Cross-Domain Employability Related to E-Business in Printing Industry

The study aims at introducing the cross-domain employability of Electronic Business (E-Business) that the printing industry professionals should have in Taiwan. The pilot study aims at confirming and developing a questionnaire based on indicator of employability on E-Business in Printing Industry. Secondly, designing Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) questionnaire and builds its weight. The study presents the cross-domain employability indicators related to E-Business. The contribution can benefit the printing industry when recruiting human resources, and to serve as reference for the printing related departments in higher education

Taxonomic status of the Senkaku mole, Nesoscaptor uchidai, with special reference to variation in Mogera insularis from Taiwan (Mammalia : Insectivora)

The taxonomic status of the Senkaku mole, Nesoscaptor uchidai Abe, Shiraishi et Arai, 1991 (Mammalia: Insectivora: Talpidae), described from Uotsurijima in the Senkaku Group, Ryukyu Archipelago, was re-evaluated. Morphological analyses suggest that N. uchidai is most similar to Mogera insularis from Taiwan, although several morphological characters, such as the number of premolars and the shapes of the anterior portion of the palate, zygomatic arch, auditory bulla, and coronoid process, differentiate N. uchidai from M. insularis. Therefore, we synonymize the monotypic genus Nesoscaptor Abe, Shiraishi et Arai, 1991 with the genus Mogera Pomel, 1848, and define Mogera uchidai (Abe, Shiraishi et Arai, 1991) as a valid species endemic to Uotsurijima. In addition, we analyzed morphological variation within M. insularis, such as variation in the second upper premolar pair, overall cranial size, and the breadth of the rostrum and palate. Some of this variation may be associated with topographical and environmental factors in its habitat

Diabetes and Health Outcomes Among Older Taiwanese with Hip Fracture

Abstract Objective: Hip fracture tremendously impacts functional abilities for the elderly with high morbidity and mortality; recovery is compromised by co-morbidities. Diabetes mellitus is a common co-morbidity for the aging population, but little is known about the influence of diabetes on outcomes of the Asian elderly with hip fracture. Research Design and Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of data on 242 community-dwelling elders with hip fracture from three previous longitudinal studies. Sixty-one cases (25.2%) had diabetes. Outcomes were measured by the Chinese Barthel Index, Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Taiwan version, and analyzed by the generalized estimating equation approach to examine how diabetes influenced hip-fractured elders' mortality, service utilization, mobility, daily activities, and health-related quality of life during the first 12 months after postsurgical discharge in Taiwan. Results: Hip-fractured elderly with diabetes had a significantly higher mortality rate (22.6% vs. 10.3%, p=0.03) during the first year following discharge, and significantly higher readmission rate (10.0% vs. 2.5%, p=0.04) from the first to third month following discharge than those without diabetes. After controlling for covariates, elderly participants without diabetes had an overall 2.2 times (confidence interval [CI]=1.15?4.21) greater odds of recovery in walking ability and better reported general health (?=9.33; p=0.01) and physical functioning (?=7.26; p=0.02) than those with diabetes during the first year after discharge. Conclusions: Diabetes negatively influenced outcomes of elderly patients with hip fracture. The results may provide a reference for developing interventions for hip-fractured elders with diabetes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98472/1/rej%2E2011%2E1308.pd

Functional recovery of older people with hip fracture: does malnutrition make a difference?

Aim To report a study of the effects of protein‐energy malnutrition on the functional recovery of older people with hip fracture who participated in an interdisciplinary intervention. Background It is not clear whether protein‐energy malnutrition is associated with worse functional outcomes or it affects the interdisciplinary intervention program on the functional recovery of older people with hip fracture. Design A randomized experimental design. Methods Data were collected between 2002–2006 from older people with hip fracture ( N  = 162) in Taiwan. The generalized estimating equations approach was used to evaluate the effect of malnutrition on the functional recovery of older people with hip fracture. Results The majority of older patients with hip fracture were malnourished (48/80, 60% in the experimental group vs. 55/82, 67% in the control group) prior to hospital discharge. The results of the generalized estimating equations analysis demonstrated that subjects suffering from protein‐energy malnutrition prior to hospital discharge appeared to have significantly worse performance trajectories for their activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and recovery of walking ability compared with those without protein‐energy malnutrition. In addition, it was found that the intervention is more effective on the performance of activities of daily living and recovery of walking ability in malnourished patients than in non‐malnourished patients. Conclusion Healthcare providers should develop a nutritional assessment/management system in their interdisciplinary intervention program to improve the functional recovery of older people with hip fracture.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99041/1/jan12027.pd

