Current status of basic and clinical research studies in the field of gastroenterology in China

his article involves the major scientific advances in the field of gastroenterology in China, in which some investingations into the mechanism of diseases, new clues and new approaches to treatment are included.

Animal exercise studies in cardiovascular research:Current knowledge and optimal design--A position paper of the Committee on Cardiac Rehabilitation,Chinese Medical Doctors’Association

Growing evidence has demonstrated exercise as an effective way to promote cardiovascular health and protect against cardiovascular diseases However,the underlying mechanisms of the beneficial effects of exercise have yet to be elucidated.Animal exercise studies are widely used to investigate the key mechanisms of exercise-induced cardiovascular protection.However,standardized procedures and well-established evaluation indicators for animal exercise models are needed to guide researchers in carrying out effective,high-quality animal studies using exercise to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases.In our review,we present the commonly used animal exercise models in cardiovascular research and propose a set of standard procedures for exercise training,emphasizing the appropriate measurements and analysis in these chronic exercise models.We also provide recommendations for optimal design of animal exercise studies in cardiovascular research,including the choice of exercise models,control of exercise protocols,exercise at different stages of disease,and other considerations,such as age,sex,and genetic background.We hope that this position paper will promote basic research on exercise-induced cardiovascular protection and pave the way for successful translation of exercise studies from bench to bedside in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

“Blind men and an elephant”:The need for animals in research,drug safety studies,and understanding civilizational diseases

Animal-based research and drug safety studies are essential to understanding the mysteries of nature and the long-term survival of humans.Due to the rapid increase in the global human population,conflict-and economically driven human migration,tourism-related activities,densely populated metropolitan areas,and local policies,humans will be affected by a multitude of novel disease-causing microorganisms and civilizational diseases.Despite disparities among countries,recent and planned changes in regulations concerning animal research and drug safety studies could have detrimental effects on both the animal research community and nations lacking sufficient social support systems.Based on existing scientific literature,I argue that we need animal research encompassing aspects such as animal development,behavior,drug safety studies,and for the understanding of future civilizational diseases.Depending on the nature of the research questions and local challenges,a suitable animal model organism should be made mandatory.

On the 2002 U. S. Mid-Term Election Zhang Yanyu and Wang Wenfeng are both assistant research professors at the Division for American Studies in China Institute of Contemporary International Relations

The first mid-term election of the U. S. in the new century took place on November 5, 2002. One third of the senators from the 107th Congress (34 out of 100), all representatives (435), 36 state governors, and numerous local officials and legislators were to be elected or reelected. The resounding victory of the GOP in the congressional elections and the fact that the Democrats only got three more.

Factors that Motivate Participation in Observational Genetic Cancer Research Studies

Demographics, access to new treatment, altruistic motivations and continuity of care have been shown to influence motivation to participate in clinical trials. Less is known however, about factors that motivate research participants to agree to take part in observational studies and provide a biologic specimen. This study evaluates and quantitates factors that motivate participation in observational studies and provide a biospecimen among cancer patients, their family members, and controls. An online survey was completed by 450 participants from a cancer genetics registry, including cancer patients, their relatives, and controls. Overall, the benefit to society and the research institution reputation were the most important motivators for participation. Cancer cases were significantly more likely to endorse personal meaningfulness as a factor for participation compared to those without cancer and women were 50% more likely than men to believe that a family benefit is an important determinant of research participation. Researcher and institutional trustworthiness as well as security of stored data were most important when deciding whether to provide a biological sample, with differences seen by gender and history of cancer. This study demonstrated which factors are most important to participants when considering participation in an observational study and donating a biospecimen. Motivational factors significantly differed by gender as well as history and stage of cancer. The application of these study results may improve participation rates in cohort studies.

