Developing Measures of Intellectual Capital for the Venture Capital Industry in Taiwan

The Taiwanese venture capital industry has played a critical role in the development of the Taiwan it industry. The purpose of this study is to construct and prioritize the intellectual capital measures of venture capital in Taiwan and to formulate a strategy map based on these measures. A thorough interview was used to collect the data, while the content analysis method and the analytic hierarchy process were used to analyze the data. Intellectual capital can be categorized into three dimensions: Human Capital, Relational Capital and Structural Capital. The research also developed twelve indicators to assess business intellectual capital, as well as a strategy map for the venture capital industry. Measuring intellectual capital can help to formulate business strategies and allocate business resources.venture capital, content analysis method, analytical hierarchy process, strategy map, intellectual capital, human capital, relational capital, structure capital, sustainability

Cosmological Simulation for Fuzzy Dark Matter Model

Fuzzy Dark Matter (FDM), motivated by string theory, has recently become a hot candidate for dark matter. The rest mass of FDM is believed to be $\sim 10^{-22}$eV and the corresponding de-Broglie wave length is $\sim 1$kpc. Therefore, the quantum effect of FDM plays an important role in structure formation. In order to study the cosmological structure formation in FDM model, several simulation techniques have been introduced. We review the current status and challenges in the cosmological simulation for the FDM model in this paper.Comment: 10 pages, 2 tables, published on Front. Astron. Space Sci. under the topic: Dark Matter - Where is it? What is it

Gender Differences in the Determinants of Sharing Information via Mobile Phones

The notion of sharing information has become a critical element in competitive advantage for mobile phone companies. The purpose of this particular research is to collate, compare and prioritize gender differences in the determinants of sharing information via mobile phones. The content analysis and the analytic hierarchy process methods were made use of to collect and examine relevant data. According to the findings of this research, the determinants of information sharing via mobile phones may be arranged into four fundamental categories. The categories, in order of significant, are: situational factors (including time pressures, convenience, and price discounts), the unique characteristics of mobile phone senders (including personality, emotion, and verbal capability), informational factors (including private information, important information and interesting information), and mobile phone receivers (including personality, emotion, and verbal capability). There is no singular gender difference in the first two factors (situational factors and mobile phone senders). The results gauge and assess the determinants of information sharing by the way of mobile phones

Phase transformation behaviour of porous NiTi alloys fabricated by capsule-free hot isostatic pressing

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to characterize the phase transformation behaviour of porous Ni50Ti50 alloys fabricated by capsule-free hot isostatic pressing (CF-HIP) with different cold compaction pressures. Experimental results reveal that a multi-stage martensitic transformation (MST) exists in the sintered porous NiTi alloys on cooling while the reverse transformation upon heating is either a single or two-stage phase transformation. The DSC thermal analysis indicates that the cold compaction pressure has great effect on the subsequent transformation temperatures. Generally, the phase transformation temperatures of porous NiTi alloys with lower cold compaction pressure are higher than those compacted with higher pressure. With increase in the annealing time, the transformation temperatures increase quickly when the cold compaction pressure was 150MPa. On the other hand, the transformation temperatures change only slightly when the cold compaction pressure was varied from 300MPa to 400MPa. These phenomena can be attributed to the combined effect of larger plastic deformation with higher dislocations density produced by cold compaction and the precipitation of the second phase in the porous NiTi alloys.published_or_final_versio

Biomimetic deposition of apatite on surface chemically modified porous NiTi shapememory alloy

Porous NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) with 48% porosity and an average pore size of 50800 μm was synthesized by capsule-free hot isostatic pressing (CF-HIP). To enhance the surface bioactivity, the porous NiTi SMA was subjected to H"2O"2 and subsequent NaOH treatment. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed that a porous sodium titanate (Na"2TiO"3) film had formed on the surface of the porous NiTi SMA. An apatite layer was deposited on this film after immersion in simulated body fluid at 37°C, while no apatite could be found on the surface of the untreated porous NiTi SMA. The formation of the apatite layer infers that the bioactivity of the porous NiTi SMA may be enhanced by surface chemical treatment, which is favorable for its application as bone implants. © 2008 World Scientific Publishing Company.postprin

Improved corrosion resistance of plasma carbon coated NiTi orthopedic materials

Nickel titanium (NiTi) alloys are useful in orthopedic applications because of their super-elastic properties and shape memory effects. However, when NiTi is used for a prolonged period of time, harmful Ni ions can leach out into the surrounding body fluid inside a human body, and so it is important to design a method to impede the out-diffusion of nickel from the materials into the biological medium. We aim at producing a barrier to mitigate the release of Ni ions during normal use. Carbon coatings have been shown to possess excellent bio-compatibility and good mechanical strength. In this work, amorphous hydrogenated DLC films with a graded C/NiTi interface were fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation & deposition (PU & D) to provide such a barrier layer on NiTi. The elemental depth profiles and film thickness were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) whereas the surface morphology was evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The film structure was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The corrosion resistance of the film was investigated using electrochemical tests based on ASTM G5-94. Compared to the control sample, the corrosion potential of the sample with the carbon coating changes from -250 to -50 mV and the film breakdown potential increases from 250 to 1200 mV. The corrosion current also diminishes from 10-6 to 10-7 A. The simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions after the electrochemical test were analyzed for Ni concentrations by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and that data show that a much smaller amount of Ni has been released from the treated sample surface compared to the untreated control sample surface. Our results thus indicate that the deposited DLC film is effective in retarding the release of Ni ions from the bulk materials and more superior corrosion resistance is achieved based on our tests in a simulated fluid medium and at human body temperature.published_or_final_versio

HLA typing in Taiwanese patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

AbstractBackground/purposeThe human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, which plays a vital role in immunity, is the most polymorphic gene complex found in the human genome. This study investigated HLA-related alleles and haplotypes in Taiwanese patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Materials and methodsHLA class I (HLA-A and HLA-B) antigens and class II (HLA-DRB1) alleles were determined in 105 patients with OSCC and compared with those in 190 healthy controls. The antigens were measured serologically and the alleles by sequencing-based typing.ResultsCompared with the control group, patients with OSCC had higher frequencies of HLA-A24, HLA-B54, HLA-DRB1*0405, and HLA-DRB1*1201, while they had lower frequencies of HLA-B58 and HLA-DRB1*1302. Haplotype frequencies also varied significantly in individuals with OSCC, with certain haplotypes associated with lymph node metastases or a particular tumor stage.ConclusionThese results suggest that HLA genetic factors influence susceptibility to OSCC and perhaps to lymph node metastasis and tumor progression