Prediction of Thromboembolic Events in Heart Failure Patients in Sinus Rhythm: The Hong Kong Heart Failure Registry

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The existence of global weak solutions for a weakly dissipative Camassa-Holm equation in H1(R)

The existence of global weak solutions to the Cauchy problem for a weakly dissipative Camassa-Holm equation is established in the space C([0,∞)×R)nL∞([0,∞);H1(R)) under the assumption that the initial value u 0 (x) only belongs to the space H 1 (R) . The limit of viscous approximations, a one-sided super bound estimate and a space-time higher-norm estimate for the equation are established to prove the existence of the global weak solution

Lean manufacturing, culture and their role on sustainability: A case study in the Chinese automotive industry

This paper focuses on lean manufacturing and culture and how they influence the sustainability initiatives of an Automotive company in China. The principle of lean manufacturing is widely applied in the automotive industry worldwide. The last few decades have witnessed the accelerating pace of China’s continued emergence as a major industrial power. With the globalisation of multinational corporations and the development of domestic automotive enterprises, there is an increasing number of cross-cultural motor manufacturing companies starting their business in China. In these companies, cultural diversity is an important factor that affects the management strategies. Using a case study approach, this paper shows the relevant themes on the role of lean manufacturing and culture on the sustainability initiatives taken by the company

Lack of Association of Two Common Polymorphisms rs2910164 and rs11614913 with Susceptibility to Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in microRNA-coding genes may participate in the process of carcinogenesis by altering the expression of tumor-related microRNAs. It has been suggested that two common SNPs rs2910164 in miR-146a and rs11614913 in miR-196a2 are associated with susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, published results are inconsistent and inconclusive. In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis to systematically summarize the possible association between the two SNPs and the risk for HCC. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a search of case-control studies on the associations of SNPs rs2910164 and/or rs11614913 with susceptibility to HCC in PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Data from eligible studies were extracted for meta-analysis. HCC risk associated with the two polymorphisms was estimated by pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). 5 studies on rs2910164 and 4 studies on rs11614913 were included in our meta-analysis. Our results showed that neither allele frequency nor genotype distribution of the two polymorphisms was associated with risk for HCC in all genetic models. Similarly, subgroup analysis in Chinese population showed no association between the two SNPs and the susceptibility to HCC. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This meta-analysis suggests that two common SNPs rs2910164 and rs11614913 are not associated with the risk of HCC. Well-designed studies with larger sample size and more ethnic groups are required to further validate the results

Functional Analysis of General Odorant Binding Protein 2 from the Meadow Moth, Loxostege sticticalis L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Odorant binding proteins play a crucial role in transporting semiochemicals across the sensillum lymph to olfactory receptors within the insect antennal sensilla. In this study, the general odorant binding protein 2 gene was cloned from the antennae of Loxostege sticticalis, using reverse transcription PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Recombinant LstiGOBP2 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni ion affinity chromatography. Real-time PCR assays indicated that LstiGOBP2 mRNA is expressed mainly in adult antennae, with expression levels differing with developmental age. Ligand-binding experiments using N-phenyl-naphthylamine (1-NPN) as a fluorescent probe demonstrated that the LstiGOBP2 protein has binding affinity to a broad range of odorants. Most importantly, trans-11-tetradecen-1-yl acetate, the pheromone component of Loxostege sticticalis, and trans-2-hexenal and cis-3-hexen-1-ol, the most abundant plant volatiles in essential oils extracted from host plants, had high binding affinities to LstiGOBP2 and elicited strong electrophysiological responses from the antennae of adults

Improving detection and notification of tuberculosis cases in students in Shaanxi province, China: an intervention study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cooperation between different public and private health institutes involved in tuberculosis (TB) control has proven to enhance TB control in different settings. In China, such a mechanism has not been set up yet between Centers for Disease Control (CDCs) and university hospitals despite an increased TB incidence among students. This study aims to improve arrival of TB suspects identified by universities at the CDCs in order to manage them under standardized, directly observed treatment-short course (DOTS) conditions according to the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) guidelines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Five matched pairs of universities were randomly assigned to the control and intervention group. After a baseline survey, a cooperation mechanism between local CDCs and university hospitals was set up in the intervention group. The effects on referral of TB suspects to the local CDC, tracing by the local CDC, and arrival at the local CDCs were assessed. Differences were tested by means of the chi-square test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the baseline survey, the referral, tracing and arrival rates were between 37% and 46%. After implementation of the cooperation mechanism, these rates had not changed in the control group but increased significantly in the intervention group: the referral, tracing and arrival rates were 97%, 95%, and 93%, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>It is feasible and effective to set up cooperation between CDCs and university hospitals to increase the number of TB suspects examined by CDCs and increase the number of TB patients treated under DOTS conditions. These public-public mix (PPM) activities should be expanded to cover all other university hospitals in China.</p

Effective Rheology of Bubbles Moving in a Capillary Tube

We calculate the average volumetric flux versus pressure drop of bubbles moving in a single capillary tube with varying diameter, finding a square-root relation from mapping the flow equations onto that of a driven overdamped pendulum. The calculation is based on a derivation of the equation of motion of a bubble train from considering the capillary forces and the entropy production associated with the viscous flow. We also calculate the configurational probability of the positions of the bubbles.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Inter-Observer Agreement on Subjects' Race and Race-Informative Characteristics

Health and socioeconomic disparities tend to be experienced along racial and ethnic lines, but investigators are not sure how individuals are assigned to groups, or how consistent this process is. To address these issues, 1,919 orthodontic patient records were examined by at least two observers who estimated each individual's race and the characteristics that influenced each estimate. Agreement regarding race is high for African and European Americans, but not as high for Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans. The indicator observers most often agreed upon as important in estimating group membership is name, especially for Asian and Hispanic Americans. The observers, who were almost all European American, most often agreed that skin color is an important indicator of race only when they also agreed the subject was European American. This suggests that in a diverse community, light skin color is associated with a particular group, while a range of darker shades can be associated with members of any other group. This research supports comparable studies showing that race estimations in medical records are likely reliable for African and European Americans, but are less so for other groups. Further, these results show that skin color is not consistently the primary indicator of an individual's race, but that other characteristics such as facial features add significant information