IT/IS as the Secret Scroll of Kung Fu: A Functionalist Explanation of A Technical Structure for Information Systems Design

A company encounters many negative social consequences and persistent problems when it adopts a specific technical structure for an information system (IS). But, why do they continue using it, not wishing to abandon it? This paper uses the functionalist explanation to interpret the contradictory phenomenon through a real case which expects to enhance work efficiency and improve business processes by developing a new IS. During IS development and implementation, the rivalry between IT personnel and users occurs while they closely cooperate. Nevertheless, a shared belief that “IT/IS as the Secret Scroll of Kung Fu”, which implies IT/IS with a magic power, has been unexpectedly developed between them. In other words, both divisions believe that IT/IS would be able to solve all unintended problems to be encountered. Therefore, they still kept cooperating to develop IS, and did not admit the failure of IS

Learning satisfaction of undergraduates in single-sex-dominated academic fields in Taiwan

AbstractThe present study investigated relationships between undergraduates’ learning satisfaction, academic identity, self-esteem and feeling of depression and loneliness in Taiwan. Data were from a national survey in Taiwan. Participants were 15,706 third-year undergraduates (8719 female, 6987 male). The results showed that, after controlling for undergraduates’ academic performance and attitudes toward university and department, (1) learning satisfaction of females in male-dominant fields was negatively correlated with their feeling of depression, (2) learning satisfaction of males in female-dominant fields was positively correlated with their academic identity and self-esteem, and (3) learning satisfaction of undergraduates in non-dominated fields was positively correlated with their academic identity and self-esteem but also negatively correlated with their feelings of depression

A systematic approach to detecting transcription factors in response to environmental stresses

Abstract Background Eukaryotic cells have developed mechanisms to respond to external environmental or physiological changes (stresses). In order to increase the activities of stress-protection functions in response to an environmental change, the internal cell mechanisms need to induce certain specific gene expression patterns and pathways by changing the expression levels of specific transcription factors (TFs). The conventional methods to find these specific TFs and their interactivities are slow and laborious. In this study, a novel efficient method is proposed to detect the TFs and their interactivities that regulate yeast genes that respond to any specific environment change. Results For each gene expressed in a specific environmental condition, a dynamic regulatory model is constructed in which the coefficients of the model represent the transcriptional activities and interactivities of the corresponding TFs. The proposed method requires only microarray data and information of all TFs that bind to the gene but it has superior resolution than the current methods. Our method not only can find stress-specific TFs but also can predict their regulatory strengths and interactivities. Moreover, TFs can be ranked, so that we can identify the major TFs to a stress. Similarly, it can rank the interactions between TFs and identify the major cooperative TF pairs. In addition, the cross-talks and interactivities among different stress-induced pathways are specified by the proposed scheme to gain much insight into protective mechanisms of yeast under different environmental stresses. Conclusion In this study, we find significant stress-specific and cell cycle-controlled TFs via constructing a transcriptional dynamic model to regulate the expression profiles of genes under different environmental conditions through microarray data. We have applied this TF activity and interactivity detection method to many stress conditions, including hyper- and hypo- osmotic shock, heat shock, hydrogen peroxide and cell cycle, because the available expression time profiles for these conditions are long enough. Especially, we find significant TFs and cooperative TFs responding to environmental changes. Our method may also be applicable to other stresses if the gene expression profiles have been examined for a sufficiently long time.</p

Whole pelvic helical tomotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer: technical implementation of IMRT with helical tomothearapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To review the experience and to evaluate the treatment plan of using helical tomotherapy (HT) for the treatment of cervical cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between November 1st, 2006 and May 31, 2009, 10 cervical cancer patients histologically confirmed were enrolled. All of the patients received definitive concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) with whole pelvic HT (WPHT) followed by brachytherapy. During WPHT, all patients were treated with cisplatin, 40 mg/m²intravenously weekly. Toxicity of treatment was scored according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0 (CTCAE v3.0).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean survival was 25 months (range, 3 to 27 months). The actuarial overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional control and distant metastasis-free rates at 2 years were 67%, 77%, 90% and 88%, respectively. The average of uniformity index and conformal index was 1.06 and 1.19, respectively. One grade 3 of acute toxicity for diarrhea, thrombocytopenia and three grade 3 leucopenia were noted during CCRT. Only one grade 3 of subacute toxicity for thrombocytopenia was noted. There were no grade 3 or 4 subacute toxicities of anemia, leucopenia, genitourinary or gastrointestinal effects. Compared with conventional whole pelvic radiation therapy (WPRT), WPHT decreases the mean dose to rectum, bladder and intestines successfully.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HT provides feasible clinical outcomes in locally advanced cervical cancer patients. Long-term follow-up and enroll more locally advanced cervical carcinoma patients by limiting bone marrow radiation dose with WPHT technique is warranted.</p

Intensity modulated radiotherapy for elderly bladder cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To review our experience and evaluate treatment planning using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and helical tomotherapy (HT) for the treatment of elderly patients with bladder cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From November 2006 through November 2009, we enrolled 19 elderly patients with histologically confirmed bladder cancer, 9 in the IMRT and 10 in the HT group. The patients received 64.8 Gy to the bladder with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Conventional 4-field "box" pelvic radiation therapy (2DRT) plans were generated for comparison.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median patient age was 80 years old (range, 65-90 years old). The median survival was 21 months (5 to 26 months). The actuarial 2-year overall survival (OS) for the IMRT vs. the HT group was 26.3% <it>vs </it>.37.5%, respectively; the corresponding values for disease-free survival were 58.3% <it>vs</it>. 83.3%, respectively; for locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), the values were 87.5% <it>vs</it>. 83.3%, respectively; and for metastases-free survival, the values were 66.7% <it>vs</it>. 60.0%, respectively. The 2-year OS rates for T1, 2 <it>vs</it>. T3, 4 were 66.7% <it>vs</it>. 35.4%, respectively (<it>p </it>= 0.046). The 2-year OS rate was poor for those whose RT completion time greater than 8 weeks when compared with the RT completed within 8 wks (37.9% vs. 0%, <it>p </it>= 0.004).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IMRT and HT provide good LRPFS with tolerable toxicity for elderly patients with invasive bladder cancer. IMRT and HT dosimetry and organ sparing capability were superior to that of 2DRT, and HT provides better sparing ability than IMRT. The T category and the RT completion time influence OS rate.</p

