1,721,379 research outputs found
When a crisis hits, will Hong Kong secondary schools be ready?: crisis management and response capabilities in secondary schools in Hong Kong.
Full text linkby Sou Meng Kei, Yu Cheng Yuan, Yung Yin Ting, Evelyn.Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (leaves [83-85]).ABSTRACT --- p.iiLIST OF APPENDICES --- p.iiiACKNOWLEGMENTS --- p.ivTABLE OF CONTENT --- p.vChapterChapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1Literature Review --- p.2Objectives --- p.4Definition of Terms --- p.4Background Information --- p.6Secondary School in Hong Kong --- p.6Existing Guidelines on School Crisis Management --- p.8Common Crisis-prone Teenage Problems in Hong Kong --- p.9Recent School Crises in Hong Kong --- p.10Significance of Study --- p.11Chapter II. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.12Research Design --- p.12Description of the Sample --- p.13Definition of Grouping Items --- p.14Definition of Constructs and Their Relationship --- p.16Chapter III. --- LIMITATION --- p.18Chapter IV --- DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION --- p.20General Findings --- p.20Comparative Findings --- p.34Additional Statistical Findings --- p.50Chapter V --- RECOMMENDATIONS & IMPLICATIONS --- p.52Chapter VI --- CONCLUSION --- p.57APPENDIXBIBLIOGRAPH
Upper respiratory disease and qualitative studies in primary ciliary dyskinesia.
No full textBackground: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare disease affecting multiple organs with an
estimated prevalence of 1: 10,000. Over 50 genes cause structural or functional changes in motile
cilia, which are crucial for mucociliary clearance. Half of the patients have laterality defects, other
manifestations can include retinitis pigmentosa, hydrocephalus, cystic kidneys, multiple spleens or
fertility issues. Most commonly patients have chronic symptoms of the upper and lower airways.
With such heterogenous clinical presentation, diagnosing PCD is particularly challenging. Most
studies so far focused on diagnostics or pulmonary disease. Symptoms of the ear, nose and throat
(ENT) have been understudied, although ENT symptoms are typically present at birth in patients with
PCD. We do not know the frequency of ENT disease and possible risk factors.
Research is usually driven from the researcher’s perspective. The perspective of patients with PCD is
unknown. We do not know what research priorities they consider important for PCD, nor do we
know in what extent treatment burden affects them and what factors might reduce their burden.
Aims: The overall aim of my PhD was to improve understanding of this rare disease in two neglected,
understudied areas: ENT disease and patient perspectives. Specifically, I aimed to 1) assess the
prevalence of physical activity, respiratory physiotherapy practices and nutritional status of people
with PCD in Switzerland to gain experience with analysing data, while setting up the prospective ENT
cohort for the ENT studies with the aims to 2) to study sinonasal symptoms and examination
findings, and identify possible risk factors for increased sinonasal disease; 3) to assess the correlation
between patient- and parent-reported symptoms, and objective measurements in patients with PCD;
4) study association between upper and lower symptoms, explore association of chronic
rhinosinusitis (CRS) with pulmonary symptoms and lung function. To understand patients’
perspectives beter I aimed to 5) explore patients’ research priorities for PCD and their experience
with 6) treatment burden to identify factors, which might reduce treatment burden to design
appropriate interventions and improve treatment strategies.
Methods: For aim 1), I used data from the first Swiss survey, which was nested in the Swiss PCD
registry. For the ENT aims 2) – 4), I used data from the new cohort I set up with my supervisor, the
ENT prospective international cohort for patients with PCD (EPIC-PCD). We have 13 participating
centres from 10 countries across Europe with over 500 participants enrolled. For aims 5) and 6) each
I am conducting mixed methods studies: phase 1 – qualitative semi-structured interviews with
patients or parents of children with PCD, phase 2 – based on interview results, developing a survey
on patients’ research priorities to circulate worldwide via support groups and on treatment burden
circulated in the Swiss PCD registry.
Results: This thesis includes 6 manuscripts (2 published, 1 submited, 1 mature draft, 1 with
preliminary results, 1 with preliminary results of phase 1):
Manuscript 1: Over half of the participants were physically active, adults saw a professional
physiotherapist less often, as did participants who were regularly active.
