• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4181-4185
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• 2014

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of male spouse caregivers of breast cancer patients in China, assess their quality of life (QOL), and investigate the influencing factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 243 breast cancer patient-spouse caregiver dyads were recruited from four hospitals in Shanxi and Anhui province of China. A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data and the Chinese version of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) was used to measure caregivers' QOL, and the Chinese version of M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-C) was applied to measure patient symptom severity and interference. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the correlations between caregiver burden and QOL. The multiple regression analysis was used to determine the most predictive factors influencing QOL. Results: The scores of all SF-36 scales were above 50.0, which were much lower than that of general mainland Chinese males. Mental QOL was significantly worse than physical QOL. Spouses demographic characteristics, caregiving-related variables and patient symptoms were related to spouse QOL. Caregiver burden has a negative relationship with QOL. Conclusions: A decrease in life events and patient symptoms, as well as increase in spouse sleeping time and family income, ought to improve QOL.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.27-40
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• 2022

Purpose: Research on job crafting has thus far focused on how alter job demand and resources behaviors relate to employee task performance. However, job crafting behaviors do not necessarily have an impact only on task performance, but also on employees' contextual performance, a phenomenon that has little research in job crafting research. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of job crafting on task performance or contextual performance and the mediating effect of work engagement between them in the Chinese context. Research design, data and methodology: In order to achieve the above research goals and test the proposed hypotheses, we used a cross-sectional design and a self-administered questionnaire to collect quantitative data from September 8, 2021 to September 27, 2021 among knowledge workers in Shandong Province various financial companies and finally analyzed 211 questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and research model analysis were performed using SPSS 25.0 Version and AMOS 27.0 Version to test the developed hypotheses. Results: The results are as follows; firstly, the study showed that job crafting of employees had a significant positive impact on task performance and contextual performance. Secondly, the higher job crafting of employees, the higher their work engagement. Thirdly, this study showed that work engagement of employees had a positive impact on task performance and contextual performance. Fourthly, we predicted and found that work engagement of employees had a positive mediating effect between job crafting and task performance and a positive mediating effect between job crafting and contextual performance. Overall, this study showed that the proactive job crafting behaviors of employees enhance their engagement for their work, which in turn improves task performance and contextual performance. Conclusions: This paper develops job crafting research by exploring the positive impact of job crafting on employees' task performance or contextual performance through their work engagement. It also proposes that both job crafting behaviors and work engagement are important approaches to improve employees' task performance or contextual performance. Practical implications for organizations, such as increasing employee' work engagement, as well as the limitations and suggestions are concluded for the future research directions.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.162-169
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• 2024

This study investigates the temperature sensitivities of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) across a broad temperature spectrum ranging from -196 ℃ to 900 ℃. We developed the FBG temperature measurement system using a high-temperature tubular furnace and liquid nitrogen to supply consistent high and low temperatures, respectively. Our research showed that the FBG temperature sensitivity changed from 1.55 to 10.61 pm/℃ in the range from -196 ℃ to 25 ℃ when the FBG was packaged with a quartz capillary. In the 25-900 ℃ range, the sensitivity varied from 11.26 to 16.62 pm/℃. Contrary to traditional knowledge, the FBG temperature sensitivity was not constant. This inconsistency primarily stems from the nonlinear shifts in the thermo-optic coefficient and thermal expansion coefficient across this temperature spectrum. The theoretically predicted and experimentally determined temperature sensitivities of FBGs encased in quartz capillary were remarkably consistent. The greatest discrepancy, observed at 25 ℃, was approximately 1.3 pm/℃. Furthermore, it was observed that at 900 ℃, the FBG was rapidly thermally erased, exhibiting variable reflected intensity over time. This study focuses on the advancement of precise temperature measurement techniques in environments that experience wide temperature fluctuations, and has considerable potential application value.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.473-480
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• 2017

Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-1 (PvMSP1) gene codes for a major malaria vaccine candidate antigen. However, its polymorphic nature represents an obstacle to the design of a protective vaccine. In this study, we analyzed the genetic polymorphism and natural selection of the C-terminal 42 kDa fragment within PvMSP1 gene ($PvMSP1_{42}$) from 77 P. vivax isolates, collected from imported cases of China-Myanmar border (CMB) areas in Yunnan province and the inland cases from Anhui, Yunnan, and Zhejiang province in China during 2009-2012. Totally, 41 haplotypes were identified and 30 of them were new haplotypes. The differences between the rates of non-synonymous and synonymous mutations suggest that $PvMSP1_{42}$ has evolved under natural selection, and a high selective pressure preferentially acted on regions identified of $PvMSP1_{33}$. Our results also demonstrated that $PvMSP1_{42}$ of P. vivax isolates collected on China-Myanmar border areas display higher genetic polymorphisms than those collected from inland of China. Such results have significant implications for understanding the dynamic of the P. vivax population and may be useful information towards China malaria elimination campaign strategies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.467-474
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• 2014

Objective: To observe the effects of allogeneic and autologous transfusion on cellular immunity, humoral immunity and secretion of serum inflammatory factors and perforin during the perioperative period in patients with malignant tumors. Methods: A total of 80 patients (age: 38-69 years; body weight: 40-78 kg; ASA I - II) receiving radical operation for gastro-intestinal cancer under general anesthesia were selected. All the patients were divided into four groups based on the methods of infusion and blood transfusion: blank control group (Group C), allogeneic transfusion group (group A), hemodiluted autotransfusion Group (Group H) and hemodiluted autotransfusion + allogenic transfusion Group (A+H group). Venous blood was collected when entering into the surgery room ($T_0$), immediately after surgery ($T_1$) and 24h ($T_2$), 3d ($T_3$) and 7d ($T_4$) after surgery, respectively. Moreover, flow cytometry was applied to assess changes of peripheral blood T cell subpopulations and NK cells. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays were performed to determine levels of IL-2, IL-10, TNF-${\alpha}$ and perforin. Immune turbidimetry was employed to determine the changes in serum immunoglobulin. Results: Both CD3+ and NK cells showed a decrease at $T_1$ and $T_2$ in each group, among which, in group A, CD3+ decreased significantly at $T_2$ (P<0.05) compared with other groups, and CD3+ and NK cell reduced obviously only in group A at $T_3$ and $T_4$ (P<0.05). CD4+ cells and the ratio of D4+/CD8+ were decreased in groups A, C and A+H at $T_1$ and $T_2$ (P<0.05). No significant intra- and inter-group differences were observed in CD8+ of the four groups (P<0.05). IL-2 declined in group C at $T_1$ and $T_2$ (P<0.05) and showed a decrease in group A at each time point (P<0.05). Moreover, IL-2 decreased in group A + H only at $T_1$. No significant difference was found in each group at $T_1$ (P<0.05). More significant decrease in group ?? at $T_2$, $T_3$ and $T_4$ compared with group A (P<0.05), and there were no significant differences among other groups (P>0.05). IL-10 increased at $T_1$ and $T_2$ in each group (P<0.05), in which it had an obvious increase in group A, and increase of IL-10 occurred only in group A at $T_3$ and $T_4$ (P<0.05). TNF-${\alpha}$ level rose at $T_1$ (P<0.05), no inter- and intra-group difference was found in perforin in all groups (P<0.05). Compared with the preoperation, both IgG and IgA level decreased at $T_1$ in each group (P<0.05), and they declined only in Group A at $T_2$ and $T_3$ (P<0.05), and these parameters were back to the preoperative levels in other groups. No significant differences were observed between preoperative and postoperative IgG and IgA levels in each group at $T_4$ (P>0.05). No obvious inter- and intra-group changes were found in IgM in the four groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Allogeneic transfusion during the perioperative period could obviously decrease the number of T cell subpopulations and NK cells and the secretion of stimulating cytokines and increase the secretion of inhibiting cytokines in patients with malignant tumors, thus causing a Th1/Th2 imbalance and transient decreasing in the content of plasma immune globulin. Autologous transfusion has little impact and may even bring about some improvement oo postoperative immune function in patients with tumors. Therefore, cancer patients should receive active autologous transfusion during the perioperative period in place of allogeneic transfusion.