Studentsa Ratings of School Climate and School Belonging for Understanding Their Effects and Relationship of Junior High Schools in Taiwan

This study was to explore junior high students perception of school climate and school belonging The main purposes of the present study were to test the relationships between school climate and school belonging How s the correlation between the two variables Which one has better effects on the other Three hundred and twenty-eight junior high students in Taiwan were selected to inclusion in the investigation A statistically significant relationship between school climate and school belonging was found From the construction analyses we found that the path coefficients of Model 1 and Model 2 are the same The outcomes meant that school climate had significant effects on school belonging and school belonging also had significant effects on school climate The results of the study can offer the relative schools for evaluating school effects and school improvemen

Small-Size Humanoid Soccer Robot Design for FIRA HuroSot

Non

Small trocar site hernia after laparoscopy

AbstractThis review article is attempted to review the cases of 5-mm trocar site hernias (TSHs) after laparoscopic surgery and identify the risks associated with incarceration. We searched the English literature on the PubMed website using the key words “trocar site hernia” and “5 mm”. We evaluated a total of 24 cases of 5-mm TSHs and analyzed and results showed that 17 (71%) and 7 (29%) resulted from gynecologic and gastrointestinal surgeries, respectively. The majority were found at the lateral abdomen (87.5%) and recognized within 2 weeks (87.5%). The most frequently herniated organ (n = 14) was the small bowel. Up to 62.5% of cases (n = 15) were repaired by exploratory laparotomy, and 25% (n = 6) required resection of herniated organs secondary to incarceration. The cases with incarceration were detected at 4.3 ± 2.2 days post-operation and those without incarceration at 47.4 days post-operation. No risk factors could be identified to show a correlation between 5-mm TSHs and incarceration. We concluded that immediate 1--2-week postoperative care is of most importance, since the majority of 5-mm trocar site hernias with or without incarceration occurred within this period

Simulating Shallow Soil Response Using Wave Propagation Numerical Modelling in the Western Plain of Taiwan

This study used the results from 45 microtremor array measurements to construct a shallow shear wave velocity structure in the western plain of Taiwan. We constructed a complete 3D velocity model based on shallow and tomography models for our numerical simulation. There are three major subsurfaces, engineering bedrock (VS = 600 m s-1), Pliocene formation and Miocene formation, constituted in the shallow model. The constant velocity is given in each subsurface. We employed a 3D-FD (finite-differences) method to simulate seismic wave propagation in the western plain. The aim of this study was to perform a quantitative comparison of site amplifications and durations obtained from empirical data and numerical modelling in order to obtain the shallow substructure soil response. Modelling clearly revealed that the shallow substructure plays an important role in strong ground motion prediction using 3D simulation. The results show significant improvements in effective shaking duration and the peak ground velocity (PGV) distribution in terms of the accuracy achieved by our developed model. We recommend a high-resolution shallow substructure as an essential component in future seismic hazard analyses

Necrotizing fasciitis in liver cirrhosis

SummaryBackgroundNecrotizing fasciitis (NF) is associated with a high mortality rate. Hepatitis is endemic in Taiwan, and liver cirrhosis is associated with the development of NF. The characteristics of these patients, however, have not been well documented or the predictors of mortality clearly identified. The purpose of this study is to identify predictors of mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis and necrotizing fasciitis.MethodsThis study was conducted at the Chi-Mei Medical Center in southern Taiwan. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and the microorganisms responsible for NF in patients with liver cirrhosis were recorded. To identify independent predictors associated with mortality, univariate analysis followed by multivariate logistic regression modeling was performed.ResultsDuring the period 2003–2011, a total of 55 patients with liver cirrhosis and NF were treated at the Chi-Mei Medical Center. Most patients had infections by monomicrobial Gram-negative bacilli. Univariate analysis revealed that severity of liver cirrhosis, shock, band polymorphonuclear neutrophil (>10%), international normalized ratio (>1.5), serum creatinine (>2.0 mg/dL), serum albumin (<2.5 g/dL), and activated partial thromboplastin time (>60 seconds) were significantly associated with mortality. However, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that serum albumin of <2.5 g/dL was the only independent predictor of mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis and NF.ConclusionNF in the vast majority of cirrhotic patients was caused by Gram-negative bacilli. Hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin <2.5 g/dL) was associated with mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis and NF. Further studies are needed to assess whether resuscitation with albumin-containing solutions lowers the mortality rate in such patients

Effect of Surface Geology on Ground Motions: The Case of Station TAP056 - Chutzuhu Site

In the Tatun mountain area of northern Taiwan are two strong motion stations approximately 2.5 km apart, TAP056 and TAP066 of the TSMIP network. The accelerometer at station TAP056 is often triggered by earthquakes, but that at TAP066 station is not. Comparisons of vertical and horizontal peak ground accelerations reveal PGA in the vertical, east-west, and north-south components at TAP056 station to be 3.89, 7.57, and 5.45 times those at station TAP066, respectively. The PGA ratio does not seem to be related to earthquake source or path. Fourier spectra of earthquake records at station TAP056 always have approximately the same dominant frequency; however, those at station TAP066 are different due to different sources and paths of different events. This shows that spectra at TAP056 station are mainly controlled by local site effects. The spectral ratios of TAP056/TAP066 show the S-wave is amplified at around 8 ~ 10 Hz. The horizontal/vertical spectral ratios of station TAP056 also show a dominant frequency at about 6 and 8 ~ 10 Hz. After dense microtremor surveying and the addition of one accelerometer just 20 meters away from the original observation station, we can confirm that the top soft soil layer upon which the observation station is constructed generates the local site response at station TAP056

A novel trivalent non-Fc anti-CD3 Collabody preferentially induces Th1 cell apoptosis in vitro and long-lasting remission in recent-onset diabetic NOD mice

Specific anti-CD3 treatment is deemed to be a promising therapy for allograft rejection and type 1 diabetes (T1D). Fc receptor (FcR) reduced-binding antibodies, by avoiding adverse effects of Fc and FcR interaction, have good therapeutic potential. We generated a trivalent anti-mouse-CD3 Collabody, h145CSA, by using a triplex-forming collagen-like peptide (Gly-Pro-Pro)10 to drive the trimerization of the Fab fragments. Exposure to h145CSA, but not its bivalent counterparts 145-2C11 and h145chIgGAA (FcR reduced-binding format), upregulates FasL expression on Th1 cells and causes Th1 cell apoptosis. Administration of h145CSA invokes minimal mitogenic effects in mice. The ability of multiple dosing of h145CSA to induce splenic CD4+ T-cell depletion is comparable to bivalent antibodies but is characterized by more rapid CD4+ T-cell recovery kinetics. h145CSA is more potent than h145chIgGAA in inducing long-lasting remission in recent-onset diabetic NOD mice. Its therapeutic effect is accompanied by a significantly lower percentage of CD4+IFNγ+ T cells and a higher Treg/Th1 ratio in pancreatic and mesenteric lymph nodes. The results of our study demonstrate that trivalent non-Fc anti-CD3 Collabody has the potential to be used in the treatment of T1D