Search

A proportional-integral-derivative-based (PID based) sliding mode control (SMC) was applied to the linear stage driven by a constraint-tuning modified-mode (CTMM) ultrasonic actuator. Based upon the driving variation of voltage amplitude and the preload on the CTMM ultrasonic actuator, nonlinear phenomena, such as frequencies shifting in electromechanical resonance and the dead zone in moving response, could be suppressed almost completely by the PID based SMC controller with output biases. Using system identification technique, an approximate second-order model of the linear stage could be obtained for the equivalent control term of the PID based SMC controller. Through an estimated model error, the design of the switching control term was used to compensate for the shifting property of resonant frequencies under electromechanical coupling. A target-command-shaping function matched the responding speed of the system during tracking experiments. Experimental results demonstrate that the SMC controller has the capacity for noise rejection to control the slider's position in bilateral tracking motions. Its resolution is sufficient to approach micrometer-level accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose Physical activity is associated with a reduced incidence of first-time stroke. However, few studies have examined the effect of pre-stroke physical activity on post-stroke complications and clinical outcomes. Methods A total of 39 835 cases of stroke registered in the nationwide stroke registry system of Taiwan between 2006 and 2009 were analyzed according to five levels of severity as determined by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score upon hospital admission. Pre-stroke physical activity was defined in the Taiwan Stroke Registry as dedicated leisure-time physical activity for at least 30 min/day for 3 days/week for more than 6 months. A Cox model was used to compare complications and outcomes between active and inactive groups. Results The active and inactive groups were similar in age distribution and stroke type distribution, but the active group had better National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores upon admission. The active group also had significantly fewer post-stroke complications. Active patients had lower hospital mortality and better functional outcomes upon discharge as per the modified Rankin Scale. Improved functional status in the active group was significant at 1, 3 and 6 months post-stroke. Conclusion Dedicated leisure-time physical activity for at least 30 min/day, at least three times per week for more than 6 months was associated with decreased stroke severity, fewer post-stroke complications, lower mortality and better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chladni nodal line patterns and resonant frequencies for a thin plate excited by an electronically controlled mechanical oscillator are experimentally measured. Experimental results reveal that the resonant frequencies can be fairly obtained by means of probing the variation of the effective impedance of the exciter with and without the thin plate. The influence of the extra mass from the central exciter is confirmed to be insignificant in measuring the resonant frequencies of the present system. In the theoretical aspect, the inhomogeneous Helmholtz equation is exploited to derive the response function as a function of the driving wave number for reconstructing experimental Chladni patterns. The resonant wave numbers are theoretically identified with the maximum coupling efficiency as well as the maximum entropy principle. Substituting the theoretical resonant wave numbers into the derived response function, all experimental Chladni patterns can be excellently reconstructed. More importantly, the dispersion relationship for the flexural wave of the vibrating plate can be determined with the experimental resonant frequencies and the theoretical resonant wave numbers. The determined dispersion relationship is confirmed to agree very well with the formula of the Kirchhoff-Love plate theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimentally resonant modes are commonly presumed to correspond to eigenmodes in the same bounded domain. However, the one-to-one correspondence between theoretical eigenmodes and experimental observations is never reached. Theoretically, eigenmodes in numerous classical and quantum systems are the solutions of the homogeneous Helmholtz equation, whereas resonant modes should be solved from the inhomogeneous Helmholtz equation. In the present paper we employ the eigenmode expansion method to derive the wave functions for manifesting the distinction between eigenmodes and resonant modes. The derived wave functions are successfully used to reconstruct a variety of experimental results including Chladni figures generated from the vibrating plate, resonant patterns excited from microwave cavities, and lasing modes emitted from the vertical cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the magnitude of cigarette smuggling after the market opened in Taiwan. Methods: Review of tobacco industry documents for references to smuggling activities related to Taiwan and government statistics on seizure of smuggled cigarettes. Results: The market opening in 1987 led to on increase in smuggling. Contraband cigarettes become as available as legal ones, with only a small fraction (8%) being seized. Being specifically excluded from the market-opening, Japan entered the Taiwan market by setting up a Swiss plant as a legal cover for smuggling 10-20 times its legal quota of exports to Taiwan. Smuggling in Taiwan contributed to increased consumption of foreign brands, particularly by the young. Taiwan, not a member of the World Health Organization, was excluded from the East Asian 16-member "Project Crocodile", a regional anti-smuggling collaborative effort to implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Conclusions: Taiwan showed a sharp increase in smuggling after market liberalisation. Being excluded from the international community, Taiwan faces an uphill battle to fight smuggling alone. If Taiwan remained as its weakest link, global efforts to reduce tobacco use will be undermined, particularly for countries in the East Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a report on the opening of cigarette market in Taiwan. Reason U.S. tobacco companies turned to Asia for new markets; Observation on the increase in betel quid consumption; Impact of market opening on betel quid consumption.