Manuscript 2: Chronic nasal problems were the most common symptoms. Nasal polyps,
hypertrophic turbinates, deviated septum and facial pain were found more commonly in adults than
children. The only characteristic associated with higher risk of sinonasal disease was age 10 years and
older.
Manuscript 3: We found no correlation between patient-reported sinonasal symptoms and relevant
clinical examination findings. Otologic symptoms correlated poorly or weakly with otoscopy and
audiometry findings, with age and centre identified as determinants of agreement.
Manuscript 4: Shortness of breath was associated with reported nasal symptoms and ear pain of any
frequency, often or daily hearing problems, headache when bending and with CRS, regardless of
presence of polyps. Sputum production was associated with daily reported, hearing problems, and
CRS. We did not find any association between CRS and FEV1.
Manuscript 5: Main priorities from interviews were development of a cure or restoration of cilia
function and increasing knowledge in different fields such as mental health, treatment burden,
fertility and ENT problems, impact of environment and lifestyle. Quantitative, preliminary results
showed similar priorities, which were finding a cure, research on life expectancy and long-term
disease impacts, health-related behaviours, ENT disease and associations with lung problems. Other
priorities were involving more doctors and people in PCD research, raising awareness of the
condition, followed by mental health, fertility, and treatment burden.
Manuscript 6: Preliminary results of interviews about treatment burden included treatment
duration, financial and administrative burden from health insurance, and reduced quality of life.
In addition to these 6 manuscripts, I contributed as a co-author to 9 manuscripts, which are all
published, except of one that is in revision. They are included as related publications in this thesis. I
am a co-author of at least 6 more manuscripts in preparation.
To conclude: 1) Patients with PCD in Switzerland are physically active and might replace
physiotherapy with sports. 2) Sinonasal disease persists throughout life, likely progresses with age
more nasal polyps and anosmia present in adulthood. 3) Patient-reported symptoms and ENT
examination findings do not correlate. ENT examination should take place regardless of symptoms
complaint. 4) Upper and lower airways disease do not occur independently. It needs to be assessed
as a common entity, using appropriate clinical and patient-reported measures, and to be managed in
unison to improve clinical outcome. 5) Patients’ research priorities focus on developing a cure or
treatment to reduce symptoms. 6) Patients need to manage daily treatment burden in many forms,
particularly adults, who have to battle with symptoms, treatments and administrative burden
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
SUPPLEMENTARY_INFORMATION - The SNP rs560426 Within ABCA4-ARHGAP29 Locus and the Risk of Nonsyndromic Oral Clefts
No full textSUPPLEMENTARY_INFORMATION for The SNP rs560426 Within ABCA4-ARHGAP29 Locus and the Risk of Nonsyndromic Oral Clefts by Yah-Huei Wu-Chou, Kuo-Ting Philip Chen, Yi-Chieh Lu, Yin-Ting Lin, Hsien-Fang Chang and Lun-Jou Lo in The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal</p
Comparison of hexadecane utilization by bacteria isolates from coastal water of Taiwan
No full text碳氫化合物為石油的主要成份之一。本實驗室於2008年分離出二十九株能夠以十六烷作為單一碳源生長的分離菌，其中六株菌株經半年保存培養後失去其分解活性。將分解效率最高之四菌株作為研究對象，鑑種並利用氣相層析儀探討它們在本實驗室之人工海水、含有機營養鹽的人工海水與過濾海水間降解十六烷之差異。經16S rDNA序列分析與生理生化特性測試，判定四菌株HD5、HD8、HD51、MO27分別為Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus、Alcanivorax dieselolei、Marinobacter mobilis、Alcanivorax balearicus，並發現過濾海水相較於人工海含有能夠促進菌株適應新系統的成份。含量較高的氮鹽、磷鹽等營養鹽或有機營養物質能助長菌株HD5和菌株MO27對十六烷的利用；同屬之HD8、MO27二菌株擁有不同基因序列與alkB基因數量，且其對三種系統環境的反應也不同。