On the Combination of “The Textual Research on Historical Documents” and “The Comparative Study of Historical Data” —— and a Discussion on “The Law of Quan-ma and Gui-mei” in Chinese Language Studies

In Chinese language studies, both “The Textual Research on Historical Documents” and “The Comparative Study of Historical Data” are traditional in methodology and they both deserve being treasured, passed on, and further developed. It will certainly do harm to the development of academic research if any of the two methods is given unreasonable priority. The author claims that the best or one of the best methodologies of the historical study of Chinese language is the combination of the two, hence a new interpretation of “The Double-proof Method”. Meanwhile, this essay is also an attempt to put forward “The Law of Quan-ma and Gui-mei” in Chinese language studies, in which the author believes that it is not advisable to either treat Gui-mei as Quan-ma or vice versa in linguistic research. It is crucial for us to respect always the language facts first, which is considered the very soul of linguistics.

Accounting Systems in Cultural Context： A Research Framework for China Studies in Global Economy

The People＇s Republic of China （PRC） is a country that has great potential to international businesses. Her enormous market, resources, and labor power are important to other countries in this age of global economy. Research studies on the PRC are valuable not only to policymakers in the PRC but also to a larger audience in the global business community. Accounting standards and practices are central to the economic order of any society. As accounting systems are not isolated from social and cultural systems, towards an understanding of social/cultural environments interacting with accounting systems in the PRC in turn facilitates the international investors to interpret financial information and to set strategies in doing businesses in the country. It is expected that the research results of this kind of projects will have implications to different aspects of financial disclosure of companies in the PRC. Being grounded in the current accounting literature, the proposed conceptual framework in this paper is to discern the interconnections between accounting systems and cul^ral factors in the PRC. It aims at contributing to the accounting body of knowledge and to provide practical insights for global managers.

Translation Studies in/and International Business Studies:Mapping the Main Research Topics

Over the past two decades,the convergences of translation studies and international business studies have attracted a growing amount of attention from stakeholders in the respective research field.This is particularly because professionals and scholars in international business and management realize the importance of the role of language and translation in international trade and multilingual communication.The research results in this interdisciplinary field could provide basis for making critical decisions,such as the staff recruitment,company language policy and company development strategy.However,few reviews have been available that provide a comprehensive overview of relevant practice and research in this cross-disciplinary efforts.The present article therefore aims to offer a state-of-the-art review and investigate the existing literature to map the main research topics and discover future agenda.This article first provides an overview of the perception of“translation”,the role of translator,and translational activities in international business studies.Second,the review focuses on the translation and knowledge transfer in multinational corporations.Lastly,it identifies future directions towards the cross-fertility of the interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Islamic Studies in China-Research in Political and Social Fields

In the research of political and social fields,modern Islamic politics has evolved into three schools of nationalism,modernism and fundamentalism in the 20th century.The research in the field of contemporary Islam involves different countries,nationalities and different economic and political conditions.It is not only the research field of religion,but also has the characteristics of interdisciplinary academic frontier.From the perspective of academic research,these trends have attracted the attention and research of scholars inside and outside the church on Islamic political and social issues.Recently,there have been many problems related to Islam and the current international political life,as well as the research results of Islamic social thoughts and social movements.

Empirical Human Rights Studies Contribute to Building a Society Under the Rule of Law——Summary of the Fifth National Meeting for the Exchange of Work Experience Among Human Rights Research Institutions

From Nov. 5 to 6, 2013, the China Society for Human Rights Studies （CSHRS）held the Fifth National Meeting for the Exchange of Work Experience Among Human Rights Research Institutions at Wuhan University. More than 100 experts and scholars, focusing on empirical human rights studies and their contribution to building a society based on the rule of law, shared their work experience and discussed effective strategies. CSHRS President Luo Haocai, who served as vice chairman of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People＇s Political Consultative Conference,

