Search

Objectives. This study conducted a comparative analysis of two catastrophic pipeline accidents in China in order to identify some common mistakes and lessons learned to prevent similar accidents. Methods. The 24Model was used in this study, which provides a universal pathway for accident analysis from the individual level to the organizational level. Results. There were similarities between the two cases in the aspects of the occurrence, development, emergency and causation at different levels: both were caused by leaks of pipelines and evolved into multiple explosions during emergency response; both leaks were caused by the corrosion of pipelines in the confined space of a damp or salt-spray environment; both were classified as 'responsibility accidents', and unsafe acts, such as the failure to identify hidden hazards of pipelines that were the direct cause of accidents, reflected the shortcomings of individual safety habitual behaviour in terms of knowledge, awareness, habits and psychology; weaknesses in the organizational management mainly concerned hazard identification, pipeline maintenance, emergency disposal, etc.; and there is not a good safety climate within the organization. Conclusions. Organizations should develop a closed-loop management system and strengthen the construction of safety culture, and the government should supervise the implementation of procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1950s witnessed high accident rates in China’s industrial workplaces. Previous scholarship has attributed this phenomenon to enterprises prioritizing production over safety and to the impotence of China’s labor unions in enforcing safety policies. This article proposes a third approach by exploring the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mass-based safe production regime, which was designed for political struggle against capitalists as well as fulfilling its political commitments to workers, while also aiming to enhance safety. Consequently, China’s labor authorities often adopted a principle of absolving workers from accident responsibilities, often shifting blame to enterprise leaders. This approach was ineffective in preventing accidents. In addition, the party’s safety education policies fell short because they romanticized older workers as safety-conscious mentors to the younger workforce but overlooked the reality that these veterans were often more prone to accidents. The generational gap in China’s workforce also impeded the dissemination of safety knowledge and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing market penetration of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), the interaction between conventional human-driven vehicles (HDVs) and CAVs will be inevitable. However, the effects of CAVs in mixed traffic streams have not been extensively studied in China. This study aims to quantify the changes in driving characteristics of an HDV while following a CAV compared to following another HDV and investigate the corresponding impact on traffic safety and the environment caused by these changes. Firstly, two scenarios were built on a driving simulation platform. In scenario 1, the driver follows a vehicle programmed to execute the speed profile of the HDV obtained from the Shanghai Naturalistic Driving Study (SH-NDS) project. In scenario 2, the driver follows a vehicle whose speed profile is calibrated according to the Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) follow-along theory. Secondly, the speed, acceleration, and headway of 30 individuals in each following scenario were analyzed. Speed and acceleration volatility (standard deviation, deviation rate) and time-to-collision (TTC) were selected as indexes to assess the safety impact. The emission and fuel consumption models were used to determine the environmental impact after being localized by the parameters. HDVs following CAVs exhibit less driving volatility in speed and acceleration, show remarkable improvements in TTC, consume less fuel, and produce fewer emissions on average. By introducing CAVs into the road traffic system, traffic operation safety and environmental quality will be improved, with a more stable flow status, lower collision risk, and less air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In safety-critical automatic systems, safety can be compromised if operators lack engagement. Effective detection of undesirable engagement states can inform the design of interventions for enhancing engagement. However, the existing engagement measurement methods suffer from several limitations which damage their effectiveness in the work environment. A novel engagement evaluation methodology, which adopts Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, has been proposed. It was developed using motorway control room operators as subjects. Openpose and Open Source Computer Vision Library (OpenCV) were used to estimate the body postures of operators, then a Support Vector Machine (SVM) was utilised to build the engagement evaluation model based on discrete states of operator engagement. The average accuracy of the evaluation results reached 0.89 and the weighted average precision, recall, and F1-score were all above 0.84. This study emphasises the importance of specific data labelling when measuring typical engagement states, forming the basis for potential control room improvements. Practitioner summary: This study demonstrates an automatic, real-time, objective, and relatively unobtrusive method for measuring dynamic operator engagement states. Computer vision technologies were used to estimate body posture, then machine learning (ML) was utilised to build the engagement evaluation model. The overall evaluation shows the effectiveness of this framework. Abbreviations: AI: Artificial Intelligence; OpenCV: Open Source Computer Vision Library; SVM: Support Vector Machine; UWES: Utrecht Work Engagement Scale; ISA Engagement Scale: Intellectual, Social, Affective Engagement Scale; DSSQ: Dundee Stress State Questionnaire; SSSQ: Short Stress State Questionnaire; EEG: electroencephalography; ECG: Electrocardiography; VMOE: Video-based Measurement for Operator Engagement; CMU: Carnegie Mellon University; CNN: Convolutional Neural Network; 2D: two dimensional; ML: Machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study was conducted to compare the accident cause analysis methods of fault tree analysis (FTA) and 24Model. A major accident – the Xinjia Hotel collapse accident – was selected as the research object, the causes of the accident were reanalysed and accident prevention countermeasures were designed based on 24Model and FTA, respectively, and the systematic characteristics of 24Model were summarized. The research shows that both 24Model and FTA can carry out risk assessment, accident cause analysis and preventive countermeasure design based on their own rules. Different from FTA, 24Model has static and dynamic structures of specific forms, the definition of causes and factors in the model is more comprehensive and the analysis method is more hierarchical and normative. 24Model can analyse the deep-level cultural and system causes, but the analysis process does not use quantitative methods, only qualitative methods. 24Model has eight systematic characteristics, such as integrity, hierarchy and dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compound glycyrrhizin (CG) is widely used to treat vitiligo in China, and the efficacy and adverse events (AEs) of CG for vitiligo need further analysis. This study aimed to systematically reevaluate the efficacy and safety of CG in the patients with vitiligo. Eight literature databases were searched up to 31 December 2022, and randomized controlled trials which compared CG plus conventional treatments with conventional treatments alone were included. 17 studies with 1492 patients were included. The pooled results showed that the combination of CG and conventional treatments was superior to conventional treatments alone in the total efficacy rate (risk ratio (RR) = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40 to 1.69, P < 0.00001), cure rate (RR = 1.62, 95%CI = 1.32 to 1.99, P < 0.00001), the levels of serum IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, and TGF-ß, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T cell in blood. Moreover, few patients suffered from the mild and tolerable AEs of CG. CG plus conventional treatments is an effective treatment for vitiligo with mild and tolerable AEs. More high-quality and large-sample studies are required in the future to provide more evidence of CG for vitiligo. CRD42023401166 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. General aviation (GA) safety has become a key issue worldwide and pilot errors have grown to be the primary cause of GA accidents. However, fewer empirical studies have examined the contribution of management and organizational factors for these unsafe acts. Flawed decisions at the organizational level have played key roles in the performance of pilots. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the management and organizational factors involved in GA accident reports. Methods. A total of 109 GA accidents in China between 1996 and 2021 were analysed. Among these reports, pilot-related accidents were analysed using the human factors analysis and classification system (HFACS) framework. Results. The significant effects of managerial and organizational factors and the failure pathways on GA accidents have been identified. Furthermore, unlike traditional HFACS-based analyses, the statistically significant relationships between failures at the organizational level and the sub-standard acts of the pilots in GA accidents were revealed. Conclusions. Such findings support that the GA accident prevention strategy that attempts to reduce the number of unsafe acts of pilots should be directed to the crucial causal categories at HFACS organizational levels: resource management, organizational process, failure to correct a known problem, inadequate supervision and supervisory violations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global spread of COVID-19 has prompted the development of vaccines. A recombinant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoV) developed by Chinese scientists has been authorized for use as a prime and booster dose in China and several other countries. We searched published articles as of 4 May 2023, on PubMed using keywords related to Adenovirus vector, vaccine, and SARS-CoV-2. We reported the progress and outcomes of Ad5-nCov, including vaccine efficacy, safety, immunogenicity based on pre-clinical trials, clinical trials, and real-world studies for primary and booster doses. Ad5-nCoV is a significant advancement in Chinese vaccine development technology. Evidence from clinical trials and real-world studies has demonstrated well-tolerated, highly immunogenic, and efficacy of Ad5-nCoV in preventing severe/critical COVID-19. Aerosolized Ad5-nCoV, given via a novel route, could elicit mucosal immunity and improve the vaccine efficacy, enhance the production capacity and availability, and reduce the potential negative impact of preexisting antibodies. However, additional research is necessary to evaluate the long-term safety and immunogenicity of Ad5-nCoV, its efficacy against emerging variants, its effectiveness in a real-world context of hybrid immunity, and its cost-effectiveness, particularly with respect to aerosolized Ad5-nCoV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 9-valent human papillomavirus (9vHPV) vaccine was introduced in China in 2018. This study was conducted to monitor the occurrence of new-onset autoimmune diseases (AIs) in Chinese women vaccinated with the 9vHPV vaccine and adverse pregnancy outcomes in infants born to mothers with inadvertent pregnancy exposure. Women who received the first dose of the 9vHPV vaccine at age 16–26 years in Ningbo between January 2019 and March 2021 were monitored in the Ningbo Regional Health Information Platform. New-onset cases of seven pre-specified AIs diagnosed within six months after vaccination were collected. Cases of stillbirth and 23 major congenital anomalies diagnosed within three months of birth in target infants were collected. A total of 102,670 doses of the 9vHPV vaccine were administered to 41,609 women who had received no other HPV vaccine. New-onset AIs were diagnosed in 36 women, comprising 21 Hashimoto's, 11 Graves', and 4 uveitis disease cases. Among 50 women with maternal vaccination exposure, no stillbirths were observed. One case of microtia was observed. In this first post-marketing surveillance of the 9vHPV vaccine in China, no safety signals were identified when putting the results in context to published data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), which has been categorized as a "medicine food homology" fruit by China's National Health Commission for both nutritional and medicinal purposes, has nearly 200 kinds of nutritive and bioactive compounds such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, sugar alcohols, superoxide dismutase and phytosterols. Significant bioactivity, including cardiovascular improvement, antidiabetic and anti-obesity activity, have highlighted the application of sea buckthorn. This review compiled a database of the phytochemical compounds in sea buckthorn, which contains the contents of 106 nutrients and 74 bioactive compounds. The health benefits of sea buckthorn and its extracts were summarized and the mechanism of anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation were introduced in detail. Seventeen common marketed products of sea buckthorn from 8 countries were collected. A future scope is really needed to explore the mechanism of sea buckthorn bioactive compounds along with the incorporation cost-effective functional food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most endoscopists routinely perform moderate or deep sedation for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Considering that there is no consensus on the optimal sedation depth and it varies from country to country, our study aims to compare the effectiveness, cost and safety of these two sedation methods in the Chinese population. This quasi-experimental study included a total of 556 eligible patients from July 2020 to June 2021, and they entered the moderate sedation group or deep sedation group based on their choices. Baseline information, scores of Patient Satisfaction with Sedation Instrument (PSSI) and Clinician Satisfaction with Sedation Instrument (CSSI), examination time, sedation time, recovery time, expenses before medicare reimbursement, hypoxaemia and hypotension were compared between the two groups. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) analysis was conducted to balance the confounding factors. After PSM, 470 patients were involved in the analysis, with 235 for each group. The moderate sedation was clearly superior to the deep sedation group in terms of PSSI score (98.00 ± 0.94 vs. 97.29 ± 1.26), CSSI score (98.00 ± 0.78 vs. 97.67 ± 1.30), sedation time (11.90 ± 2.04 min vs. 13.21 ± 2.75 min), recovery time (25.40 ± 3.77 min vs. 28.0 ± 4.85 min), expenses (433.04 ± 0.00 Yuan vs. 789.85 ± 0.21 Yuan), with all p <.001. Examination time was not significantly different between the two groups (p =.124). In addition, the moderate sedation group had a lower occurrence rate of hypoxaemia (0.36% vs. 3.27%, p =.010) and hypotension (17.44% vs. 44.00%, p <.001) compared to the deep sedation group. Moderate sedation presented better effectiveness and safety and lower cost, and thereby it should be recommended as a widely used sedation method in clinical practice in China. Trial registration: This trial was registered on (ChiCTR2000038050). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency escape ramps (EERs) is an infrastructure of mountain freeways to stop runaway vehicles. As the last defence of vehicle occupants' safety, the performance of EERs in reducing crash injury severity is a concern for stakeholders of road safety. Based on crash records collected on a mountain freeway equipped with five EERs, this study compared the injury severity of crashes on EERs and other road sections, and identified the factors that significantly influence injury severity in the two conditions. Estimations of the parameter coefficients and marginal effects of a random parameters ordered probit model were used to infer EER performance under the impacts of various factors. The results confirm the effectiveness of EERs on the reduction of crash injury severity. The protection function of EERs is weakened by nighttime, the rollover status of crashed vehicle, multi-vehicle collisions, improper design or installation of the roadside infrastructure, drivers' unfamiliarity with local driving conditions, and crashed vehicle weight. The paper compares the findings with those of previous studies and proposes some recommendations to improve EER performance for occupant and property protection on mountain freeways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melamine