Reliability and validity of the medical outcomes study social support survey (Chinese version)

No Abstract

Motivation of Chinese investment in Vietnam

China attracted a record of US$52.7×109 in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the year 2002, surpassing the United States to become the world’s largest FDI recipient. China’s success in attracting FDI has received significant attention from academics. Several theoretical approaches have been developed to explain the determinants of FDI in China. However, it seems to be ignored that China has also become a growing provider of significant FDI to the rest the world. According to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s 2004 report, as a developing country, replacing Japan, China has made the list of the expected top five home countries worldwide for the first time in terms of geographical coverage (2004–2005). Vietnam is second largest market and another emerging transition tiger in Southeast Asia. Both China and Vietnam were and are experiencing transitions from centrally planned economy to free market economy. This paper, therefore, attempts to explore the development of Chinese investment in Vietnam, analysing the main motives for, and characteristics of, Chinese Multinational Enterprises’ (MNEs) investment in Vietnam.

Understanding sociocognitive space of written discourse: Implications for teaching business writing to Chinese students

Confronted with various issues in teaching business writing to Chinese students in New Zealand, this paper sees the need for bridging the gap between genre-based research and teaching in an intercultural context. Specifically, it develops an intercultural reflective model in the light of Bhatia's sociocognitive genre study as well as cross-cultural persuasion. As an important part of the model, New Zealand and Chinese experts' intracultural and intercultural reflections on business writing are solicited and compared and the theoretical implications for teaching and learning business writing are discussed. It has been found, through a case study of analysing English and Chinese business faxes, this model can offer an in-depth understanding about discursive competence across cultures, and provide a link between genre-based theory, teaching practice and professional expertise.

Tympanometric norms for Chinese schoolchildren

Current tympanometric norms have acknowledged the relevance of age as,in influencing factor. However, little attention has been afforded to other potentialities such its the non-pathological effects of gender, ear asymmetry, and racial heritage. This study aimed to examine normative tympanometric findings in a large sample of Chinese schoolchildren. Using a Madsen 901 Middle Ear Analyzer, data was collected from 269 children (538 ears), ranging in age from 6.2-12.7 years (mean = 9.4 years, SD = 1.7), in Jiangsu province. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the parameters of equivalent car canal volume (chi = 1.03, SD = 0.25, 90% = 0.68-1.46), peak compensated static acoustic admittance (chi = 0.58, SD = 0.34, 90% = 0.26-1.13), tympanometric width (chi = 112, SD=36, 90% = 62-156), and peak pressure (chi = -25, SD = 30, 90% = -85-+10). Statistically significant car asymmetry and grade/age effects were estabished, although differences found were minor. In comparison with past studies in Caucasian paediatric populations, the Chinese normative data displayed minimal disparities.

Pattern analysis on grain yield performance of Chinese and CIMMYT spring wheat cultivars sown in China and CIMMYT

Understanding the relationships among testing environments is essential for better targeting cultivars to production environments. To identify patterns of cultivar, environment, cultivar-by-environment interactions, and opportunities for indirect selection for grain yield, a set of 25 spring wheat cultivars from China and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) was evaluated in nine environments in China and four management environments at CIMMYT in Cd. Obregon, Mexico, during two wheat seasons. Genetic background and original environment were the main factors influencing grain yield performance of the cultivars. Baviacora M 92, Xinchun 2 and Xinchun 6 showed relatively more stable and higher grain yields, whereas highly photoperiod sensitive cultivars Xinkehan 9, Kefeng 6 and Longmai 19 proved consistently inferior across environments, except in Harbin and Keshan, the two high latitude environments. Longmai 26, also from high latitude environments in the northeastern Heilongjiang province, was however probably not as photoperiodicly sensitive as other cultivars; from that region, and produced much higher grain yield and expressed a broader adaptation. None of the environments reported major diseases. Pattern analyses revealed that photoperiod response and planting option on beds were the two main factors underlying the observed interactions for grain yield. The production environment of planting on the flat in Mexico grouped together with Huhhot and Urumqi in both wheat seasons, indicating an indirect response to selection for grain yield in this CIMMYT managed environment could benefit the two Chinese environments. Both the environment of planting on the flat with Chinese Hejin and Yongning, and the three CIMMYT enviromnents planting on raised beds with Chinese Yongning grouped together only in one season, showing that repeatability may not be stable in this case.

