Estimation of Tuberculosis Risk and Incidence under Upper Room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation in a Waiting Room in a Hypothetical Scenario

Environmental control measures (ventilation, high-efficiency particulate air filtration, and upper room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation [UVGI]) are recommended to effectively control tuberculosis (TB) transmission from unsuspected TB patients in high-risk settings, but the effectiveness of their use is not often clear. This study presents a simulation model for a hypothetical hospital waiting room, in which the number of susceptible immunocompetent people in the waiting room follows a Poisson distribution (M = 5) in either low (annual number of TB patients = 5) or high TB risk settings (annual number of TB patients = 50), and used the model to evaluate the reduction of TB transmission risk by upper room UVGI. An exponential dose-response model was used for TB transmission and a two-zone model was used for evaluating the effect of upper room UVGI. Upper room UVGI reduced TB risk by 1.6-fold at 3 microW/cm2 UV irradiance in the upper room in the low TB risk setting and by 4.1-fold at 15 microW/cm2 UV irradiance in the upper room in the high TB risk setting. Use of upper room UVGI also reduced the mean annual new infection rate from 2.2 to 1.3 infections per year at 3 microW/cm2 and to 0.6 infections per year at 15 microW/cm2 in our hypothetical high-risk settings. The effect of upper room UVGI was sensitive to both vertical air velocity (air mixing) and UV irradiance level. Results from partitioning variability indicate that most variability of TB transmission risk came from waiting time in our hypothetical hospital.     

论对大学生荣誉观教育的重要性

荣誉观是关于光荣与耻辱本质及价值的基本观点或基本看法。荣誉观是人生观的重要组成部分，荣誉观教育在高校思想政治教育中有着重要地位和作用。大学生对待荣誉的态度，不仅决定着自身命运，决定中华民族的形象，决定我国文化的软实力，甚至决定着国家的命运，而且将直接影响未来社会主导荣誉观的价值取向。强化思想教育、舆论引导、文化熏陶、典型示范、实践养成、制度保障，自觉从党、国家和大学生发展的战略高度搞好社会主义荣誉观教育。     

战略文化传统略论

战略文化传统是一个国家在战略行为上所表现出来的持久性的、相对稳定的文化特征。战略文化传统具有历史延续性、文明关联性、价值观念主导性等特点 ,它从认知与判断战略环境、确定战略目标、选择战略手段与战争样式等方面影响一个国家的现实战略行为     

Testing in semiparametric models with interaction, with applications to gene–environment interactions

Summary.  Motivated from the problem of testing for genetic effects on complex traits in the presence of gene–environment interaction, we develop score tests in general semiparametric regression problems that involves Tukey style 1 degree-of-freedom form of interaction between parametrically and non-parametrically modelled covariates. We find that the score test in this type of model, as recently developed by Chatterjee and co-workers in the fully parametric setting, is biased and requires undersmoothing to be valid in the presence of non-parametric components. Moreover, in the presence of repeated outcomes, the asymptotic distribution of the score test depends on the estimation of functions which are defined as solutions of integral equations, making implementation difficult and computationally taxing. We develop profiled score statistics which are unbiased and asymptotically efficient and can be performed by using standard bandwidth selection methods. In addition, to overcome the difficulty of solving functional equations, we give easy interpretations of the target functions, which in turn allow us to develop estimation procedures that can be easily implemented by using standard computational methods. We present simulation studies to evaluate type I error and power of the method proposed compared with a naive test that does not consider interaction. Finally, we illustrate our methodology by analysing data from a case–control study of colorectal adenoma that was designed to investigate the association between colorectal adenoma and the candidate gene NAT2 in relation to smoking history.     

An Influence Function Approach to Describing the Skewness of a Distribution

Skewness, like kurtosis, is a qualitative property of a distribution. A comparison of several measures of skewness of univariate distributions is carried out. Hampel's influence function is used to clarify the differences and similarities among these measures. A general concept of skewness as a location- and scale-free deformation of the probability mass of a symmetric distribution emerges. Positive skewness can be thought of as resulting from movement of mass at the right of the median from the center to the right tail of the distribution together with movement of mass at the left of the median from the left tail to the center of the distribution.     

Multivariate analysis with an autoregressive covariance model

This paper addresses the problem of testing the multivariate linear hypothesis when the errors follow an antedependence model (Gabriel, 1961, 1962). Antedependence can be formulated as a nonstationary autoregressive model of general order. Three test statistics are derived that provide analogs to three commonly used MANOVA statistics: Wilks' Lambda, the Lawley-Hotelling Trace, and Pillai's Trace. Formulas are given for each of these statistics that show how they can be obtained From any statistical computing package that calculates the usual MANOVA statistics. These antedependent statistics would be appropriate in analyzing certain multivariate data sets in which repeated measurements are taken on the same subjects over a period of time.     

加入WTO后我国国有企业兼并的思考

随着各项协议的顺利达成,中国将很快加入WTO,我国国有企业将获得更多的市场机遇,但也面临更加严峻的挑战.国企能否快速适应入世后的全球竞争,关键问题就是要彻底转换经营机制.本着自身需求的原则,选择适应企业发展进行兼并重组,优化资源配置,实行强强联合,突出核心竞争力,从而提高经济效益,实现工业化、市场化、全球化和信息化战略调整.     

Performance and burnout in intensive care units

Abstract

The relationship between three different performance measures and burnout was explored in 20 Dutch Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Burnout (i.e. emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) proved to be significantly related to nurses' perceptions of performance as well as to objectively assessed unit performance. Subjective performance measures relate negatively to burnout levels of nurses, whereas an objective performance measure relates positively to burnout. Furthermore, subjectively assessed personal performance (i.e. personal accomplishment) is more strongly related to burnout than subjectively assessed unit performance. A model test of the relationship between both types of subjective performance and burnout reveals that nurses' perception of unit performance is indirectly related to burnout through perception of personal performance. This model holds similarly for objectively well- and poor-performing ICUs.     

Understanding TQM

An attempt is made to make some critical examinations relating to total quality management (TQM). The purpose is basically to capture the varied perspectives of TQM and to provide a direction for integrating them into the planning, design and implementation framework to enhance the effectiveness of TQM.     

Different or Equal Treatment? Donor Priority Strategy and Fundraising Performance Assessed by a Propensity Score Matching Study

Many nonprofit organizations apply a priority strategy to their donors instead of treating donors equally. The underlying assumption of this strategy is that different and preferential treatment of donors according to their donation amount positively affects fundraising performance. We conducted a propensity score matching study to analyze the fundraising strategies of seventy‐three cultural organizations in Germany. The empirical findings are discussed and complemented by qualitative data from twenty interviews with fundraising managers and private donors. The results show that, in terms of fundraising performance, nonprofit organizations that apply a donor priority strategy outperform organizations that treat donors equally. A donor priority strategy ultimately leads to a 125 euro higher total revenue per donor and an 87 euro higher profit per donor due to cost savings via better use of fundraising resources.