scandal of 2008 has caused significant consumer distrust on milk safety in China. Thus, the rebuilding of consumers' trust towards Chinese milk safety has emerged as a key issue for governance in the dairy industry. Based on the trustee- and trustor-centric perspectives, it shows that existing studies ignore that trustees and trustors are interdependent in the dairy system. The examination of milk safety issues in isolation hinders effective rebuilding of trust and milk safety governance in China. In this review, we investigate both the current government and corporate actions (trustees) to assure milk safety and multiple factors that influence consumers' trust (trustors) on milk safety in China. Our analysis revealed that the Chinese government and dairy corporates have adopted various measures to improve milk safety, and gradually introduced broader interventions to recover consumers' trust in Chinese milk. However, to fully recover consumers' trust and meet their expectations, consumers need to be engaged in the processes of milk safety governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate independent factors for the efficacy and safety of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for the treatment of diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM). Methods: The clinical database of 110 DMPM patients treated with CRSþ HIPEC at our hospital was retrospectively analyzed. Independent prognostic factors were screened using univariate and multivariate analyses and the safety of the perioperative period was evaluated based on adverse events. Results: Among the 110 patients with DMPM, 34 (30.9%) had a peritoneal cancer index (PCI) < 20 and 76 (69.1%) had PCI 20; 59 (53.6%) patients achieved completeness of cytoreduction (CC) 0/1 and 51 (46.4%) cases achieved CC 2/3. At the median follow-up of 43.3 (95%CI: 37.3–49.4) months, 48 (43.6%) patients were still alive and 62 (56.4%) patients died. The median overall survival was 32.6 months. Serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred in 41 patients (37.3%) and the perioperative mortality rate was 2.7%. Univariate analysis identified nine prognostic factors: Karnofsky performance status score, perioperative tumor markers, PCI, red blood cell infusion, pathological type, vascular tumor emboli, lymphatic metastasis, Ki-67 index, and perioperative SAEs (all p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified four independent prognostic factors: pathological type (p = 0.007), vascular tumor emboli (p = 0.044), Ki-67 index (p = 0.044), and SAEs (p = 0.004). Conclusions: CRSþ HIPEC for DMPM treatment resulted in prolonged survival with acceptable safety. Tumor pathology and SAEs are key factors for successful CRSþ HIPEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With adverse events and injuries recurring in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), older adults' safety in residential age care settings has attracted extensive attention from governments, researchers, and healthcare providers. Risk management is of utmost importance in reducing risks and improving the quality of care for older adults in long-term care. Although previous studies have made great efforts to explore risk management methods and technologies in RACFs, little is known about how managers identify and respond to risks in practice. This qualitative study aimed to elucidate the perceptions and experiences of managers involved in risk management in RACFs in China. This study used a phenomenological research design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 managers across 11 RACFs in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's seven steps and NVivo 12 plus software. "Facilitation of an error-free culture" emerged as a central theme of managers' perceptions of risk management. Four sub-themes were revealed, namely "creating an age-friendly physical environment," "paying close attention to frail older adults," "improving the competence of nursing staff," and "building effective management programs." Facilitation of an error-free culture was of prime importance in risk management. Managers' experiences can help RACFs to better manage risks, as well as provide new perspectives and approaches for RACFs to improve the quality and outcomes of care. This study developed initiatives for improving resident safety in RACFs and may foster interest in the developing these initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delayed vaccination in children with seizures was common in China. This study aims to describe the vaccination status, reasons for vaccination deferral, vaccination recommendations and the safety for these patients in Zhejiang. 1539 children included were divided into febrile seizure (FS) group, epilepsy (EP) group, unclassified seizure group and other symptomatic seizure group. Medical records and reasons for the vaccination deferral were collected by questionnaire. Vaccination data and Adverse Event Following Immunization were retrieved from vaccination booklets. The main diseases of children enrolled were FS (756, 49.1%) and EP (443, 28.8%). Most of them (95.6%) were vaccinated on time before the onset of seizure, but their vaccination was delayed after seizure occurred. 76.1% were recommended to receive vaccines normally, of which the FS group accounted for the highest proportion (90.3%). 88.73% of them were vaccinated as recommended, and no serious side effects or seizure occurred. The main reason for vaccination deferral was providers' and parents' hesitation to have them vaccinated. Seizures were overestimated as a contraindication for vaccination in China. Routine vaccination was safe in most circumstances. It is essential to educate providers and parents about the benefits and contraindications of vaccination in children with seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of four doses of 20 or 60 µg, and the immunogenicity and compliance of the short-term vaccination regimen (0, 1, and 2 months) among patients receiving MMT. We conducted a randomized controlled trial among 303 patients receiving MMT who were randomized to receive 3 or 4 doses of 20 or 60 µg of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. At month 7, the seroconversion rates in both IM20 × 4 and IM60 × 4 groups were numerically higher than the IM20 × 3 group (P > 0.05). The high-level responses and geometric mean concentration (GMC) of anti-HBs in both IM20 × 4 and IM60 × 4 groups were significantly higher than the IM20 × 3 group (P < 0.05). The completion rate of the short-term high-strength vaccination group was significantly higher than the standard vaccination group (P < 0.05), with similar immunogenicity (P > 0.05). Both the high-strength and standard-strength four-dose hepatitis B vaccine regimens could improve the immune response for patients receiving MMT. The high-strength short-term vaccination regimen could improve compliance and attain comparable immunogenicity with the standard vaccination regimen. The high-strength short-term vaccination regimen is recommended and the fourth dose is encouraged for this population considering the compliance and immunogenicity. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03962816) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates visitors' attitudes towards the reopening of the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China amid the global pandemic in 2020. The proposed framework utilizes the Push-Pull-Mooring model by adapting the THEMEQUAL dimensions. Seven perceptual variables are identified as a source of visitors' attitudes arising from their theme park experiences. The findings reveal that the pandemic is leading to a change in which PPM factors most influence visitors' decision to revisit a theme park. It proposes that the theme park industry should put these important factors together in order to develop a cohesive approach to cultivating safety and brand trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report, we provided an overview of the prevalence, control, and prevention of water-borne arsenicosis in China during 2001–2016. Random sampling was continuously performed during 2001–2010 to find villages having high levels of arsenic (>50 µg/L) in drinking water. The high-arsenic-exposure villages with more geographically dispersed water supplies were subsequently analyzed for characteristics of arsenic distribution, and villages with relatively large populations were investigated for arsenicosis. The results showed that among 32,673,677 inhabitants in 36,820 villages, 1,894,587 inhabitants