Objectives: To estimate smoking attributable mortality (SAM) in Taiwan for the years 2001 through 2020 under scenarios of reductions in smoking rates by 0%, 2%, 4%, and 10% per year. Method: The smoking attributable fraction (SM) was used to calculate SAM from the risk experience in following up a large cohort (86 580 people) in Taiwan. Smoking rates were based on the 2001 National Health Interview Survey and other national surveys. An average 10 year lag was assumed between smoking rates and subsequent mortality. Results: In 2001, 18 803 deaths, or 1 out of 4 deaths (27%), in middle aged men (35-69 years old) were attributable to smoking. SAM has been increasing and will continue to increase if smoking rates remain constant or even if reduced annually by 2%. SAM would begin to decrease only if rates were to be reduced by at least 4% a year. Conclusions: The projected SAM in this study illustrates the seriousness of smoking caused mortality. Current efforts in tobacco control would lead to a progressive increase in SAM, unless efforts were doubled and smoking rates reduced by more than 4% a year. The urgency in requiring stronger tobacco control programmes to attenuate the staggering death tolls is compelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the benefits of smoking cessation regarding mortality reduction after smokers quit, and regarding the health of newborns after smoking mothers quit. Methods: Relative mortality risks (RR) for smokers aged 35 or older who quit years ago were calculated from the follow up of 71 361 civil servants and teachers recruited since 1989. Data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in Taipei City were used to calculate the odds ratios of body weights of newborns born to mothers of different smoking status. Results: Mortality risk for ex-smokers was significantly lower than that of current smokers for all causes (18%), all cancer (22%), lung cancer (39%), and ischaemic heart disease (54%). These benefits were not distinguishable initially, up to five years, but by year 17 and thereafter, substantial benefits of cessation accrued. Two thirds of smoking women quit during the first trimester of pregnancy, and only 2.2% of mothers smoked throughout pregnancy. The newborns from smoking mothers were smaller than those from never smoking mothers, but, if these mothers quit early in the first trimester, birth weights were normal. Conclusions: The health benefits of smoking cessation, rarely reported for Asian populations, have been largely ignored by smokers in Taiwan, where cessation activities have been extremely limited. Findings of this study that risks from smoking can be attenuated or reversed should be widely communicated to motivate smokers to quit. Smokers should quit early, including smoking mothers, and not wait till medical conditions surfaced, to have the maximal benefits of cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine smoking behaviours in Taiwan and compare those behaviours to those in the USA. Methods: Using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of Taiwan (2001), a survey of over 20 000 participants, frequencies were calculated for smoking, ex-smoking, quantity smoked, and exposure to environ mental tobacco smoke (ETS). Breakdowns by age, sex, and socioeconomic status were also calculated. Results: The ratio of male to female smoking rates was 10.9 to 1 among adults (46.8%/4.3%), but 3.6 to 1 among underage teenagers (1 4.3%/4.0%). The proportion of underage to adult smokers was three times higher for girls than for boys. Smoking prevalence substantially increased during and after high school years, and peaked in those aged 30-39 years. Smoking rates of high school age adolescents increased more than threefold if they did not attend school or if they finished their education after high school. Low income and less educated smokers smoked at nearly twice the rate of high income and better educated smokers. The smoker/ex-smoker ratio was close to 7. Male daily smokers smoked on average 17 cigarettes/day, and females, 11. Half of the total population, especially infants and women of childbearing age, were exposed to ETS at home. Conclusions: Taiwan has particularly high male smoking prevalence and much lower female prevalence. The low female prevalence is likely to increase if the current sex ratio of smoking by underage youth continues. The low quit rate among males, the high ETS exposure of females and young children at home, and the sharp increase in smoking rates when students leave school, are of particular concern. These observations on smoking behaviour can provide valuable insights to assist policymakers and health educators in formulating strategies and allocating resources in tobacco control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop a simulation model to predict the effects of tax policies on smoking