Survival In China Research Articles

Mixing push and pull for survival in China: value stream mapping in an automotive case study

German automotive suppliers started operating their manufacturing plants in China without much strategic planning or thoughtful implementation of the value stream, hastily pursuing the enormous promise of the fastest growing automobile market in the world. The objective of this paper is to explore the value stream shortcomings and possibilities to overcome these through a value stream mapping adapted to the Chinese culture. On the case of a German automotive supplier, the implementation of ‘enterprise resource planning’ and ‘lean production’ to increase efficiency, transparency, and control are researched. This is done with internal documents and interviews of the initiative sponsors and the responsible project manager. The relevant key is a mix of push and pull measures with extensive use of Kanban. The implementation of such a value stream mapping, involving the key success factors identified in this paper, allow Western suppliers to develop competitive advantages for the Chinese market in the long run.

Clinical analysis of 48 cases of kidney transplantation from cardiac death donors

To evaluate the recovery of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving kidney transplant from cardiac death donors, and to assess graft survival in China from this type of donor. A total of 48 cases of patients with ESRD have received the kidneys from cardiac death donors in our hospital between February 2010 and March 2012. We retrospectively analyzed data on the preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine concentrations, on the survival of recipients and allografts with a view to investigating prognoses after this type of kidney transplant. Primary non-function (PNF) did not occur in any of the 48 recipients. Delayed graft function (DGF) occurred in 18 of 48 (37.5%) of kidneys from cardiac death donors, but the occurrence of DGF did not adversely influence patient's survival (P=0.098) or graft survival (P=0.447). Seven of 48 (14.6%) recipients lost their graft. Over a median follow-up period of 8 months (range 0.5-23 months), 39 of 41(95.1%) recipients' graft function had fully recovered. The actuarial graft and patient's survival rates at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after transplantation were 95.7%, 93.0%, 90.0%, 87.5%, and 100%, 94.9%, 90%, 87.5%, respectively. As the legislation of donation after brain death (DBD) has not been ratified in China, the use of kidneys from cardiac death donors might be an effective way to increase the number of kidneys available for transplantation here. Our experience indicates good short- and mid-term outcomes with transplants from cardiac death donors.

Book Review: Jeremy L. Wallace, Cities and Stability: Urbanization, Redistribution, and Regime Survival in China

Investigating the mechanism of authoritarian regime survival, Wallace’s book provides us with some great insights into the relationship among China’s rural-urban migration, urbanization and regime survival through a geopolitical perspective. He explicitly argues that it is through short-circuiting “the Faustian Bargain of urban bias” (p.121) that not only has the authoritarian regime in China successfully survived but also prospered in the past three decades.

Associations of Environmental Factors With Elderly Health and Mortality in China

We examined the effects of community socioeconomic conditions, air pollution, and the physical environment on elderly health and survival in China. We analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 15 973 elderly residents of 866 counties and cities with multilevel logistic regression models in which individuals were nested within each county or city. After control for individual-level factors, communities' gross domestic product per capita, adult labor force participation rate, and illiteracy rate were significantly associated with physical, mental, and overall health and mortality among the elderly in China. We also found that air pollution increased the odds of disability in activities of daily living (ADLs), cognitive impairment, and health deficits; more rainfall was protective, reducing the odds of ADL disability and cognitive impairment; low seasonal temperatures increased the odds of ADL disability and mortality; high seasonal temperatures increased the odds of cognitive impairment and deficits; and living in hilly areas decreased the odds of ADL disability and health deficits. Efforts to reduce pollution and improve socioeconomic conditions could significantly improve elderly health and survival.

The current state of pancreas-kidney transplantation in China: The indications, surgical techniques and outcome

It is currently estimated that 50 million Chinese have diabetic mellitus (DM) with more than 90% of these being afflicted with type 2 DM. Concomitantly, the socio-economic improvements in China are supporting the adoption of pancreas-kidney transplantations as a treatment option for these patients. Recipient candidate pool has yet to be expanded and the final effect to be improved in clinical practice. To date, more than 250 pancreas-kidney transplants have been performed on patients with type 1 and type 2 DM. To improve the outcome, a new surgical technique that involves anastomosis of the graft duodenum to recipient jejunum side-to-side but not Roux-en-Y, has been devised for enteric drainage. Furthermore, the systemic venous drainage (SVD) has been used as the method of choice for endocrine secretions. Graft and recipient long-term survival in China was similar to that in America and Europe. Three-year survival rate of pancreas and kidney grafts was 92.2% and 90.2%, respectively, in our center. No difference in survival and graft function between type 1 and type 2 DM recipients was noted. It is concluded that pancreas-kidney transplantation is an effective way for the treatment of type 1 DM and some type 2 DM complicated with uremia.

Diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection in the first case of human living-related small bowel transplantation with a long-term survival in China

To report the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection in the first case of living-related small bowel transplantation with a long-term survival in China. A 18-year-old boy with short gut syndrome underwent living-related small bowel transplantation, with the graft taken from his father (44-year old). A segment of 150-cm distal small bowel was resected from the donor. The ileo-colic artery and vein from the donor were anastomosed to the infrarenal aorta and vena cava of the recipient respectively. The intestinal continuity was restored with an end-to-end anastomosis between the recipient jejunum and donor ileum, and the distal end was fistulized. FK506, MMF and prednisone were initially used for post-transplant immunosuppression. Endoscopic observation and mucosal biopsies of the graft were carried out through the terminal ileum enterostomy; serum was collected to detect the levels of IL-2R, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-8. The change of the graft secretion and absorption was observed. Acute rejection was diagnosed promptly and cured. The patient was in good health, 5 years after living-related small bowel transplantation. The correct diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection are the key to the long-term survival after living-related small bowel transplantation.

