Interpersonal Relationships among University Safety Professionals: The Impact of a Safety Departmentf

PresentationForming strong interpersonal relationships enables an organization or individual to achieve more favorable outcomes. The objectives of this study were to examine the frequency of interpersonal interactions among safety professionals (SPs) employed at Taiwanese universities and the factors that affected this frequency. To accomplish these objectives, we mailed questionnaires to a simple random sampling of 200 university SPs. Moreover, an interpersonal relationship scale was developed in this study; exploratory factor and internal consistency analyses revealed that the scale was valid and reliable. Results derived from the questionnaire revealed that in SP interpersonal relationships, general affairs department personnel, laboratory or internship unit supervisors, and teaching staff ranked highest in frequency of interactions. Multivariate analysis of variance results showed that establishing a safety department exerted a statistically significant effect on SP interpersonal relationships. SPs employed by universities with safety departments interacted more frequently with both internal and external relationships. Therefore, we suggest that universities without a safety department establish such a department to strengthen the labor safety and health structure, thereby benefitting SPs in fulfilling responsibilities to promote safety and health management

Advanced materials for aqueous supercapacitors in the asymmetric design

AbstractSupercapacitors have been recognized as one of the promising energy storage devices in the future energy technology. In this perspective, rapid progress is made in the development of fundamental and applied aspects of supercapacitors. Various techniques have been developed specifically to estimate the specific capacitance. Numerous efforts have been made in the literature to increase the specific capacitance of electrode materials. Recently, researchers pay more attention on designing supercapacitors of asymmetric type with extending cell voltage and dissimilar materials with complementary working potentials. Researchers try to increase the specific energy of asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). Conversely, it is still a challenge to find a suitable operation conditions for ASCs in various designs, especially for the one with battery type electrode. In this review, we describe our recent research works and other reports on the preparation of various nanostructured electrode materials and the performances of both symmetric and asymmetric supercapacitors. Finally, we demonstrate effects of charge balance on the capacitive performances of ASCs which consist of one electrode material of the battery type and one capacitive material. We also demonstrate how to evaluate the charge capacities of both positive and negative electrode materials for this ASC application

A correlation among safety leadership, safety climate and safety performance.

Abstract There has not been much consensus on the causality of safety climates in the past 25 years. Moreover, there is an overall lack of models specifying the relationship among safety leadership, safety climate and safety performance. On the grounds of social system theory, this study has investigated the potential correlation among them. Self-administered questionnaires that included a safety leadership scale, a safety climate scale and a safety performance scale were used to collect data in four universities in central Taiwan. The survey was conducted among 754 subjects selected via simple random sampling. The number of returned valid questionnaires was 465, and the response rate was 61.67%. Path analysis showed that safety climate partially mediated the relationship between safety leadership and safety performance. Canonical correlation analysis showed that safety controlling, one factor of safety leadership, had main influence on CEOs and managers' safety commitment and action in safety climate, and on safety organization and management, safety equipment and measures, and accident investigations in safety performance. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that organizational leaders would do well to develop a strategy by which they improve the safety climates within their organizations, which will then have a positive effect on safety performance.

Orientation-dependent stabilization of MgCr2_2O4_4 spinel thin films

AB$_2$O$_4$ normal spinels with a magnetic B site can host a variety of magnetic and orbital frustrations leading to spin-liquid phases and field-induced phase transitions. Here we report the first epitaxial growth of (111)-oriented MgCr$_2$O$_4$ thin films. By characterizing the structural and electronic properties of films grown along (001) and (111) directions, the influence of growth orientation has been studied. Despite distinctly different growth modes observed during deposition, the comprehensive characterization reveals no measurable disorder in the cation distribution nor multivalency issue for Cr ions in either orientation. Contrary to a naive expectation, the (111) stabilized films exhibit a smoother surface and a higher degree of crystallinity than (001)-oriented films. The preference in growth orientation is explained within the framework of heteroepitaxial stabilization in connection to a significantly lower (111) surface energy. These findings open broad opportunities in the fabrication of 2D kagome-triangular heterostructures with emergent magnetic behavior inaccessible in bulk crystals

The nucleolar protein NIFK promotes cancer progression via CK1α/β-catenin in metastasis and Ki-67-dependent cell proliferation.

