Prenatal diagnosis of the fragile-X in male monozygotic twins: Discordant expression of the fragile site in amniocytes

A prenatal diagnosis of the fragile-X syndrome in monozygotic male twins is reported. The expression of the fragile site was discordant in amniotic cells. Fetal blood and, after therapeutic abortion, skin fibroblasts were positive in both fetuses. Our data suggest that great care should be taken when using amniocytes for prenatal diagnosis of the fragile-X syndrome.     

Theoretical and exploratory research on sustainability mental model of the public in China: based on a typical survey in Guangdong province

This article aims to investigate the public’s sustainability mental model (SMM), which can reveal the sustainability dilemma from the public respective, other than enterprise or government. In this article, SMM is defined as one’s cognitive structure, thinking mode, and behavior tendency when someone deals with sustainability issues. After theoretical analysis, the authors developed reliable and valid measures systematically and conducted a typical survey with 581 participants from college students’ families in Guangdong province in China. Based on those samples, the author used the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to construct a measurement model of SMM, which includes three dimensions, i.e. sustainable cognition, sustainable thinking, and sustainable behavior intention. According to SMM survey and clustering analysis, the results indicate that SMM of those participants is inactive. Even though those samples do not represent the whole country comprehensively, but this survey was sampled typically and they came from around China. So, the authors consider the SMM scores can reflect Chinese people to some extent, leading to the assumption that SMM of Chinese people is not active presently.     

Substance use and functional impairment among adolescents directly exposed to the 2001 World Trade Center attacks

The relationship between exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks, increased substance use, functional impairment and mental health service use, controlling for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, was assessed through an in-school survey of directly exposed students (N = 1040) attending the five middle and five high schools nearest the WTC. The survey was conducted 18 months after the attacks. Students with one WTC exposure risk factor had a five-fold increase in substance use, while those with three or more exposure risks had a nearly 19-fold increase. Increased substance use was associated with impaired school work, school behaviour and grades. Students reporting increased substance use were nearly twice as likely to want help but were no more likely than asymptomatic students to receive services. Adolescents reporting increased substance use, without co-morbidity, were less likely to receive psychological services than others. Attention to the needs of substance-using adolescents exposed to disaster is needed.     

Dissociation between driving performance and drivers' subjective estimates of performance and workload in dual-task conditions

Introduction

The current study measured how concurrent driving and in-vehicle activities of different levels of engagement varied in terms of performance and subjective estimates of demand and performance.

Method

In this test track study, 41 younger and older drivers completed a series of cognitive tasks while driving an instrumented vehicle. One task involved an engaging guessing game where drivers tried to guess the identity of an object. The other task involved a simple mental arithmetic task.

Results

We observed some dissociation between drivers' performance and their subjective reports. For instance, drivers tended to estimate their performance as better for the more engaging guessing task than the arithmetic task, though their performance was actually worse. At the same time, subjective estimates of workload across the two tasks did not vary in the dual-task condition even though they did in the single-task baseline conditions, suggesting that drivers failed to account for the added demands in dual-task situations.

Conclusions

We discuss the implications of these findings for driver safety.

Impact on Industry

Crashes due to distraction can carry tremendous costs for employers, in terms of injury, disability, and loss of potentially productive work years, whether these crashes occur on or off the job.     

Risk factors for long‐term post‐traumatic stress disorder among medical rescue workers appointed to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake response in China

This study aims to determine the risk factors for clinically‐significant post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Chinese medical rescue workers one year after the response to the Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008. A sample of 337 medical workers who performed response work within the first three months of the event completed an online questionnaire, which included information on demographics, social support, the management and organisation of the disaster response, and an assessment of PTSD. Symptoms consistent with PTSD were prevalent in 17 per cent of the rescue workers. Those who developed PTSD symptoms were more likely to have been injured, experienced a water shortage, been disconnected from family and friends during the response, and have passive coping styles and neurotic personalities. Factors that cannot be changed easily, such as personality traits, should be evaluated prior to deployment to ensure that rescue workers at higher risk of PTSD are provided with adequate support before and during deployment.     