prevalence rates and smoking attributable deaths. Methods: Using data from Taiwan, a simulation model is developed that projects population using birth and death rate data, future smoking rates using initiation, cessation and relapse data, and smoking attributable deaths using smoking prevalence and relative risk estimates. The model projects the number of smokers and smoking related deaths from a baseline year forward. The effects of taxes of different sizes, indexed and unindexed, and temporary versus sustained are modelled using elasticities based on published studies of demand. Results: The model predicts that sustained tax increases have the potential to substantially reduce the number of smokers and the number of premature deaths, with the effects growing over time. Indexing taxes to inflation stems erosion of the tax effect. In our model, when the tax increases by 10 times (NT$50) over the recent tax increase (NT$5) and taxes are indexed to inflation, the smoking prevalence rate falls by over 15% soon after the tax increase, and by about 30% in relative terms by the year 2040, resulting in 4500 lives saved per year. Conclusions: Tax rises have the ability to substantially affect smoking rates in Taiwan. These effects grow over time and lead to substantial savings in lives and health care costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the impact of promotions on cigarette sales in Taiwan after the cigarette market opened to foreign companies, and to assess whether young smokers were targeted by these companies. Methods: Trends in cigarette sates, advertising expenditure, brand preference, and cigarette consumption were examined for the period following the 1987 opening of the cigarette market. Tobacco industry internal documents from Legacy Tobacco Documents Library of the University of California, San Francisco, were searched for corporate strategies on promoting youth consumption in Taiwan. Results: Between 1995 and 2000, the inflation adjusted advertising expenditures by all foreign firms increased fourfold. Much of the expenditure was spent on brand stretching the Mild Seven (Japan) and David off (Germany) brands in television advertising. By 2000, the market share of foreign cigarettes exceeded domestics by three to one among young smokers and the leading brand preferred by this segment shifted from the most popular domestic brand (Long Life) to a foreign brand (Mild Seven). Furthermore, there was a sudden increase of 16.4% in smoking rates among young adults (from 36.1 % to 42.0%) during the first five years after the market opened. This was also accompanied by increased per capita cigarette consumption and decreased age of smoking initiation. Industry documents confirmed the use of strategies targeted at the young. In particular, establishing new paint of sale (POS) retail stores or promotional activities at POS were found to be more effective than advertising in magazines. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that advertising increased with increased competition following the market opening, which, in turn, spurred cigarette sales and consumption. Foreign tobacco companies have deliberately targeted youth in Taiwan and succeeded in gaining three quarters of their cigarette purchases within a decade. Expanding youth consumption will incur excessive future health care costs borne by society. Foreign tobacco companies should be obligated to reimburse these expenses through higher tariffs on cigarettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate productivity losses and financial costs to employers caused by cigarette smoking in the Taiwan workplace. Methods: The human capital approach was used to calculate lost productivity. Assuming the value of lost productivity was equal to the wage/salary rate and basing the calculations on smoking rate in the workforce, average days of absenteeism, average wage/salary rate, and increased risk and absenteeism among smokers obtained from earlier research, costs due to smoker absenteeism were estimated. Financial losses caused by passive smoking, smoking breaks, and occupational injuries were calculated. Results: Using a conservative estimate of excess absenteeism from work, male smokers took off an average of 4.36 sick days and male non-smokers took off an average of 3.30 sick days. Female smokers took off an average of 4.96 sick days and non-smoking females took off an average of 3.75 sick days. Excess absenteeism caused by employee smoking was estimated to cost US$178 million per annum for males and US$6 million for females at a total cost of US$184 million per annum. The time men and women spent taking smoking breaks amounted to nine days per year and six days per year, respectively, resulting in reduced output productivity losses of US$733 million. Increased sick leave costs due to passive smoking were approximately US$81 