Child mortality under Chinese reforms

This paper looks at the impact of China's economic reforms on its health performance. Based on an appropriate health outcomes indicator, the logit of infant survival, it appears that while still out-performing most countries, China's relative advance decreased during the reform period. Consistent with the fact that the health system had to rely increasingly on private expenditures, we find an increasing impact of income on infant survival. We also show that relative prices at the provincial level matter for infant survival: for a given increase in income per capita, a real currency depreciation lowers survival. Focusing on poverty reduction still seems to be a major means to significantly improve infant survival in China.

Guanxi: A Nesting of Groups

L'article a pour but de decrire les differents liens qui peuvent se creer entre differents groupes. Ceux-ci peuvent se faire lors d'un besoin de protection, le groupe protecteur se faisant payer par des cadeaux. Le tissage de liens par des cadeaux se fait dans l'ensemble de la societe chinoise. Ce sont ces liens qui ont permis a certains groupes de survivre lors de crises. Mais ces liens peuvent aboutir a des organisations mafieuses.

Guanxi: A Nesting of Groups

Guanxi: A Nesting of Groups

Gender Bias in China, South Korea and India 1920–1990: Effects of War, Famine and Fertility Decline

How has the history of the twentieth century affected the extent of female disadvantage in child survival in China, South Korea and India, and how has this in turn shaped spousal availability and marriage payments? These three countries have similar kinship systems which generate discrimination against girls, and they show the highest levels of excess female child mortality in the world. This article explores how the extent of excess female child mortality was influenced by historical events in these countries in the period 1920–90, and discusses some of the substantial social ramifications of resulting changes in sex ratios. The authors hypothesize that these changes encouraged the retention of brideprice in China while dowry became the norm in India, and illustrate how these demographic changes have influenced the extent and manifestations of violence against women.

Regional variation in infant survival in China.

From retrospective survey reports 1985-87, the study examined the determinants of neonatal and post-neonatal survival in three provinces in China. Conditional logistic regression models were employed to estimate the effects of macro- and micro-level factors (such as socioeconomic conditions, familial relationships, as well as biosocial determinants) on the survivorship of neonatal and post-neonatal infants in China. The study yielded two findings: (1) Social changes in Chinese society had a strong positive effect on neonatal and post-neonatal survivorship; and (2) the magnitude of such social changes differed across regions which, in turn, led to the differential effects on neonatal and post-neonatal survivorship across provinces in China.

Effects of gender, birth order, and other correlates on childhood mortality in China.

Using data from the 1988 Two-Per-Thousand Survey of Fertility and Birth Control, this paper examines the effects of gender, birth order, and other correlates of childhood mortality in China. Controlling for family-level factors, childhood mortality is found to be associated with the child's gender and birth order. Among firstborn children the difference between male and female childhood mortality is not statistically significant, but among others, female children between ages 1 and 5 experience higher mortality than male children. Childhood mortality is slightly higher for children who have older brothers only than for those who have older sisters only, and it is highest for those who have both older brothers and sisters. Other factors affecting childhood mortality in China include mortality of older siblings, birth interval, urban/rural residence, mother's level of education, and mother's occupation. All interactive effects between gender and family-level characteristics are found to be statistically insignificant.

A climatological study of injury to citrus trees from freezing weather in China

Injury to citrus trees, from freezing weather in winter, is the main hazard of citrus regions in many of the subtropical areas of the world. It affects the normal development of the citrus tree and its yield. This paper describes the geographic distribution of freezing injury to citrus trees and climatic features of citrus growing regions in China. Five agroclimatic regions were identified for citrus winter survival in China. To avoid or reduce the loss of freezing injury to citrus, agroclimatic regions with no injury or light injury, should be chosen to cultivate citrus species.

A Climatic Classification for Citrus Winter Survival in China

The citrus tree is susceptible to frost damage. Winter injury to citrus from freezing weather is the major meteorological problem in the northern pail of citrus growing regions in China. Based on meteorological data collected at 120 stations in southern China and on the extent of citrus freezing injury, five climatic regions for citrus winter survival in China were developed. They were: 1) no citrus tree injury. 2) light injury to mandarins (citrus reticulate) or moderate injury to oranges (citrus sinensis), 3) moderate injury to mandarins or heavy injury to oranges, 4) heavy injury to mandarins, and 5) impossible citrus tree growth. This citrus climatic classification was an attempt to provide guidelines for regulation of citrus production, to effectively utilize land and climatic resources, to chose suitable citrus varieties, and to develop methods to prevent injury by freezing.

The Effects of Breastfeeding and Birth Spacing on Child Survival in China

Using data from the In-depth Fertility Survey, conducted in Shanghai Municipality and Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China, in April 1985, this study shows that breastfeeding and birth spacing have significant effects on child survival in Shaanxi, but not in Shanghai (controlling for potential confounding factors and reverse causality). The effect of breastfeeding decreases with age. Introducing proper supplemental food is very important for child survival in Shaanxi, where a high proportion of children are breastfed exclusively for much too long, sometimes up to nine months. An increase in the length of the previous birth interval improves child survival in Shaanxi significantly, especially for high-order children, and the first child has the highest survivorship in both Shanghai and Shaanxi. The effects of subsequent birth intervals are statistically significant in Shaanxi, but have a small actual impact on child survival in the first few years of life, since the arrival of a sibling does not affect the index child's risk of dying in the first few months of life, when the mortality rate is extremely high.

Eating for survival in China

The Giant Pandas of Wolong. By George B. Schaller Hu Jinchu Pan Wenshi Zhu Jing University of Chicago Press: 1985. Pp.298. $25, £23.75.