太原市叶面尘中重金属分布特征及其健康风险评价

微量金属污染普遍存在于城市环境的各个区域,了解城市痕量重金属污染现状,对污染控制和城市发展具有重要的意义.为探讨太原市叶面尘中重金属的污染水平及其对人类健康的影响,以太原市5个不同功能区冬青卫矛（Euonymus japonicus Thunb.）叶面尘为研究对象,采用ICP-MS测定了As、Cd、Cr、Pb、Zn、Cu的含量,通过地积累指数法和Hankanson潜在风险指数法对重金属的生态风险进行了评价,并采用美国EPA健康风险评价模型对重金属的儿童致癌和非致癌健康风险进行了评估.结果表明,太原市居民区冬青卫矛叶面滞尘量最高为47.18 mg·g^-1,文教区最低为11.92 mg·g^-1,其中,Cd、Cr和Zn为叶面尘的主要污染物,平均含量分别为土壤背景值的8.00、2.69和2.04倍.地积累指数和生态风险因子分析表明,Cd是叶面尘中主要的生态风险因子,其生态风险贡献率在不同功能区的叶面尘中占比为78.47%~87.19%.非致癌风险评价表明,Cr、Cd和As的风险均小于1.0,非致癌总风险值在不同功能区的叶面尘中为1.03~1.77,均超过了阈值1.0,表明对儿童健康存在一定的风险.而儿童致癌风险评价表明,Cr、Cd和As无致癌风险.Pearson相关性分析及主成分分析表明,叶面尘中重金属的来源为煤燃烧、交通排放和金属冶炼.     

进近管制员工作进程分类及工作负荷研究

空中交通管制员是管制工作的核心,其工作负荷直接决定该管制空域的飞行容量,而管制员的工作负荷包括可观察的客观负荷和认知理解的主观负荷两类。借鉴国外的MBB,DORA原理,将雷达管制的实施细分为18个工作进程,并通过调查、统计,确定每一工作进程的难度系数;通过多角度摄像方式对成都进近管制室雷达管制席位的工作进行长时间的拍摄,参照划分的工作进程对采集的数据进行深入的统计、分析,采用MMBB方法计算出指挥单架飞机的操作时间和思考时间;确定得出管制单架飞机的工作负荷,以及该空域的容量。     

论高校校园安全问题及对策

随着高等教育事业蓬勃发展,高校校园安全问题也突现出来,越来越需要人们的关注并采取有效的对策。笔者探讨了目前高校校园安全存在的问题,并提出了相应的改进措施:提高全民安全素质,进行校园安全立法,为校园安全工作提供法律保障;加强高校校园安全文化建设,增强搞好高校校园安全的责任意识,营造一种大家都关注高校校园安全的氛围,在预防上下功夫。另外还强调,高校安全问题不仅仅是学校自身的问题,而是全社会的问题,因此,需要整个社会的关注、支持和维护。     

高校自动排课系统的设计与实现

高校的排课工作一直是教学管理中一项重要而复杂的工作,拥有大量的约束条件,根据不同的实际情况也有着复杂的特殊性.高校自动排课系统不仅能够提高教学管理人员的工作效率,也可以大大提高排课的科学性和可靠性.     

环境民事侵权赔偿原则新论

我国现行民法中规定一般的民事侵权责任赔偿原则为同质赔偿，这对于环境民事侵权责任来说，由于其特殊性质所决定，同质赔偿已不能满足适当补偿被侵权人以及保护环境、警示环境侵权人的现实司法需要，由此笔者提出了应在环境民事侵权责任的赔偿原则中把补偿性和惩罚性原则相结合，恰当适用惩罚性赔偿的原则，并对这一原则运用的合理性、适用范围等相关问题做了分析。