Case studies in psychotherapy training using Austria as an example

BACKGROUND Case studies(CS)are relevant for the development of theoretical and practical competencies in psychotherapy.Despite rapid progress in the development of methods and principles for establishing CS in the last three decades,research into the aims of CS,especially in training,or how CS are to be conducted is rare.AIM To elucidate the form and methodology of CS,the objectives of CS used in training institutions(TI),and if/how TIs handle therapist allegiance.Also,this preliminary investigation will suggest avenues for further research and attempt to establish certain guidelines.METHODS In order to counteract researcher bias and enlarge the question-pool,a focus group was established.The recorded and transcribed text was analyzed with Mayring’s method of qualitative content analysis,and the generated categories were formulated as questions.The resulting questionnaire with both qualitative and quantitative queries was sent out(after pre-testing)to all 39 Austrian TIs that provide professional psychotherapy training.The answers and text passages received were then also categorized with qualitative content analysis.Data analysis was discussed by a peer group consisting of three psychotherapists trained in differing schools of psychotherapeutic methods.RESULTS 94%of Austrian institutes use CS as part of their psychotherapeutic training.Understanding of the term“case study”is inconsistent and has a wide variety of interpretations.CS serve mainly:(1)For observation of training/progress in therapeutic practice and knowledge/acquisition of the theory specific to each psychotherapeutic school;(2)To improve(self-)reflection capabilities;and(3)To expand theoretical knowledge.Most of the CS written are not accessible for students nor for the research community.More than two thirds of the CS take only the position of the author into account(the client’s position is not described).15.5%of the TIs do not consider researcher or therapist allegiance at all.CONCLUSION A more precise formulation of the term case study is needed in psychotherapeutic training.The training therapists play a key function,as they exemplify and teach how to deal with distorting factors.General guidelines as to how to conduct CS in training institutions would provide more direction to students,increase scientific rigor,and enhance synergistic effects.

Study design in evidence-based surgery:What is the role of case-control studies?

Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) are the gold standard in terms of study design, however, in the surgical setting conducting RCTs can often be unethical or logistically impossible. Case-control studies should become the major study design used in surgical research when RCTs are unable to be conducted and definitely replacing case series which offer little insight into surgical outcomes and disease processes.

A quality evaluation of nursing intervention studies in China's Mainland: From 1979 to 2012

Background:The number of papers published in the field of nursing practice has greatly increased in recent years in China's Mainland,yet the quality of these papers is highly variable.There has been no attempt to comprehensively estimate the overall quantity and quality of these papers.Objectives:To systematically retrieve nursing intervention studies published in simplified Chinese from 1979 to 2012,critically appraise their quality,and provide suggestions for future development.Methods:All of the papers were retrieved from China Biology Medicine disc database.The preliminary screening of retrieved publications was performed prior to conducting a rigorous quality evaluation of the remaining publications.10 characteristics would be included in consideration in quality evaluations.Results:69,150 papers were retrieved according to searching strategy.7391 of them were included after preliminary screening and appraised critically.Among the 10 characteristics considered in quality evaluations,the lowest ratings were observed for the factors of“utilisation of blind method”(13 articles),“description of loss of follow-up”(499 articles),“appropriate calculation of sample size”(511 articles)and“randomised assignment of patients to treatments”(652 articles).Conclusions:Chinese papers published in the field of nursing practice have increased over time,but improvements remain needed to ensure that thorough studies with high-quality research methodologies are being performed.Future nursing researchers should not only improve the design of their intervention studies but also clearly describe the methodology they used,especially in group randomisation,blinded research designs,and estimations of required sample sizes.

A Systematic Review of Observational Studies, Demonstrating Smoking among School Going Adolescents

Objective: To characterize the methods of design and analysis currently adopted in survey research of school-based observational studies for smoking, and to identify the common pitfalls made by researchers. Methods: The systematic review was conducted in 2009 and consisted of observational studies in school settings published between January 2005 and January 2009. Smoking status was the main outcome of interest. Following Cochrane style, five steps were followed: setting selection criteria for studies and conducting a literature search;review of abstracts;review of complete articles;data extraction and quality assessment of included studies;and, finally, synthesis of studies. Results: Of the 292 abstracts retrieved, 45 (15.4%) articles were selected for the final review. Inconsistencies were found in the definition of smoking behaviour which impeded generalisability. Individual-level factors had importance, but environmental level factors were also important in studying the aetiology of smoking. Results showed that studies inappropriately reported sample size estimation and important confounding factors. Hierarchical linear modelling, random effects modelling and structural equation modelling were employed in comparatively few studies. Conclusions: There were concerns regarding data analysis of complex surveys. Fifty five percent of reviewed studies ignored environmental effects which may have produced unreliable inferences. Multi-level analysis assisted in understanding school-level effects.