Pattern analysis on protein properties of Chinese and CIMMYT spring wheat cultivars sown in China and CIMMYT

Improvement of processing quality is a very important objective for Chinese wheat breeding programs. Twenty-five CIMMYT and Chinese spring wheat cultivars were grown at four managed conditions by CIMMYT in Cd. Obregon, Sonora, Mexico and in nine environments in China, over two successive wheat seasons from 2000 to 2002. These trials were used to identify patterns of cultivar, environment and cultivar x environment interactions, and to determine opportunities for indirect selection for protein content and the protein-quality related parameter, SDS sedimentation (SDSS) value. The cultivar Inqalab 91 showed low levels of interaction with environments in the 2000-01 crop cycle for protein content, and expressed intermediate levels for both protein content and SDSS value, across most of the environments in both years. Longmai 26 had consistently high protein content and SDSS value across environments in both years, indicating that it is possible to breed cultivars expressing high yields with good protein properties. Cluster analyses revealed that cultivars grouped differently for protein content and SDSS value. Besides photoperiod, water availability appeared to influence the ranking of cultivars for protein content and SDSS value. Temperature and soil type may underlie the observed interactions for protein content, while temperature may also be a factor associated with interactions for SDSS value. The full irrigation managed environment in Mexico, with the cultivars sown on raised beds two months later than optimum and exposing them to late heat, clustered together with the Chinese environments Huhhot, Yongning, and Hejin in the 2000-01 season for SDSS value. This indicates that there is an opportunity to exploit indirect responses to selection in the CIMMYT management environments for SDSS value with relevance for China's spring wheat regions. However, there seemed little chance for positive indirect selection in CIMMYT's managed environments for China in regard to protein content, as environments clustered distinctly. Pattern analyses permitted a sensible and useful summary for this multi environment experiment, helping in understanding natural relationships and variations in cultivar performance among the various environment groups, and assisting in the structuring of environments.

Replication of association of IL1 gene complex members with ankylosing spondylitis in Taiwanese Chinese

Objective: To test the association of interleukin 1 ( IL1) gene family members with ankylosing spondylitis ( AS), previously reported in Europid subjects, in an ethnically remote population. Methods: 200 Taiwanese Chinese AS patients and 200 ethnically matched healthy controls were genotyped for five single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) and the IL1RN. VNTR, markers previously associated with AS. Allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies were compared between cases and controls. Results: Association of alleles and genotypes of the markers IL1F10.3, IL1RN. 4, and IL1RN. VNTR was observed with AS ( p < 0.05). Haplotypes of pairs of these markers and of the markers IL1RN.6/1 and IL1RN.6/2 were also significantly associated with AS. The strongest associations observed were with the marker IL1RN. 4, and with the two-marker haplotype IL1RN.4-IL1RN.VNTR ( both p = 0.004). Strong linkage disequilibrium was observed between all marker pairs except those involving IL1B-511 ( D' 0.4 to 0.9, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The IL1 gene cluster is associated with AS in Taiwanese Chinese. This finding provides strong statistical support that the previously observed association of this gene cluster with AS is a true positive finding.

Characterisation of Chinese Tang sancai from Gongxian and Yaozhou kilns using ICP-MS trace element and TIMS Sr–Nd isotopic analysis

Tang sancai is one of the most important types of Chinese ceramics. To determine the provenance of Tang sancai is important to study ancient trade and other issues. In this paper we compare ICP-MS trace elements and TIMS Sr-Nd isotopes of visibly similar Tang sancai from two major production centres Gongxian and Yaozhou. The variation in contents/ratios of many of > 40 trace elements is small for samples from Gongxian, yet is considerably bigger for that from Yaozhou. However, the variation in Sr-87/Sr-86 and Nd-143/Nd-144 isotopic ratios is very small for samples from both places. Gongxian and Yaozhou samples have distinctive Sr-Nd isotopic and trace element features despite their similarity in major elements, and these analysis data can be interpreted with geochemistry, indicating that Sr and Nd isotopes have great potential in ceramic provenance studies. The distinct characterisation of these samples provides valuable criteria for identifying provenance of Tang sancai of uncertain origin. Two modern fakes are also analysed, and they can as well be distinguished from antique Tang sancai using above criteria. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Structural ambiguity of the Chinese version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in patients with coronary heart disease

Background The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a widely used screening tool designed as a case detector for clinically relevant anxiety and depression. Recent studies of the HADS in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in European countries suggest it comprises three, rather than two, underlying sub-scale dimensions. The factor structure of the Chinese version of the HADS was evaluated in patients with CHD in mainland China. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on self-report HADS forms from 154 Chinese CHD patients. Results Little difference was observed in model fit between best performing three-factor and two-factor models. Conclusion The current observations are inconsistent with recent studies highlighting a dominant underlying tri-dimensional structure to the HADS in CHD patients. The Chinese version of the HADS may perform differently to European language versions of the instrument in patients with CHD.