Absorption Cross Sections of NH_3, NH_2D, NHD_2, and ND_3 in the Spectral Range 140-220 nm and Implications for Planetary Isotopic Fractionation

Cross sections for photoabsorption of NH_3, NH_2D, NHD_2, and ND_3 in the spectral region 140-220 nm were determined at ~298 K using synchrotron radiation. Absorption spectra of NH_2D and NHD_2 were deduced from spectra of mixtures of NH_3 and ND_3, of which the equilibrium concentrations for all four isotopologues obey statistical distributions. Cross sections of NH_2D, NHD_2, and ND_3 are new. Oscillator strengths, an integration of absorption cross sections over the spectral lines, for both A ← X and B ← X systems of NH_3 agree satisfactorily with previous reports; values for NH_2D, NHD_2, and ND_3 agree with quantum chemical predictions. The photolysis of NH_3 provides a major source of reactive hydrogen in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere of giant planets such as Jupiter. Incorporating the measured photoabsorption cross sections of NH_3 and NH_2D into the Caltech/JPL photochemical diffusive model for the atmosphere of Jupiter, we find that the photolysis efficiency of NH_2D is lower than that of NH_3 by as much as 30%. The D/H ratio in NH_2D/NH_3 for tracing the microphysics in the troposphere of Jupiter is also discussed

HPV infection and p53 inactivation in pterygium

PurposeOur recent report indicated that tumor suppressor gene (p53) mutations and protein aberrant expression were detected in pterygium. Inactivation of p53 by Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 E6 plays a crucial role in cervical tumorigenesis. In this study, we further speculate that p53 inactivation may be linked with HPV infection in pterygium pathogenesis. To investigate the involvement of HPV 16/18 E6 in p53 inactivation in pterygium, the association between HPV 16 or HPV 18 infection, the HPV E6 oncoprotein, and p53 protein expression was analyzed in this study.MethodsHPV 16/18 infection was detected by nested-polymerase chain reaction (nested-PCR), the p53 mutation was detected by direct sequencing, and the p53 and the HPV 16/18 E6 proteins were studied using immunohistochemistry on 129 pterygial specimens and 20 normal conjunctivas.ResultsThe HPV 16/18 was detected in 24% of the pterygium tissues (31 of 129) but not in the normal conjunctiva, and the HPV16/18 E6 oncoprotein was detected in 48.3% of HPV 16/18 DNA-positive pterygium tissues (15 of 31). In addition, p53 protein negative expression in pterygium was correlated with HPV16/18 E6 oncoprotein expression but not with a p53 mutation.ConclusionsHPV 16/18 E6 contributes to HPV-mediated pterygium pathogenesis as it is partly involved in p53 inactivation and is expressed in HPV DNA-positive pterygium

Conformational dynamics of a membrane protein chaperone enables spatially regulated substrate capture and release

Membrane protein biogenesis poses enormous challenges to cellular protein homeostasis and requires effective molecular chaperones. Compared with chaperones that promote soluble protein folding, membrane protein chaperones require tight spatiotemporal coordination of their substrate binding and release cycles. Here we define the chaperone cycle for cpSRP43, which protects the largest family of membrane proteins, the light harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins (LHCPs), during their delivery. Biochemical and NMR analyses demonstrate that cpSRP43 samples three distinct conformations. The stromal factor cpSRP54 drives cpSRP43 to the active state, allowing it to tightly bind substrate in the aqueous compartment. Bidentate interactions with the Alb3 translocase drive cpSRP43 to a partially inactive state, triggering selective release of LHCP’s transmembrane domains in a productive unloading complex at the membrane. Our work demonstrates how the intrinsic conformational dynamics of a chaperone enables spatially coordinated substrate capture and release, which may be general to other ATP-independent chaperone systems

Poly[[aqua­(μ5-3,4,5,6-tetra­carb­oxy­cyclo­hexane-1,2-dicarboxyl­ato)strontium] monohydrate]

In the title compound, {[Sr(C12H10O12)(H2O)]·H2O}n, the SrII ion is coordinated by six O atoms of five symmetry-related 3,4,5,6-tetra­carb­oxy­cyclo­hexane-1,2-dicarboxyl­ate ligands and one water mol­ecule in a slightly distorted monocapped trigonal–prismatic environment. The ligands bridge the SrII ions, forming a two-dimensional structure. In the crystal, O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds further connect the structure into a three-dimensional network. The H atoms of two of the carboxyl groups were refined as half-occupancy