million. Potential costs incurred from occupational injuries among smoking employees were estimated to be US$34 million. Conclusions: Financial costs caused by increased absenteeism and reduced productivity from employees who smoke are significant in Taiwan. Based on conservative estimates, total costs attributed to smoking in the workforce were approximately US$1032 million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the mortality risks from injuries for smokers and ex-smokers and to quantify the mortality burden of smoking from injury in Taiwan. Methods: Smokers' (and ex-smokers') mortality risks from injuries were compared with that of non- smokers in a merged cohort from Taiwan. A total of 64 319 male subjects were followed up for 12-18 years. Relative risks (RR) (adjusted for age and alcohol use) and 95% confidence intervals (Cl) for cause specific injury deaths were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard model. Relative risks of injury mortality were also calculated to assess the presence of dose-response relations with daily smoking quantity. Results: Alcohol use adjusted relative mortality risks for all injuries (RR 1.69, 95% Cl 1.39 to 2.05) including those from motor vehicle accidents (RR 1.88, 95% Cl 1.44 to 2.45) and non-motor vehicle accidents (RR 1.48, 95% Cl 1.11 to 1.99) were significantly higher for smokers than non-smokers. Mortality was also increased for most subtypes of non-motor vehicle injuries including falls, fires, and job related injuries. Furthermore, these increases were dose dependent, with the heaviest smokers having the highest risk and the lightest smokers the lowest risk, and ex-smokers, no increase. In 2001, over one fifth (23%) of all male injury deaths in Taiwan was associated with smoking. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the significant association between fatal injuries and smoking. This relation adds further weight to smoking cessation campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the impact of smoking disparities on health disparities, in terms of gap in life expectancy, in Taiwan cities and counties. Methods: Using she decomposition method of life expectancy, the contribution of each disease category to the life expectancy gap was quantitatively expressed as the number of years of life. The smoking attributable fraction (SAF) was calculated for each city and county based on their respective smoking prevalence and relative risk for each smoking related disease. The smoking attributable gap (SAG) in life expectancy between two sites is the sum of the difference in SAF between two sites for each smoking related disease multiplied by the number of years this disease contributed to the life expectancy gap. Results: Significant health and smoking disparities were present among the 23 cities and counties in Taiwan. These health disparities and smoking disparities were highly correlated (R2 = 0.3676). Generally, the health gap increased with increasing smoking disparity. The disparity in smoking prevalence and intensity among cities and counties in Taiwan was responsible for up to 19% of the health disparity. The health disparity is also highly correlated (R2 = 0.3745) with SAG in life expectancy. Conclusions: Reducing smoking is important to health, and reducing the smoking disparity is also important for reducing the health disparity observed in Taiwan. The larger the health disparity is, the more important the smoking attributable disparity could be. The reduction of smoking disparities could be a realistic and cost effective way toward reducing health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the characteristics of betel quid chewers and to investigate the behavioral and mortality relations between betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking. Method: Prevalence and mortality risks of betel quid chewers by smoking status were calculated, based on the National Health Interview Survey in 2001 and community based cohort, respectively. Cox's proportional hazards model was used to adjust mortality risks for age, alcohol use, and education. Results: Almost all betel quids chewers were smokers, and most started chewing after smoking. Chewers were predominantly male, mostly in their 30s and 40s, more likely being among the lowest educational or income group, and residing in the eastern regions of Taiwan. On average, betel quid chewers who smoked consumed 18 pieces of betel quid a day, and smoked more cigarettes per day. Far more smokers (15% v 6.8%). The significantly increased mortality of betel quid users who also smoked, for all causes, all cancer, oral cancer, and cancer of the nasopharynx, lung and liver, was the result of the combined effects of chewing and smoking. Smokers who chewed betel quid nearly tripled their oral cancer risks from a relative risk of 2.1 to 5.9. Increasing the number of