Seismic Observations and Seismic Hazard Studies in the Philippines

It has taken more than a hundred years for seismic observations in the Philippines to evolve to a modern observation system. The responsibility of seismic observations was likewise transferred from one agency to another during this same period of time. At present, the mandate of conducting seismic observations in the Philippines rests with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). In 2000, through a grant aid from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Philippine seismic network was upgraded to a digital system. As a result, a new set of seismic monitoring equipments was installed in all of the 34 PHIVOLCS seismic stations all over the country. Digital waveforms are now available for high level seismic data processing, and data acquisition and processing are now automated. Included in the upgrade is the provision of strong motion accelerographs in all stations whose data can now be used for studying ground motion and intensity attenuation relations. The new setup is now producing high-resolution data that can now be used for conducting basic seismological researches. Earthquake locations have now improved allowing for the modeling and delineation of earthquake source regions necessary for earthquake hazard studies. Current seismic hazard studies in the Philippines involve the estimation of ground motion using both probabilistic and deterministic approaches, seismic microzonation studies of key cities using microtremor observations, paleoseismology and active faults mapping, and identification of liquefaction-prone, landslide-prone and tsunami-affected areas. The earthquake database is now being reviewed and completed with the addition of historical events and from data from regional databases. While studies of seismic hazards were primarily concentrated on a regional level, PHIVOLCS is now focusing on doing these seismic hazard studies on a microlevel. For Metro Manila, first generation hazard maps showing ground rupture, ground shaking and liquefaction hazards have recently been completed. Other large cities that are also at risk from large earthquakes are the next targets. The elements at risk such as population, lifelines, and vertical and horizontal structures for each of these urban centers are also being incorporated in the hazard maps for immediate use of planners, civil defense officials, policy-makers and engineers. The maps can also now be used to describe possible scenarios during times of strong events and how appropriate socio-economic and engineering responses could be designed. In addition, a rapid earthquake damage assessment system has been started which will attempt to produce immediate or rapid assessments including identification of elements at risk during times of strong earthquakes.

An Overview on Studies of ESP Teaching Abroad and at Home

A summative introduction is devoted to the studies of ESP teaching abroad and at home from the perspectives of academic and practical researches in this paper,for the purpose of providing a basis for the later researchers or teachers to make further studies on ESP teaching and then improving the efficiency of ESP teaching.

Advances in Domestic and Foreign Studies about Banana in 2013-2014 from the Perspective of Literature

Scientific literature retrieval analysis plays an important role in promoting the scientific research and technological progress. Based on the literature included by SCI-EXPANDED and EI database,this paper compared and analyzed the main research literatures of bananas both at home and abroad in 2013-2014. It compared the advances in domestic and foreign studies about the banana from main counties,number of papers included,main disciplines and fields,to provide certain guidance and references for development direction of domestic studies of banana in China.

Problems and principles in translation of cross-cultural research instruments

The process of translation is an important part of cross-cultural studies. Cross-cultural researchers are often confronted by the need to translate instruments from one language to another. In the translation, linguistic equivalence, functional equivalence, cultural equivalence and metric equivalence are factors that need to be considered greatly. This paper examines the translation of cross-cultural research instrument from these points of view, illustrates with examples and puts forward suggestions for incorporating each factor into research studies.

Market Research and Forecast——The Practice and Study on Case Study

Unlike the traditional teaching which is instructor-oriented without students’ active participation,case study has changed the landscape and focused more on fostering students’ capability The teaching of Market Research and Forecast(MRF) shall aim at training survey and research skills on the foundation of theories by setting up a system where knowledge and capability are perfectly integrated.Many conditions need to be fulfilled for a successful case study,such as certain situations, appropriate case materials,sufficient discussion time in class and encouraging students’ participation. Only by combining our teaching with the development of students’ capability can we improve the overall aualitv of the students and our teaching.