in 2,476 villages were at risk of high arsenic exposure. Among the 33,318 drinking water sources surveyed in 625 high-arsenic-exposure villages, 9,807 drinking water sources that contained high levels of arsenic (>50 µg/L) were identified. The overall prevalence rate of arsenicosis was 1.93%. Further, some representative villages were chosen to monitor arsenicosis annually, showing that the prevalence rate of arsenicosis was lower in villages with arsenic-safe water supplies than in villages without arsenic-safe water supplies. To the best of our knowledge, this report provides the most comprehensive assessment of the distribution of high arsenic exposure and arsenicosis in China until now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In train rescheduling, the arrival and departure times of trains at stations are normally constrained by many operations rules that must be respected. Therefore, different methods were proposed to describe train operations for preventing train conflicts, especially concerning the safety headways. This paper develops a virtual resource-based method in place of the commonly used big-M method and 'either-or' constraints for reformulating the safety headway of opposing trains arriving at the same station on a single-track rail. This new formulation can provide an efficient decomposition mechanism by decomposing the original complex problem into several single train-based subproblems. A resource-oriented mixed-integer linear programming model based on a time-space network is developed to minimize the total train delay time with cumulative flow variables used to describe time-space resources occupation. We also present a set of numerical experiments based on a single-track railway line in China to evaluate the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) has undergone preclinical tests and clinical trials evaluating its efficacy and safety, few data have been reported in the post-licensure real-world setting. We aimed to assess the safety of the vaccine among healthcare workers. Methods: A self-administered online survey on monitoring adverse reactions post vaccination was conducted among the staff who worked at and were vaccinated in a tertiary hospital in Taizhou, China, from February 24 to 7 March 2021. A total of 1526 subjects responded to the questionnaire when they received an e-mail or an e-poster on WeChat. Results: The incidences of overall adverse reactions after the first and second injections were 15.6% (238/1526) and 14.6% (204/1397), respectively. The most common adverse reaction was localized pain at the injection site, with an incidence of 9.6% and 10.7% after each dose, accounting for 61.8% and 73.0% of adverse reactions, respectively. Fatigue, muscle pain, and headache were the most common systemic adverse reactions. Conclusions: These findings implied that the inactivated CoronaVac vaccine has an acceptable safety profile among healthcare workers due to the low incidence of self-reported adverse reactions. This may boost public confidence in nationwide mass vaccination campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Due to the rapid development of China and the increasing demand for various minerals, the accidents of mine operations have occurred frequently in recent years, which have caused a huge obstacle to the safety of the people's lives and the prosperity and prosperity of the country. Not to be ignored, the response is also imminent. Based on the above background, this paper aims to study the safety of nano-material powder control technology on mine gas explosion suppression. In order to further analyze the influence of nanomaterials on explosion suppression and the improvement of safety performance, the flame propagation and pressure characteristic parameters of gas explosion were selected to evaluate the safety performance. In this paper, nano-calcium carbonate and nano-silica are selected for explosion suppression experiments. According to the gas explosion theory, the smaller the particle size of the powder, the better the explosion suppression effect. Silicon oxide's small size effect, interface effect, photoelectric characteristics, etc., enhance the powder's anti-explosion performance. In the experiment, by adding powder, it was verified that the safety of nano-powder control technology for gas explosion suppression was improved. This article combines powder control technology with nano-materials, making full use of the powder properties of nano-materials, and studying their improvement of the safety performance of gas explosion suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low illumination is a special driving condition that negatively affects drivers' vision, information acquisition (IA) ability, distance recognition and risk perception. This study evaluated drivers' car-following behaviours and characteristics using questionnaire-based research conducted among 214 drivers in Hefei. In this study, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine the factor structure of the scale, and the internal consistency of all factors was good. The results show that low illumination strongly influences drivers' following behaviour and that they tend to choose safe and conservative ways to follow leading vehicles. Street lights are beneficial, aiding drivers' IA and their grasp of surrounding or distant environments. Myopic drivers performed worse in car following when driving in a low illumination environment, regardless of the presence of street lights. Drivers with astigmatism performed worse when street lights were present. Drivers who reported more aberrant behaviours were more aggressive when driving and tended to adopt shorter following distances at night. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthcare system and service capacity are overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a substantial unmet need for rehabilitation service to all patients affected by Covid-19 directly or indirectly. This article aims to describe how to rapidly reconfigure and bring rehabilitation services back during the pandemic. The Steer committee meeting was held for the development of a strategic preparedness plan and safety management based on principles and evidence of rehabilitation, which will lead to effective mitigation of consequences resulted from Covid-19. Five measures were taken in Southwest China during the pandemic, which includes the "First contact responsibility" and management system; the full-coverage system for nosocomial infection control; the "Closed-off management" system; the full-coverage system for body temperature monitoring; the adoption of 5G-based telerehabilitation. With the implementation of these measures, the capacity and capability were enhanced to safely reopen and operate rehabilitation facilities in Southwest China. Further measurement of quality of care and outcomes during and beyond the pandemic is needed in transforming the healthcare system and improving rehabilitation services. Hopefully, the positive message conveyed by this paper could encourage and support communities and the society of physical medicine and rehabilitation worldwide during this challenging time. Rehabilitation services are essential and there is an unmet need posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. A feasible strategic plan and safety management measures are critical to reconfigure the capacity and capability of rehabilitation services suspended by Covid-19. The adoption of tele-rehabilitation technology has the potential to reshape public health emergency responses and the delivery of care. Measurement of quality and outcomes is of great importance to inform transformation and adaptation of rehabilitation services during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (Sinovac Biotech) is a quadrivalent split-virion-inactivated influenza vaccine approved in China in June 2020 for individuals ≥3 years of age. It contains 15 µg hemagglutinin per strain including A/H1N1, A/H3N2, B/Victoria, and B/Yamagata, which could potentially improve protection against influenza B viruses. In this review, we summarize the development of quadrivalent influenza vaccines in China and foreign countries, and assess the immunogenicity and safety from the phase I and III clinical trials of Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine in individuals ≥3 years of age. We also discuss the potential application of Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine in young children 6–35 months of age according to the results of the phase III trial. The