cigarettes smoked among betel quid chewers was associated with a synergistic effect, reflective of the significant interaction between the two. Conclusion: To a large extent, the serious health consequences suffered by betel quid chewers were the result of the combined effects of smoking and chewing. Betel quid chewing should not be considered as an isolated issue, but should be viewed conjointly with cigarette smoking. Reducing cigarette smoking serves as an important first step in reducing betel quid chewing, and incorporating betel quid control into tobacco control may provide a new paradigm to attenuate the explosive increase in betel quid use in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess parental influence on smoking behaviour by high school students in an Asian culture and to compare the relative importance of parental and peer influence. Methods: A 5% nationally representative sample, including 44 976 high school students in 10th to 12th grade (aged 15-18 years) in Taiwan, were surveyed in 1995. Each completed a long self administered questionnaire. Parental influence was measured by examining both parental behaviour (smoking status) and altitudes (perceived "tender loving care" (TLC) by adolescents). Changes in smoking status were used to determine peer influence, defined as the increase in the likelihood of smoking from grade 10 to 12 in a steady state environment. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated For parental and peer influence, using logistic regression. Results: Adolescents of smoking parents with low TLC had the highest smoking rates and those of non- smoking parents with high TLC had the lowest. The difference was more than twofold in boys and more than fourfold in girls. When either parental smoking status or TLC alone was considered, parental influence was similar to peer influence in boys, but larger than peer influence in girls. However, when smoking status and TLC were considered jointly, it became larger than peer influence for both groups (OR 2.8 vl.8 for boys and OR 3.9 v 1.3 for girls). Conclusion: When parental influence is taken as parental behaviour and attitude together, it plays a more important role than peer influence in smoking among high school students in Taiwan. This study, characterising such relationships among Asian populations For the first time, implies that future prevention programmes should direct more efforts toward the parental smoking and parent-child relationships, and not aim exclusively at adolescents in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the effect of the opening of the Taiwanese cigarette market on cigarette consumption, changes in market share, and the effects on tobacco control efforts. Methods: With the use of key word "Taiwan", the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library of the University of California, San Francisco, was searched for internal documents related to smuggling activities, promotion of light cigarettes, and market share analyses in Taiwan. Age adjusted smoking rates and cigarette and betel quid consumption before and after market opening were compared. Results: By 2000, the market share of imported cigarettes increased from less than 2% in 1986 to nearly 50%, and per capita cigarette consumption increased 15% following market opening. Because of the sharp increase in smuggling, with contraband cigarettes being as popular as legal imports, and the rapid proliferation of retail outlets, such as betel quid stalls, the market penetration by foreign tobacco companies was greater in Taiwan than among the other Super 301 Asian countries. Aggressive cigarette marketing strategies were associated with a 6% increase in adult male smoking prevalence, and with a 13% increase in the youth rate, within three years after market opening. The market opening also had an incidental effect on increasing the popularity of betel quid. Betel quid chewing has since become a major public health problem in Taiwan. Conclusion: The opening of the cigarette market in 1987 had a long lasting impact on Taiwan. It increased smoking prevalence and the market has become dominated by foreign companies. The seriousness of smuggling and its associated loss of revenue by the government, the extent of increased youth smoking and its associated future health care costs, and the increased use of betel quid and the associated doubling of oral cancer mortality rates each pose significant problems to Taiwan. However, the market opening galvanised anti-smoking sentiment and forced the government to initiate and intensify a series of tobacco control efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an introduction to the 2005 issue of the journal "Tobacco Control," focusing on Taiwan's capabilities to invest in furthering tobacco control and fostering a paradigm shift in making smoking socially unacceptable.