The main composition of petroleum oil is hydrocarbon. Our laboratory isolated 29 bacterial strains which were able to utilize hexadecane as sole carbon source in 2008. After conserving strain sources for six months, six strains lost hydrocarbon-degrading ability. Four of the fastest growing bacterial strains were selected as material to study their hexadecane-utilization efficiency in three culture conditions: artificial seawater, artificial seawater with organic nutrient and filtered natural seawater. Strain HD5, HD8, HD51 and MO27 were identified as Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus, Alcanivorax dieselolei, Marinobacter mobilis and Alcanivorax balearicus. Bacterial cells could adapt to new system more quickly in filtered natural seawater than in artificial seawater. Higher nitrogenous and phosphoric nutrients or organic nutrient content can improve hexadecane utilization by isolates HD5 and MO27. HD8 and MO27, classified as the same genus, had different gene sequences and number of alkB genes, and had different reactions to three culture conditions.目錄 iii目錄 iv目錄 v文摘要 vibstract vii一章 前言 1、石油於人類的益處與害處 1、石油汙染物的處理 1、降解石油的微生物 2、影響石油生物降解的因素 3、研究動機與目的 4二章 材料與方法 5 、培養基配置 5、細菌樣本 5、分解效率再現性(reproducibility)之測試 5、菌株鑑定 6、十六烷分解效率 13三章 結果與討論 16、分解效率再現性之測試 16、16S rDNA序列分析與生理生化特性比較 17、菌株於PY培養基之生長狀況 19、菌株於三種培養液培養96小時後之十六烷降解結果 20、菌株以十六烷作為單一碳源之生長曲線與十六烷降解量變化 21、菌株的利用與未來展望 24四章 總結 25考文獻 26錄 5
Some Improved Theorems in Mathematical Analysis
No full text推廣Schwarz定理和隱函數定理。將帶Peano餘項的Taylor定理、二階導數檢定法、Lagrange乘數法的條件弱化。To generalize Schwarz theorem and implicit function theorem ,and to weaken the conditions of Taylor theorem with Peano remainder, second derivative test, and method of Lagrange multipliers
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Study of T cell activation and migration at the single-cell and single-molecule level
No full textThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2011.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-184).T cells are required by their immunological roles to recirculate in the body and migrate to tissue sites, a journey that exposes them to distorting forces and physical obstacles that hinder their movement. Therefore, they must possess appropriate deformability to accommodate and adapt to these mechanical stimuli to migrate unimpeded. Since T cells alter their physical properties and migration routes upon activation, they may possess dissimilar mechanical properties as a result of this process. This hypothesis was tested using the techniques micropipette aspiration and atomic force microscopy, which allow the investigation of the elastic and viscous responses of single T cells. It was discovered that the activation process reduced T cell stiffness by more than three folds, a finding that agrees with the motility gain observed in activated T cells. The same testing procedure was applied to Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp)-deficient T cells that exhibit abnormal morphology and impaired chemotaxis. The stiffness of the diseased cells in the naive state was 1.5 times less than that of the non-diseased cells, a result that may be due to the disrupted polymerization and cross-linking of the actin cytoskeleton in the absence of WASp, a regulator of actin growth and organization. Furthermore, the viscous response of the diseased cells in the activated state was found to be impaired. Chemokines were found to dramatically reduce the stiffness of naive T cells that were induced to migrate. These findings suggest that WASp plays an important role in maintaining cell mechanical property and facilitating T cell extravasation by tailoring the cells' deformability. At the molecular level, activation of T cells is triggered by the binding of their surface receptors to antigens, a mechanism that is also key in T cell development. In both cases, the bond strength, conventionally measured by the affinity (KD) or the dissociation rate (koff) of the interacting pair, dictates the biological outcome. Since a few weak interactions may nudge a sub-threshold signal over the threshold strength, and observing that the current methods for measuring KD and koff lack the resolution to detect very weak bonds, this work explored the possibility of utilizing dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) to study very weak binding strengths. Preliminary results confirm this capability.by Irene Yin-Ting Chang.Ph.D
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