Nucleolar protein interacting with the FHA domain of pKi-67 (NIFK) is a Ki-67-interacting protein. However, its precise function in cancer remains largely uninvestigated. Here we show the clinical significance and metastatic mechanism of NIFK in lung cancer. NIFK expression is clinically associated with poor prognosis and metastasis. Furthermore, NIFK enhances Ki-67-dependent proliferation, and promotes migration, invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo via downregulation of casein kinase 1α (CK1α), a suppressor of pro-metastatic TCF4/β-catenin signaling. Inversely, CK1α is upregulated upon NIFK knockdown. The silencing of CK1α expression in NIFK-silenced cells restores TCF4/β-catenin transcriptional activity, cell migration, and metastasis. Furthermore, RUNX1 is identified as a transcription factor of CSNK1A1 (CK1α) that is negatively regulated by NIFK. Our results demonstrate the prognostic value of NIFK, and suggest that NIFK is required for lung cancer progression via the RUNX1-dependent CK1α repression, which activates TCF4/β-catenin signaling in metastasis and the Ki-67-dependent regulation in cell proliferation

Fabrication of Inorganic Coatings Incorporated with Functionalized Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Improving Fire Retardancy of Wooden Substrates

Flame-retardant chemicals are frequently used within consumer products and can even be employed as a treatment on the surface of different types of materials (e.g., wood, steel, and textiles) to prevent fire or limit the rapid spread of flames. Functionalized graphene oxide (FGO) nanosheets are a promising construction coating nanomaterial that can be blended with sodium metasilicate and gypsum to reduce the flammability of construction buildings. In this work, we designed and fabricated novel and halogen-free FGO sheets using the modified Hummers method; and subsequently functionalized them by pentaerythritol through a chemical impregnation process before dispersing them within the construction coating. Scanning electron microscopic images confirm that the FGO-filled coating was uniformly dispersed on the surface of wooden substrates. We identified that the FGO content is a critical factor affecting the fire retardancy. Thermogravimetric analysis of the FGO coating revealed that higher char residue can be obtained at 700 °C. Based on the differential scanning calorimetry, the exothermic peak contained a temperature delay in the presence of FGO sheets, primarily due to the formation of a thermal barrier. Such a significant improvement in the flame retardancy confirms that the FGO nanosheets are superior nanomaterials to be employed as a flame-retardant construction coating nanomaterial for improving thermal management within buildings

Analysis of Resistance to Clarithromycin and Virulence Markers in Helicobacter pylori Clinical Isolates from Eastern Taiwan

AbstractObjectiveLittle information is available concerning the relationships between clarithromycin resistance and virulence marker genes (iceA, cagA and vacA) in Helicobacter pylori isolated in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between clarithromycin resistance and genotypes of the virulence markers on clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori isolates obtained in eastern TaiwanMaterials and MethodsThe genotypes of the virulence marker genes (iceA, cagA and vacA) were analyzed by PCR, and the 23S rDNA region from 18 clarithromycin-resistant clinical isolates of H. pylori was amplified by PCR and sequenced.ResultsPoint mutations were found to occur in all isolates. Two isolates had A2143G, six had T2182C, one had C2227T, six had A2143G plus T2182C, and three had heterozygous alleles. The latter included a wild-type allele (A2143) plus (i) an A2143G, (ii) an A2143G plus an A2223G, and (iii) an A2143G plus a T2182C. The prevalence of the marker genes cagA, iceA1, iceA2, and both iceA1 and iceA2, in the isolates was 95.5%, 66.9%, 7.5%, and 25.6%, respectively. The vacAs1 allele was detected in all isolates, whereas the m1 and m2 alleles were found in 44.4% and 55.6% of the isolates, respectivelyConclusionThere were no significant associations between clarithromycin resistance and the presence of the cagA gene, vacA allele mosaicism, and the iceA genotypes. The most notable finding of our study was that the C2227T single mutation in 23S rDNA could also be related to the high clarithromycin minimal inhibitory concentrations in clinical isolates from eastern Taiwan

Dynamic reciprocal relationships between traditional media reports, social media postings, and youth suicide in Taiwan between 2012 and 2021

Rising social media use over the past decade has been linked with increasing suicide rates among young people. Previous studies that assessed the impact of social media on suicide have typically focused on single social media platforms, such as Twitter, and assumed unidirectional associations, where social media posts leads to suicide. Our study focused on the past decade (2012–2021) which has witnessed a rapid increase of social media platforms and use. Poisson and negative binominal auto-regression models were employed to examine the dynamic reciprocity between social media, traditional media and youth suicides in Taiwan. Increased volume in suicide-related social media posts positively correlated with increased youth suicide rates (β = 2.53 × 10-5, 95% CI= (0.83 × 10-5, 4.24 × 10-5), P < 0.01), but increased rates of youth suicide was not related to an increase in suicide-related social media posts. Suicide-related posts on social media triggered reporting of suicide-related news on traditional media platforms (β = 3.35 × 10-2, 95% CI= (2.51 × 10-2, 4.19 × 10-2), P < 0.001), whilst traditional media reports of suicide led to increased suicide-related social media posts (β = 6.13 × 10-1, 95% CI = (4.58 × 10-1, 7.68 × 10-1); P < 0.001). However, suicide-related reports on traditional media platforms did not directly lead to an increase in youth suicide rates. Our findings highlight challenges for suicide prevention strategies in the 21st Century, in dealing with the increasing prominence of social media over traditional media. As social media is more difficult to regulate than traditional media, suicide prevention efforts must adapt to this new landscape by developing innovative strategies that address the unique risks and opportunities presented by social media