Background While all-cause mortality is reportedly increased in preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm), no remedial efforts have been suggested. Aim To study the ability of physical activity (PA) on reducing the morality increased in PRISm patients. Design We prospectively enrolled a cohort of Taiwanese adults from 1994 to 2018 in a health surveillance program. Methods Mortality risks of those who were inactive were compared against those meeting the current recommendation of 150 min/week of PA. Cox proportional hazards models were used for hazard ratios and life table method was for estimating loss of life expectancy. Results A total of 461 183 adults were enrolled. Among them, one-seventh of the cohort (65 832 or 14.3%) had PRISm, and 53.1% were inactive. Those who were inactive with PRISm had 28% increased mortality from all-cause, 45% from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and 67% from respiratory disease, with a 3-year reduction in life expectancy (males, 3.72 and females, 2.93). In PRISm patients who met the exercise recommendation, excess mortality was reduced by two-third, both all-cause (from 28% to 9%) and CVD (from 45% to 15%). Conclusion PRISm involves a large portion of general population (14.3%) and shortens life expectancy by 3 years. More than half of the subjects were physically inactive, and adherence to 150 min/week of PA was associated with a two-third reduction of excess mortality from all cause and from CVD. Recommending PA among those with PRISm might be highly beneficial, although exercise alone may not eliminate all risks associated with PRISm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the smoking attributable medical expenditures and productivity loss of people aged 35 and over in Taiwan in 2001 from a societal viewpoint. Methods: A prevalence based approach was used to estimate smoking attributable costs. Epidemiological parameters were obtained from two follow up studies and government statistics. Data on medical care utilisation and expenditure were extracted from the National Health Insurance claim data. Results: Total smoking attributable medical expenditures (SAEs) amounted to US$397.6 million, which accounted for 6.8% of the total medical expenditures for people aged 35 and over. Mean annual medical expenditures per smoker was US$70 more than that of each non-smoker. Smoking attributable years of potential life lost (YPLL) totalled to 217 761 years for males and 15 462 years for females, and the corresponding productivity loss was US$1371 million for males and US$18.7 million for females. Conclusion: Medical expenditures attributable to smoking accounted for 6.8% of the total medical expenditure of people aged 35 and over for the year 2001 in Taiwan. Corresponding YPLL and productivity loss also demand that actions be taken to fight cigarette smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the association of resting heart rate with suicide in two large cohorts. Method The MJ cohort (Taiwan) included 532 932 adults from a health check-up programme (1994-2008). The HUNT cohort (Norway) included 74 977 adults in the Nord-Trøndelag County study (1984-1986), followed up to 2004. In both cohorts heart rate was measured at baseline, and suicide was ascertained through linkage to cause-of-death registers. Risk of suicide was estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Results There were 569 and 188 suicides (average follow-up period of 8.1 and 16.9 years) in the MJ and HUNT cohorts respectively. Sex- and age-adjusted hazard ratio for every 10 beat increase in heart rate per minute was 1.08 (95% Confidence Interval 1.00-1.16) and 1.24 (1.12-1.38) in the MJ and HUNT cohorts, respectively. In the MJ cohort this association was confined to individuals with a history of heart diseases vs. those without such a history ( P for interaction = 0.008). In the HUNT cohort the association did not differ by history of heart diseases and was robust to adjustment for health-related life style, medication use, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusion Elevated resting heart rate may be a marker of increased suicide risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabet. Med. 27, 295–302 (2010) Aims Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor associated with diabetic nephropathy. The objective of this study was to further investigate the dose–response effect of tobacco exposure on proteinuria in males with Type 2 diabetes. Methods Five hundred and nine males with Type 2 diabetes were selected from a cohort participating in a glucose control study in Taiwan. Pack-years of cigarette smoking were calculated to define tobacco exposure. Proteinuria was identified if albumin-to-creatinine ratio was ≥ 30 mg/g in at least two of three consecutive urine tests. Logistic regression and trend tests were used to delineate the association between smoking status and proteinuria. Results Compared with non-smokers, those who had smoked 15–30 or more than 30 pack-years were respectively 2.78 (95% CI 1.34–5.76, P < 0.01) and 3.20 (95% CI 1.74–5.86, P < 0.001) times more likely to develop proteinuria. The dose–response effect of tobacco exposure on the development of proteinuria is highly significant in all subjects ( P = 0.001) and in subgroups with relatively short duration of diabetes mellitus ( P < 0.001), good blood pressure control ( P = 0.001) and those of young age ( P = 0.007). Conclusions The current study shows a clear dose–response effect of cigarette smoking on development of proteinuria in male Type 2 diabetic patients. These findings reinforce the urgent need to encourage diabetic patients to stop smoking regardless of age, duration of diabetes mellitus or status of blood pressure control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-field carrier transport properties probed by pulsed current-voltage characteristics in n-type GaN epilayers have been investigated at room temperature. The threshold electric field of the Gunn effect is experimentally determined to be about 400 kV/cm with an electron peak velocity of about 1.9×107 cm/s. The current-controlled negative differential resistance effect induced by the Gunn-type instability in n-type GaN is observed, which takes the early electric breakdown of the GaN epilayers in charge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]