Value Constellation Construction in Service Firms

The aims of this study were to identify how governmental technology development program (TDP) improves the service value in service firms and to investigate how service firms construct value constellations through relationships with other firms. A multiple cases study research is conducted, focusing on the Taiwan’s service firms. The research main findings are: (1) ICTs enhance service value through six key factors: data envelopment analysis for customers; creating switching costs for industry entry barriers; integrating resources among the value constellation members and elevating productivity; improving internal and external communication for the organization; organizing activities, quick responses to customer needs and strengthening customer relationships; and identifying new members for the value constellation. (2) We categorised the service value enhancement of TDP firms into three types: internal operation improvements, industrial network enhancements; and transactional relations. Internal operation improvements primarily involved creating value within a TDP firm

Functional and structural characterization of the mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase and the isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase from Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcus faecalis causes a diverse range of nosocomial infections (in wounds, the gastrointestinal tract, the blood stream and the endocardium), and multidrug-resistant strains have become a serious issue across countries. Vancomycin, a FDA-approved drug for the disruption of the bacterial cell wall biosynthesis, has been utilized to treat infectious diseases caused by Enterococci; however, the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) threatens communities all over the world. We aim at developing novel therapeutic strategies to control bacterial growth of Enterococci, and we focus on targeting two essential enzymes involved in poly-isoprenoid biosynthesis in Enterococcus faecalis; one is the mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (MDD) in the mevalonate pathway, and the other one is the isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (IDI), which is downstream of MDD. Functional and structural studies on the mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase from Enterococcus faecalis (MDDEF) have been conducted using enzymology, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and X-ray crystallography. We have used classical enzymology approaches to determine the substrate binding mechanism of MDDEF, which belongs to a compulsory bi-substrate mechanism with mevalonate diphosphate (MVAPP) binding first. We also obtained thermodynamic data on substrate binding in MDDEF using ITC. The results have suggested that enhanced binding of the second substrate, ATP, can be achieved by the prerequisite binding of MVAPP. In structure determination, we obtained several crystal structures of MDDEF (with or without ligand binding), which represent different states in the enzymatic reaction. Based on structural comparisons, structural changes upon substrate binding can be observed. Conformational changes in two non-conserved regions during the substrate binding event may suggest unique approaches to structure-based specific drug development in the near future. In the complex structure of MDDEF bound with MVAPP, ADPBeF3 and Mg2+, the ordering of two regions (97-104 and 183-191) produces a closed conformation which represents a transitional pre-phosphoryl transfer state. The ligand architecture implicates a dissociative phosphoryl transfer mechanism during the chemical steps of the enzymatic reaction. A high-throughput screening method for identification of inhibitors against MDDEF has been established, and the human MDD protein has been successfully expressed via auto-induction and purified to homogeneity. Human MDD will serve as a selection marker for elimination of non-specific compounds targeting the conserved active-site region in MDD proteins. We have also successfully expressed and purified the isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase from E. faecalis (IDI-2EF), and have obtained crystallization conditions and optimized them for crystallizing apo-form IDI-2EF. Diffraction data were collected at the APS synchrotron source where the apo-form crystal of IDI-2 EF diffracted to a 2.0-Å resolution. We are doing experiments to obtain the bound form of IDI-2EF. These structures can be further utilized for structure-based drug design targeting IDI-2EF in the future. In summary, our new findings in MDDEF and IDI-2EF will provide the detailed enzyme mechanisms and insight into new therapeutic strategies against multi-drug resistant enterococci

Exploring Qualia in Service Experience – A Case Study of the Cultural Creative Hotels in Taiwan

The objective of this research is to construct a qualia service experience design model for new-style cultural creative hotels and to explore how new-style cultural creative hotels can establish the qualia service experience. It further analyzes the key factors of creating qualia experience for new-style cultural creative hotels, offering it as a reference for enterprises which expect to enhance their competitiveness using the qualia experience. This research has chosen the HOTELDAY+ Group – the biggest cultural creative design hotel chain store brand in Taiwan to conduct the qualitative case study. The outcomes of the research show that cultural creative hotels with the fusion of the qualia-element service experience design can establish the qualia service experience via six aspects, including conveying living concepts and styles, thematic service experience design and form of the style, design quality and display of the products. There is also the participation aspect in experiencing events and art creation events, design and beauty between the building and the space, as well as the characteristics and interaction of the service personnel. Since HOTELDAY+ features spatial style design, cultural experiences such as local and historical cultural sentiments, brand meaning and strategic positioning of the services, it has excelled brilliantly in the hotel’s style conveyance, cultural experience, service experience design, combination of service experience providers and carriers. Thus, it is able to reach out and touch the travelers easily, making HOTELDAY+ to be favored and welcomed by travelers

Design and Analysis of a Novel 25 GHz Interleaver for DWDM Applications with Two Ring Configurations

We present a novel scheme of an excellent flat-top 25 GHz optical interleaver based on two ring configurations. And the Advanced Systems Analysis Program (ASAP) optical modeling software has been utilized for the interleaver design. The optical path difference for interference and the phase shift are provided by the interferometer with two birefringent crystals and dual-ring arrangement. The proposed structure exhibits the passband utilization of more than 90% and the channel isolation greater than 95 dB within the C-band. Furthermore, we improve the dispersion performance by employing λ/6 wave plates as birefringent compensators for interleavers. The research results illustrate that our proposed scheme with compensator can improve the dispersion of more than 85.8%. Comparing the performance with the previous studies of optical interleavers with birefringent crystal and ring structure, the proposed system can achieve an excellent 25 GHz multichannel filter for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transmission systems

Dipsacus asperoides (Xue Duan) inhibits spinal cord injury-induced inflammatory responses in rats

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Dipsacus asperoides (Xue Duan), a traditional Chinese medicine, on rats with spinal cord injury (SCI).Methods: In this study a total of 40 adult rats were used after inducing SCI where Xue Duan was applied on experimental group and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was administered in corresponding control groups. Intraperitoneal administration of both compounds for a period of four weeks (28 days) was carried out at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day. Bright field microscopy was performed on the tissues.Results: Bright Field microscopy of tissue sections showed significant reduction in cavity area that resulted from injury, that is from 0.19 ± 0.05 mm2 to 0.09 ± 0.03 mm2 (p < 0.01) in untreated and treated groups respectively. Similarly western blotting results showed a decrease in the expression of NF-kB p65 and I-kBα (p < 0.01). These two compounds are important in increasing secondary pathophysiology in SCI. The results for MPO activity also revealed significantly reduced infiltration of leukocytes to the injury site (p < 0.01).Conclusion: This study reveals the positive effect of the plant material in reducing inflammation in rats with traumatic SCI.Keywords: IKK/NF-kB pathway, MPO activity, Spinal cord injury, Inflammation, Xue Duan, Dipsacus asperoide

Synthesis and highly visible-induced photocatalytic activity of CNT-CdSe composite for methylene blue solution

Carbon nanotube-cadmium selenide (CNT-CdSe) composite was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method derived from multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a stating material. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer. The as-synthesized CNT-CdSe composite efficiently catalyzed the photodegradation of methylene blue in aqueous solutions under visible-light irradiation, exhibiting higher photocatalytic activity