Low Transmission to Elimination: Rural Development as a Key Determinant of the End-Game Dynamics of Schistosoma japonicum in China.

Rural development has been a critical component of China's economic miracle since the start of economic reform in the early 1980s, both benefiting from and contributing to the nation's rapid economic growth. This development has yielded substantial improvements of public health relevance, including contributing to major reductions in schistosomiasis prevalence. The history of schistosomiasis elimination in Japan suggests that development played a dominant causal role in that nation. We argue that it is highly probable that a similar story is playing out in at least some large regions of China. In particular, we summarize evidence from Sichuan Province which supports the case that economic development has led to improvements in rural irrigation and water supply which, together with changes in crop selection and agricultural mechanization, have all contributed to sustainable reductions in the prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum. The two major factors that have experienced major reductions are the area of snail habitat and the degree of human exposure, both through a variety of mechanisms which differ by region and economic circumstance. However, hotspots of transmission remain. Overall, however, economic development in traditionally endemic areas has provided the resources to carry out projects that have had major beneficial impacts on disease transmission that are likely to be sustainable

Noncoherent Multi-Way Relay Based on Fast Frequency-Hopping M-ary Frequency-Shift Keying

Information exchange among a group of users is implemented with the aid of fast frequency-hopping $M$-ary frequency-shift keying multi-way relay (FFH/MFSK MWR). The FFH/MFSK MWR scheme uses two time-slots per symbol for achieving the information exchange, regardless of the number of users involved. During the first time-slot, all the users communicate with a relay based on the FFH/MFSK principles. Then, without recovery of the symbols received, the relay forms a time-frequency (TF) matrix, which is forwarded to all the users during the second time-slot. During the second time-slot, each user receives signals from the relay and, based on which, detects the other users' information. In the FFH/MFSK MWR scheme, both the relay and the users use square-law assisted noncoherent techniques for detection. While the relay uses simple threshold detection, three types of detectors, namely the maximum likelihood multiuser detector (ML-MUD), sub-optimum ML-MUD (SML-MUD) and the majority vote based single-user detector (MV-SUD), are considered for detection at the users. Finally, in this paper, the error performance of the FFH/MFSK MWR systems is investigated by simulations, when assuming communications over Rayleigh fading channels

Approach to C2F2C (customer to factory to customer) strategy: a case study of the Fanqing Furniture Company

Hotel furniture manufacturers, as key components of modern service industry, have become leading service companies concerning China's economic development. Consumer-driven business model and mass customization are becoming important direction of hotel furniture manufacturers’ transformation and upgrade. In a context of fragmented competition and individualized customers’ demand, it is difficult to take advantage of the low cost and high efficiency of mass production, while meeting the customers’ individualized needs. Internet led business increases the difficulty of balancing the offer of large production and customization, because companies face a high cost (Customer to Factory), while the customers’ satisfaction is low (Factory to Customer). Finding a solution to this trade-off is not only a major challenge in the process of company model transformation, but also an important topic that has not yet been studied in depth. Based on Fanqing Hotel Furniture Company’s empirical case of solving the contradiction between individualized demand and mass production, this thesis studies the evolution of hotel furniture manufacturers’ (HFM) innovation ecosystem and the value co-creation mode. The C2F2C (Customer to Factory to Customer) strategy of Fanqing was constructed based on both company innovation ecosystem theory and customer value co-creation theory. By implementing the C2F2C strategy, Fanqing has realized standardization, informatization and lean production, and also fulfilled customers’ needs and improved their satisfaction. The C2F2C strategy also helps to reduce costs and achieve value co-creation between the company and customers. This thesis explores an effective way to improve technological innovation ability and international competitiveness of HFM in China.As empresas de móveis para hotéis constituem um sector importante no desenvolvimento da indústria de serviços modernos, liderando já a indústria no desenvolvimento económico da China. Seguir um modelo de negócio de personalização em larga escala e orientação para o consumidor aponta ser uma direção significativa a tomar para a transformação e inovação das empresas de serviços. Face à concorrência individualizada e fragmentada na procura de clientes da indústria hoteleira, é difícil oferecer ao cliente uma personalização em larga escala, que permita atingir as vantagens de baixo custo e alta eficiência de produção em volume, atendendo simultaneamente à personalização das necessidades de cada cliente. Na comercialização pela internet é mais difícil equilibrar a oferta de uma produção em larga escala e personalizada, porque é elevado o custo em C2F, mas em contrapartida baixo o nível de satisfação do cliente em F2C. Como suporte empírico, esta tese analisou o caso da empresa de Móveis para Hotéis Fanqing, que resolveu a contradição entre procura individualizada e produção de massa em grande escala, permitindo estudar a evolução para um ecossistema inovador e de criação conjunta de valor entre empresas de móveis e clientes nesta industria de mobiliário para hóteis (HFM). A estratégia da relação cliente para fabricante e deste para cliente (C2F2C) da Fanqing foi desenvolvida com base nas teorias da inovação do ecossistema e da criação de valor conjunta. Ao implementar a estratégia de C2F2C, a Fanqing operou tanto a standardização, a informatização e a produção lean, como a satisfação do cliente preenchendo as suas necessidades. A estratégia C2F2C permite reduzir custos e potencia a criação conjunta de valor entre fabricantes e clientes, explorando uma maneira eficaz de melhorar a capacidade de inovação tecnológica e a competitividade internacional das empresas de móveis para hotéis da China

Performance Analysis of Multihop Wireless Links over Generalized-K Fading Channels

The performance of multihop links is studied in this contribution by both analysis and simulations, when communicating over Generalized-$K$ ($K_G$) fading channels. The performance metrics considered include symbol error rate (SER), outage probability, level crossing rate (LCR) and average outage duration (AOD). First, the expressions for both the SER and outage probability are derived by approximating the probability density function (PDF) of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) using an equivalent end-to-end PDF. We show that this equivalent end-to-end PDF is accurate for analyzing the outage probability. Then, the second-order statistics of LCR and AOD of multihop links are analyzed. Finally, the performance of multihop links is investigated either by simulations or by evaluation of the expressions derived. Our performance results show that the analytical expressions obtained can be well justified by the simulation results. The studies show that the $K_G$ channel model as well as the expressions derived in this paper are highly efficient for predicting the performance metrics and statistics for design of multihop communication links

Controlling plant architecture by manipulation of gibberellic acid signalling in petunia.

Since stem elongation is a gibberellic acid (GA) response, GA inhibitors are commonly used to control plant height in the production of potted ornamentals and bedding plants. In this study, we investigated interfering with GA signaling by using molecular techniques as an alternative approach. We isolated three putative GID1 genes (PhGID1A, PhGID1B and PhGID1C) encoding GA receptors from petunia. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of these genes results in stunted growth, dark-green leaves and late-flowering. We also isolated the gai mutant gene (gai-1) from Arabidopsis. We have generated transgenic petunia plants in which the gai mutant protein is over-expressed under the control of a dexamethasone-inducible promoter. This system permits induction of the dominant Arabidopsis gai mutant gene at a desired stage of plant development in petunia plants by the application of dexamethasone (Dex). The induction of gai in Dex-treated T1 petunia seedlings caused dramatic growth retardation with short internodes