immunogenicity and safety profiles of Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine containing two A and two B strains were comparable to the trivalent vaccines for the shared strains. The addition of a second B strain to the trivalent vaccine could induce superior immune responses for the alternate B strain. Since the two B strains co-circulated worldwide, the introduction of quadrivalent influenza vaccines has been expected to be a cost-effective strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jinlong capsule (JLC) is an animal-derived traditional Chinese medical preparation for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its clinical efficacy is still not well investigated. This study summarizes the efficacy and safety of JLC combined with trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with HCC. The databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, Medline, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database and Chinese Biological Medicine Database were systematically searched from the date of their inception until February 2020. Jinlong capsule, trans-arterial chemoembolization, and hepatocellular carcinoma were the key terms searched. Randomized controlled trials and high-quality prospective cohort trials comparing the combined use of JLC and TACE versus TACE for HCC were included. Data were pooled using random or fixed effect models depending on heterogeneity. Data from 19 articles with 1,725 HCC patients were analysed. Compared with TACE treatment alone, the combination of TACE and JLC significantly prolonged patients' 6–36 month overall survival (p < 0.05), and markedly improved the overall response rate (RR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.24–1.52, p < 0.00001) and disease control rate (RR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.06–1.17, p < 0.0001) of patients. The liver function, quality of life, and immune function of patients were significantly improved; the partial adverse events related to TACE were also effectively relieved after the combination treatment. This meta-analysis suggests that the combination of TACE and JLC is more effective in the treatment of HCC than treatment with TACE alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving a proper balance between administrative discretion, which promotes efficient and effective governance, and oversight of that discretion to ensure political responsiveness has been a classic and enduring issue in public-administration literature. This study joins the dialogue by examining the question in the context of China, where power is highly concentrated and there are not many checks and balances. By examining administrative discretion in work safety regulation, this study argues that in China's context, the tension between efficiency and responsiveness is less explicit among the legislature, executive and judiciary powers, but more explicit between central and local powers. In other words, if local bureaucracies have considerable discretionary power, they may use this power to achieve local interests at the expense of national goals. To improve local bureaucracies' political responsiveness, the Chinese leaders have adopted both legal and managerial measures. On the one hand, administrative discretion has been increasingly curbed through elaborate legislation. On the other hand, management reforms play a crucial role in bringing local leaders' goals in line with national ones. China's efforts to balance administrative efficiency and political responsiveness suggest that each country must choose solutions in keeping with its own context and problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This article focuses on the effect of road lighting on road safety at accesses to quantitatively analyze the relationship between road lighting and road safety.Methods: An artificial neural network (ANN) was applied in this study. This method is one of the most popular machine learning methods and does not require any predefined assumptions. This method was applied using field data collected from 10 road segments in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.Results: The results show that the impact of road lighting on road safety at accesses is significant. In addition, road lighting has a greater influence when vehicle speeds are higher or the number of lanes is greater. A threshold illuminance was also found, and the results show that the safety level at accesses will become stable when reaching this value.Conclusions: Improved illuminance can decrease the speed variation among vehicles and improve safety levels. In addition, high-grade roads need better illuminance at accesses. A threshold value can also be obtained based on related variables and used to develop scientific guidelines for traffic management organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although intersections correspond to a small proportion of the entire roadway system, they account for a disproportionally high number of fatal pedestrian crashes, especially on rural roads situated in low- and middle-income countries. This article examines pedestrian safety at rural intersections and suggests applicable accident prevention treatments by providing an in-depth analysis of 28 fatal pedestrian crashes from 8 low-volume roads in southwest China.Methods: The driving reliability and error analysis method (DREAM) is a method to support a systematic classification of accident causation information and to facilitate aggregation of that information into patterns of contributing factors. This is the first time that DREAM was used to analyze pedestrian-vehicle crashes and provide suggestions for road improvements in China.Results: The key issues adversely affecting pedestrian safety can be organized in 4 distinctive thematic categories, namely, deficient intersection safety infrastructure, lack of pedestrian safety education, inadequate driver training, and insufficient traffic law enforcement. Given that resources for traffic safety investments in rural areas are limited, it is determined that the potential countermeasures should focus on low-cost, easily implementable, and long-lasting measures increasing the visibility and predictability of pedestrian movement and reducing speeding and irresponsible driving among drivers and risk-taking behaviors among pedestrians.Conclusions: Accident prevention treatments are suggested based on their suitability for rural areas in southwest China. These countermeasures include introducing better access management and traffic calming treatments, providing more opportunities for pedestrian education, and enhancing the quality of driver training and traffic law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of the egg-based, trivalent, inactivated split influenza vaccine produced by the Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, China. Methods: From March 2012 through May 2012, we enrolled a total of 1390 healthy volunteers between the ages of 3 and 80 years in a randomized clinical trial at the Hebei Disease Control Center Vaccine Clinical Evaluation Center. For all subjects, body part adverse reactions and whole-body adverse reactions were observed 30 min, 6 h, and 1–7 days’ post-inoculation. If no severe adverse effects were observed 7 days’ post-vaccination, the local and systemic reactions of preliminary test participants were recorded until day 28. There was no placebo group in this study. Blood samples were taken for serological testing before vaccination and 28 days’ post-vaccination. Results: Twenty-eight days after vaccination, the seroconversion rates of experimental and control groups were H1N1 75.3% and 75.7%, H3N2 75.8% and 71.8%, B 70.7% vs. 69.4%, (P > 0.05). The antibody Geometric Mean Titer（GMT）of experimental and control groups were H1N1 (179.7, 182.4), H3N2 (584.0, 445.7), B (201.4,191.6). The protection rate of experimental and control groups was not statistically significant (H1N1: 86% vs. 87%, H3N2: 99% vs. 98%, B: 98% vs. 98%). Also, 95% confidence intervals of the protection rate difference between the experimental and the control group were H1N1: −0.1% (−4.1,3.8) %, H3N2: 0.3% (−1.0,1.7) % and B: 0.2% (−1.5,1.9) %; confidence intervals exceeded the limit of −5%. The rates of adverse reactions between experimental and control groups were 6.3% and 7.7% in local response reactions, and 19.5% and 18.0% in systemic reactions. Three hundred and twenty-seven adverse events (AEs) in 1200 (27.76%) subjects were reported within 28 d after vaccination. No serious adverse events occurred during the study. Conclusions: The experimental vaccine three-antibody protection rate was non-inferior to the control vaccine. Our results demonstrated that the experimental vaccine achieved the primary immunogenic end point of the intended clinical protocol, as well as a secondary immunogenic end-point, with an acceptable level of safety. IRB approval for this study was issued under #2012Y0005 and registered as Clinical Trial No. NCT01551810. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different speed-control measures on the safety of unsignalized midblock street crossings.Methods: In China, it is quite difficult to obtain traffic crash and conflict data for pedestrians using such crossings, mainly due to the lack of traffic data management and organizational issues. In light of this, the proposed method did not rely on such data, but considered vehicle speed, which is a leading contributing factor of pedestrian safety at mid blocks. To evaluate the speed reduction effects at different locations, the research team utilized the following methods in this study: (1) testing speed differences-on the basis of the collected data, statistical analysis is conducted to test the speed differences between upstream and crosswalk, upstream and downstream, and downstream and crosswalk; and (2) mean distribution deviation-this value is calculated by taking the difference in cumulative speed distributions for the two different samples just mentioned. In order to better understand the variation of speed reduction effects at different distances from speed-control facilities, data were collected from six types of speed-control measures with a visual range of 60 m.Results: The results showed that speed humps, transverse rumble strips, and speed bumps were effective in reducing vehicle speeds. Among them speed humps performed the best, with reductions of 21.1% and 20.0% from upstream location (25.01 km/h) and downstream location (24.66 km/h) to pedestrian crosswalk (19.73 km/h), respectively. By contrast, the speed reduction effects were minimal for stop and yield signs, flashing yellow lights, and crossings without treatment.Conclusions: Consequently, in order to reduce vehicle speeds and improve pedestrian safety at mid blocks, several speed-control measures such as speed humps, speed bumps, and transverse rumble strips are recommended to be deployed in the vicinity of pedestrian crosswalks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a type of herb belonging to ginger family, which is widely grown in southern and south western tropical Asia region. Turmeric, which has an importance place in the cuisines of Iran, Malesia, India, China, Polynesia, and Thailand, is often used as spice and has an effect on the nature, color, and taste of foods. Turmeric is also known to have been used for centuries in India and China for the medical treatments of illnesses such as dermatologic diseases, infection, stress, and depression. Turmeric's effects on health are generally centered upon an orange-yellow colored, lipophilic polyphenol substance called “curcumin,” which is acquired from the rhizomes of the herb. Curcumin is known recently to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer effects and, thanks to these effects, to have an important role in prevention and treatment of various illnesses ranging notably from cancer to autoimmune, neurological, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetic. Furthermore, it is aimed to increase the biological activity and physiological effects of the curcumin on the body by synthesizing curcumin analogues. This article reviews the history, chemical and physical features, analogues, metabolites, mechanisms of its physiological activities, and effects on health of curcumin. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Although electric bicycle-related injuries have become the most common reason for hospitalization due to a road crash in China, no study has comprehensively investigated electric bicycle collisions and their impact on orthopedic injuries; such a study may provide evidence to support a new road safety policy.Methods: A retrospective review of orthopedic injuries from electric bicycle collisions was performed in an urban trauma center. We collected variables including age, gender, location of fracture, presence of open or closed fractures, concomitant vascular, and neurologic injuries.Results: A total of 2,044 cases were involved in electric bicycle collisions. The orthopedic injury victims were predominantly male and middle aged. The most common orthopedic injury was a femur fracture. Open fractures frequently involved the forearm and tibia/fibula. Male patients were more likely to suffer from multiple fractures and associated injuries than female patients. Fewer patients age 60 years old or older wore helmets at the time of the accident compared to those in other age groups.Conclusions: Orthopedic injuries from electric bicycle-related accidents cause patients substantial suffering that could lead to serious social consequences. Helmet use and protective clothing or similar safety gear, especially for electric bicycle users, should be required to provide greater protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon charismatic leadership and intrinsic motivation theory, we developed a theoretical model to examine the impact mechanism of leader charisma on individuals’ tacit knowledge-sharing behaviour in the context of an Enterprise Systems learning team. We conducted a survey-based field study to examine the theoretical model and hypotheses. A total of 153 questionnaires were distributed to employees from more than 20 branches of the Beidahuang Group in China and 117 valid questionnaires were returned. Results from partial least squares analysis suggest that leader charisma has a strong influence on psychological safety climate, which in turn has a positive impact on individuals’ intrinsic motivation and their tacit knowledge-sharing behaviour. Our research findings unpack the impact mechanism of charismatic leadership on tacit knowledge sharing, and provide guidelines for the team leader to exhibit charismatic leadership traits in order to promote a psychological safety climate and facilitate an effective knowledge sharing of enterprise systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To assess the effectiveness of Chinese regulations on occupational health and safety, this study provides an exploratory method by applying multiple interrupted time series (MITS) analysis. Taking coal mine safety in China as a case study, this article analyzes the background of the coal industry, especially during the period 1980–2009, and selects three typical pieces of national legislation specific to mining and work safety as the interventions. The data relevant to coal mine safety and the ‘third variables’ were collected to empirically support the study. The estimated results indicate different effects of these interventions on state-owned enterprise (SOE) mines and township and village enterprise (TVE) or small mines. Specifically, though the mortality rate in SOE mines is on a downward trend, these interventions have had no significant effect on it. However, only the 2002 act significantly reduced the mortality rate per million tons in TVE mines. The effectiveness of the interventions seems to depend on certain conditions, such as technology, administration and socioeconomic environment and type of coal mine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: With increasing traffic volume and urban development, increasing numbers of underground tunnels have been constructed to relieve conflict between strained land and heavy traffic. However, as more long tunnels are constructed, tunnel traffic safety is becoming increasingly serious. Thus, it is necessary to acquire their implications and impacts. This study examined 4,539 traffic accidents that have occurred in 14 Shanghai river-crossing tunnels for the period 2011-2012 and analyze the correlation between potential factors and accident injury severity.Methods: An ordered logit model was developed to examine the correlation between potential factors and accident injury severity.Results: Results show that increased injury severity is associated with male drivers, drivers aged 65 years or older, accident time from midnight to dawn, weekends, wet road surface, goods vehicles, 3 or more vehicles, 4 or more lanes, middle speed limits (50-79 km/h), zone 3, extra-long tunnels (over 3,000 m), and maximum longitudinal gradient.Conclusions: This article aims to provide