open-mindedness”) for people aged 6+ recruited by the organization. Participants were assessed four times (T1, pre-intervention; T2, immediately post-intervention; T3, 6 weeks and T4, 3 months after T2) primarily on family relationship and family 3Hs using Family Relationship Scale and family 3H indicators respectively. 1586 individuals aged 12+ from 1031 families participated in 29 programmes. Most (89.5%) were aged 18+, 69.0% were female, 65.9% had secondary or above education level and 69.5% were married. The mean score of overall family relationship increased from 75.6 (T1) to 76.0 (T4) (effect size, ES=0.06, p=0.03). The mean scores of family expressiveness increased (ES=0.10, p<0.001) and family conflict decreased from T1 to T4 (ES=-0.05, p=0.04). Family health, happiness and harmony scores all significantly increased from T1 to T4: ES = 0.14 (p<0.001), 0.10 (p<0.001) and 0.10 (p<0.001) respectively. All changes above indicated improvements after the programmes. This CBPR brief intervention was effective in enhancing family relationship and 3Hs. The effects were small but sustained up to 3 months. The main limitation was the lack of a control group, which was not feasible in a large CBPR project.postprin

Using tactile pressure sensors to measure dynamic earth pressures around dual-row walls

Following the destructive 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, dual-row retaining walls are being employed in Japan to protect coastal areas from these natural hazards. Dynamic centrifuge tests are conducted to investigate the system behaviour, in particular the earth pressures generated. High-frequency tactile pressure sensors can measure the dynamic earth pressures. By directly measuring the stresses generated during earthquake events invaluable insight can be gained into the dynamic behaviour. However, the processing and interpretation of the raw output can be challenging. This paper describes a processing scheme that can be used to reduce the apparent scatter in the data. This is applied to the earth pressure data collected using the system developed by Tekscan. The calibration and sensitivity correction process is detailed, with attention to the limitations of the assumptions made in the proposed method. The variation of the processed earth pressures with time is considered to better understand the wall behaviour. The distribution along the wall is considered at several instants to gain further insight. To help verify the earth pressure measurements, equilibrium-based methods are used to investigate the consistency between the recorded earth pressures and the outputs from other instruments that directly measure the wall response. </jats:p

Centrifuge testing of dual row retaining walls in dry sand: The influence of earthquake sequence and multiple flights

Multi-hazard threats from tsunami events preceded by large earthquakes have been put into sharp focus in recent times. Dual row retaining walls are soil-structure systems that can have large lateral capacity with a small horizontal extent, making them ideal for the next generation of coastal protection. However, the dynamics of their behaviour is a complex interaction problem. Centrifuge tests, with multiple earthquakes within a single flight as well as multiple flights with varied embedment ratio were conducted to elucidate the mechanics of these systems when founded in dry sand. The structural response shows permanent, plastic deformations during the early cycles dependent mainly on the PGA superposed with more elastic vibrations during prolonged shaking. The development of the soil stresses and stiffnesses mobilised is used to explain the overall system response. Finally, the recorded structural and soil behaviour during swing up and down are combined to show that the soil stress and strain state is effectively reset between flights. Overall, useful methods for judging the progressive response of a complex soil-structure system are presented which can help justify future comparisons between experimental datasets and understand the implications of practical dynamic design

A correlative study of vertical and horizontal movement in rats

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Finite Element Analysis of Floatation of Rectangular Tunnels Following Earthquake Induced Liquefaction

Underground structures such as tunnels, pipelines, car parks etc. can suffer severe damage during strong earthquake events. As many of these structures are buoyant, soil liquefaction due to earthquake loading can result in their floatation. In this paper, the floatation of rectangular tunnels, normally constructed by the cut-and-cover method, is investigated using dynamic finite element analyses. Sinusoidal and more realistic earthquake input motions are considered. The acceleration response of the tunnel and the soil surface following soil liquefaction is investigated. The generation of excess pore pressures in the soil around the tunnel and the consequent floatation of the tunnel are observed for both types of input motions. It will be shown that the amount of tunnel uplift depends on the type of input motion with the sinusoidal motion leading to a significantly larger uplift compared with the more realistic Kobe motion. Further, the effect of soil permeability on the floatation of the rectangular tunnel is investigated. It will be shown that tunnels can suffer floatation in finer soils with low permeabilities, whilst coarser soils with high permeability can lead to tunnel settlements owing to the rapid re-consolidation of the liquefied soils. The average axial strains in the soil above the tunnel will be shown to decrease with decreasing permeability.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40098-014-0133-