useful information for engineers to develop interventions and countermeasures to improve tunnel safety in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: An increasing number of motorcycle taxis have been involved in traffic crashes in many developing countries. This study examines the characteristics of both motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists, investigates the risks they pose to road safety, and provides recommendations to minimize their risks.Methods: Based on the data collected from a questionnaire survey of 867 motorcycle taxi drivers and 2,029 nonoccupational motorcyclists in Maoming, South China, comparisons were made to analyze differences of personal attributes, attitudes toward road safety, and self-reported behavior of the 2 groups.Results: Results of the chi-square tests show that not only motorcycle taxi drivers but also nonoccupational motorcyclists in Maoming held poor attitudes toward road safety and both groups reported unsafe driving behavior. There is much room for improving local road safety education among all motorcyclists in Maoming. Yet, motorcycle taxi drivers were more likely to pose road safety risks than nonoccupational motorcyclists under some circumstances, such as speeding late at night or early in the morning, not requiring passengers to wear helmets, and running a red light. The results of the binary logistic regression model show that possessing a vehicle license for a motorcycle or not was the common significant predictor for unsafe driving behavior of motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists. Therefore, enforcement against all motorcyclists not showing vehicle licenses for their motorcycles should be stepped up.Conclusion: Motorcycle safety is largely poor in Maoming. Therefore, efforts to improve motorcycle safety should be strengthened by targeting not only motorcycle taxi drivers but also nonoccupational motorcyclists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oseltamivir has been widely used to treat patients with influenza; however, its effects have been debated. Recently, a new meta-analysis on the controversial topic of oseltamivir's effectiveness found that the drug reduces the duration of influenza symptoms and the risk of hospitalization, while increasing the risk of nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately, the analysis did not include articles published in Chinese. Thus, we performed an updated meta-analysis by adding more studies in China. Methods: The terms ' oseltamivir, ' ' influenza, ' and ' effect ' were used to search for publications in both English and Chinese. Only controlled clinical trials were included. We used the weighted mean difference (WMD) or relative risk (RR), together with the 95% confidence interval (95% CI), to estimate the effects of oseltamivir. Results: A total of 12 studies including 107 712 patients were eligible for analysis. Oseltamivir significantly reduced the duration of fever (WMD, - 20.48; 95% CI, - 28.43, - 12.53) and influenza-like symptoms (WMD, - 19.39; 95% CI, - 32.94, - 5.84). The rates of hospitalization (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68, 0.90), antibiotics usage (RR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.42, 0.74), otitis media (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65, 0.93), and nonspecific complications (RR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35, 0.95) were significantly decreased among patients taking oseltamivir. No significant difference was observed with respect to the risk of adverse reactions. Conclusion: Oseltamivir can effectively alleviate the symptoms of influenza and reduce hospitalization, antibiotic usage, and the risk of otitis media without significantly increasing the rate of adverse drug reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnosis performance is critical for the safety of high-consequence industrial systems. It depends highly on the information provided, perceived, interpreted and integrated by operators. This article examines the influence of information congruence (congruent information vs. conflicting information vs. missing information) and its interaction with time pressure (high vs. low) on diagnosis performance on a simulated platform. The experimental results reveal that the participants confronted with conflicting information spent significantly more time generating correct hypotheses and rated the results with lower probability values than when confronted with the other two levels of information congruence and were more prone to arrive at a wrong diagnosis result than when they were provided with congruent information. This finding stresses the importance of the proper processing of non-congruent information in safety-critical systems. Time pressure significantly influenced display switching frequency and completion time. This result indicates the decisive role of time pressure. Practitioner Summary:This article examines the influence of information congruence and its interaction with time pressure on human diagnosis performance on a simulated platform. For complex systems in the process control industry, the results stress the importance of the proper processing of non-congruent information in safety-critical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pork is the most preferred meat for the Chinese, representing 64 percent of the national animal protein consumption in 2011. Severe pork contaminations have caused the loss of 1,700 lives, weakened consumer confidence, and plagued China's already inefficient pork supply system. This study examines Chinese consumers' attitudes toward the government-issued Quality and Safety Certificate (the QS label). We applied a three-stage adoption framework and focused on the impact of self-perceived opinion leadership, pork-related health risk knowledge, consumption frequency, retailers visited, price concerns, and demographic factors related to the awareness, use, and valuation of the QS label. Results from a univariate profit model show that 1) opinion leadership status is the only factor that positively affects all three stages of adoption; 2) pork health risk knowledge only contributes to the second stage of how the label is used; 3) education and spouse participation in decision making positively affects the awareness of the label; and 4) frequent pork consumers tend to perceive the label as useful. The results suggest that, due to the increased awareness and improved acceptance of labeled pork by more knowledgeable consumers, private firms and the government stand to benefit from improvements in comprehensive pork safety control in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the safety and effectiveness of a new cochlear implant (CI) system developed in China, the Nurotron Venus device. Material and methods: Fifteen post-lingually deafened patients received Nurotron Venus CIs in our hospital. The safety and effectiveness of the devices were evaluated within 2 years after implantation. Patients' hearing thresholds were assessed. In addition, the speech perception performance of Nurotron Venus CI recipients was compared with that of 15 Cochlear Nucleus CI24 recipients. Results and conclusion: During 2 years of observation, all the Nurotron recipients used their devices regularly and effectively. The aided hearing thresholds of all the recipients were within the speech spectrum. The average scores of HOPE sentences and HOPE monosyllable words tests among Nurotron CI recipients were 82.88 ± 21.40% and 56.67 ± 9.77%, respectively. The average scores among Cochlear Nucleus CI24 recipients were 87.33 ± 14.44% and 52.8 ± 12.76%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the speech test scores between these two groups when assessed using the t test. The Nurotron Venus cochlear implant system worked safely and effectively. The speech perception of Nurotron recipients was similar to that of the other CI system recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea is a popular drink around the world. It is also one of the sources of metal intake. The objectives of this study were to assess chromium (Cr) intake from popular green, oolong, black and Pu-erh tea. In total, 128 Chinese made teas were analysed and concentration differences among four types of tea were explored. Black tea contained highest total Cr, which varied between 0.63 and 17.60 mg/kg. The lowest content was found in the green tea samples, between 0.26 and 1.30 mg/kg. Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in black tea were higher than in other types of tea. Cr(III), Cr(VI) and total Cr concentration in different tea infusions were also analysed. The results suggest that drinking tea is an effective way for Cr intake and the risk of adults and children being chronically intoxicated by tea infusions is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has experienced unprecedented economic growth and changes in urban form in the past decades. Increased urbanisation and motorisation puts pedestrians and automobiles at greater conflict. Because of China's long urban blocks (superblocks), many conflicts occur mid-block at informal or illegal crossings. This study focuses on factors influencing mid-block crossing and gap acceptance. We remotely observed illegal mid-block crossing of a six-lane urban arterial in Kunming, China, tracking 522 accepted gaps and 152 rejected gaps in a two-stage crossing (roadside to median and median to roadside). We fit a probit discrete outcome model to the data to estimate environmental determinants of gap acceptance (and rejection) behaviour, including gap size, vehicle speed, time waiting and gap lane position. We also estimate a conflict model, focusing on parameters that influence the probability of vehicle speed changes or lane deviations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Woman's Condom, a second-generation female condom, is poised for introduction in China. Study design This single-arm couples' use study was conducted in China in 2010 to assess performance and safety of the Woman's Condom and feasibility of mobile phone technology to record adherence data. Results Sixty couples were enrolled in this study, and 59 couples completed all four of the condom uses, resulting in 234 condom uses. Two condoms were opened but not used. Total breakage was 0.85% (two non-clinical breakages). Misdirection (2%), invagination (0.85%) and slippage (1%) were consistent with data on condom failure from other studies. Total clinical failure was 4%. Fifteen mild and no serious adverse events were reported during the study. Conclusions This study has shown that in China, the Woman's Condom performs well. Mobile phones cannot yet replace the use of a coital log and questionnaire. Further work on effectiveness is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the potential adverse effects caused by pollutants in the surface water sources of drinking water in Zhengzhou, concentrations of 10 elements were measured and their health risks assessed. The results show that only some concentrations of iron, manganese and fluorine are higher than the corresponding environmental quality standards. Risk assessments indicate that risk quotients (all values with carcinogenic effects of arsenic, three values of worst-case of lead and one value of worst-case of fluorine) exceed the limits respectively; one hazard index of fluorine is more than 1; and all 95% of cancer-risk values of arsenic and lead are above 1.0E-6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong is one of the world's mountainous international cities, and landslides are a constant threat to human life and property. Monitoring landslides in Hong Kong is important and this is always done by field surveying. However, although conventional survey techniques provide accurate landslide information, they are limited to small areas and physical contact with the slope may be dangerous. Remote sensing techniques can provide an alternative for collecting information about landslide causes and occurrences, and they may assist in the prediction of future landslide occurrences. This article demonstrates the use of monoscopic and stereoscopic aerial photographs, along with satellite images from the IKONOS very high resolution (VHR) sensor for detailed landslide hazard assessment over Hong Kong. For monoscopic aerial photographs, a fusion technique for generating pseudo true colour images from false colour aerial photographs was demonstrated. The pseudo true colour image is useful for better visual analysis in the photogrammetric model. For monoscopic IKONOS image, a set of image fusion techniques was applied in order to improve landslide interpretation, and the results were examined visually and statistically. The Pan-sharpening method among all the image fusion techniques has been demonstrated to have superior performance for identifying both landslide trails and crowns. Stereoscopic viewing using a stereoscopic pair of aerial photographs and stereoscopic IKONOS images was employed for more detailed landslide investigation such as landscape positional relationships (e.g. streams and ridges). Digital elevation models (DEM) were generated from aerial photographs and IKONOS stereoscopic images, and they were compared with digital contour data with 2 m contour interval. The DEMs generated from digital photogrammetric model and IKONOS stereoscopic images are consistently more accurate than an existing DEM, and are sensitive to micro-scale terrain features. The Hong Kong Civil Engineering Department may use the derived monoscopic fused images, stereoscopic images, DEM and anaglyph as objective measures for a detailed landslide study within Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades risk has been identified as a major concern for traveling. Although some recent studies focused on studying consumers' perceived travel risks, only a few prior studies literally discussed consumers' risk reduction strategies in the context of travel-related services. To fill this gap, this study aims to investigate the travel-related risk reduction strategies that Hong Kong residents adopt to strengthen their confidence during leisure travel. This study also explores if travelers of different travel-related and sociodemographic characteristics adopt different risk reduction strategies. Among different risk reduction strategies-'purchase travel insurance,' 'bring extra cash,' and 'search for latest information about the destination'-are the ones which Hong Kong residents are likely to adopt when they travel for leisure. Results revealed that travel-related and sociodemographic characteristics influenced travelers' likelihood to risk reduction strategies differently. Specifically, travel experience of travelers, age, and household income displayed significant differences in the likelihood of adopting most of the risk reduction strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle-pedestrian accidents share high frequency of occurrence in fatal traffic accidents in China. According to the Chinese Traffic Safety Regulations, the first collision point is the key factor for responsibility cognisance in related traffic accidents. Usually, the police or other accident investigators determine the first collision point position between vehicle and pedestrian only through experience. The position error of the collision point will lead to inaccurate accident analysis and responsibility judgement. This paper applies computer-simulated reconstruction in vehicle-pedestrian accident investigation and uses optimisation methods to analyse the simulation result. The first collision point position coordinates are set as variables of the optimisation objective function. Through optimisation analysis, first collision point position coordinates can be obtained. And, the reliability of simulation result can be evaluated through the reliability analysis. By reconstructing a real-world vehicle-pedestrian impact accident, the performance of the method is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A practical method to determine the zone of two contact points and the transfer of wheel-rail forces between two rails in a turnout is presented in this paper. The method is based on a wheel-rail elastic penetration assumption and used to study a turnout system for a 200 km/h high-speed railway in China. Rail profiles in a number of key sections in the turnout are identified first, and profiles in other sections are then obtained by interpolation between key sections. The track is modelled as flexible with rails and sleepers represented by beams and the interaction between the vehicle and turnout is simulated for cases of the vehicle passing the turnout. Results are mainly presented for two-point contact positions and the characteristics of the wheel-rail forces transference. It is found that the heights of the switch and crossing rail top have significant effects on the wheel-rail contact forces. Finally, the optimised top height for the crossing rails is proposed to reduce the system dynamic force in the turnout system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]