Comparison and Identification of Estrogen-Receptor Related Gene Expression Profiles in Breast Cancer of Different Ethnic Origins

The interactions between genetic variants in estrogen receptor (ER) have been identified to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Available evidence indicates that genetic variance within a population plays a crucial role in the occurrence of breast cancer. Thus, the comparison and identification of ER-related gene expression profiles in breast cancer of different ethnic origins could be useful for the development of genetic variant cancer therapy. In this study, we performed microarray experiment to measure the gene expression profiles of 59 Taiwanese breast cancer patients; and through comparative bioinformatics analysis against published U.K. datasets, we revealed estrogen-receptor (ER) related gene expression between Taiwanese and British patients. In addition, SNP databases and statistical analysis were used to elucidate the SNPs associated with ER status. Our microarray results indicate that the expression pattern of the 65 genes in ER+ patients was dissimilar from that of the ER- patients. Seventeen mutually exclusive genes in ER-related breast cancer of the two populations with more than one statistically significant SNP in genotype and allele frequency were identified. These 17 genes and their related SNPs may be important in population-specific ER regulation of breast cancer. This study provides a global and feasible approach to study population-unique SNPs in breast cancer of different ethnic origins

Fine intervals are required when using point intercept transects to assess coral reef status

The Point Intercept Transect (PIT) method has commonly been used in recent decades for estimating the status of coral reef benthic communities. It is a simple method that is efficiently performed underwater, as benthic components are recorded only as presence or absence at specific interval points along transects. Therefore, PIT is also popular in citizen science activities such as Reef Check programs. Longer intervals are commonly associated with longer transects, yet sampling interval length can significantly influence benthic coverage calculations. Despite this, the relative accuracy of longer or shorter intervals related to transect length has not been tested for PIT. In this study, we tested the optimum intervals of PIT for several commonly used transect lengths using the bootstrap method on empirical data collected on tropical coral reefs and non-reefal coral communities. Our results recommend fine intervals of 10 cm or shorter, depending on the length of the transect, to increase the accuracy of estimating benthic community status on coral reefs. Permanent transects should also be considered in long-term monitoring programs to improve data quality

Arecoline induces HA22T/VGH hepatoma cells to undergo anoikis - involvement of STAT3 and RhoA activation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our previous study showed that, in basal cell carcinoma cells, arecoline reduces levels of the tumor cell survival factor interleukin-6 (IL-6), increases levels of tumor suppressor factor p53, and elicits cell cycle arrest, followed by apoptosis. In preliminarily studies, we observed that arecoline induces detachment of the human-derived hepatoma cell line HA22T/VGH from the extracellular matrix. In the present study, we explored the fate of the detached HA22T/VGH cells and investigated the underlying mechanism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>HA22T/VGH cells or primary cultured rat hepatocytes were treated with arecoline, then changes in morphology, viability, apoptosis, and the expression of surface β1-integrin, apoptosis-related proteins, and IL-6 were examined. Furthermore, activation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway and the RhoA/Rock signaling pathway, including p190RhoGAP and Src homology-2 domain-containing phosphatase SHP2, was examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A low concentration of arecoline (≤ 100 μg/ml) caused cytoskeletal changes in HA22T/VGH cells, but not hepatocytes, and this was accompanied by decreased β1-integrin expression and followed by apoptosis, indicating that HA22T/VGH cells undergo anoikis after arecoline treatment. IL-6 expression and phosphorylation of STAT3, which provides protection against anoikis, were inhibited and levels of downstream signaling proteins, including Bcl-X_Land Bcl-2, were decreased, while Bax expression, mitochondrial cytochrome c release, and caspase-3 activity were increased. In addition, phosphorylation/activation of p190RhoGAP, a RhoA inhibitor, and of its upstream regulator, SHP2, was inhibited by arecoline treatment, while Rho/Rock activation was increased. Addition of the RhoA inhibitor attenuated the effects of arecoline.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrated that arecoline induces anoikis of HA22T/VGH cells involving inhibition of STAT3 and increased RhoA/Rock activation and that the STAT3 and RhoA/Rock signaling pathways are connected.</p

First- and Second-trimester Down Syndrome Screening: Current Strategies and Clinical Guidelines

SummaryDown syndrome (DS) is the most common human disease caused by a structural chromosome defect. The original screening test for DS was maternal age or a history of a previously affected infant. Maternal serum screening has been incorporated into routine prenatal checkup in Taiwan since 1994. We used free β-human chorionic gonadotropin and α-fetoprotein (double test) as the serum markers, and this was carried out between the 15 to 20th week of gestation. The overall detection rate was 56% and was compatible with studies of Caucasian populations. The impact of double tests in Taiwan has shown itself by a dramatic lowering of the rate of DS live birth from 0.63 before screening to 0.16 per 1,000 live births at present. However, because of its relatively low detection rate and poor cost-effectiveness, the double test is not justified as a routine screening tool currently. First-trimester combined test is now becoming more widely available and provides increased sensitivity when detecting DS; it has a detection rate of approximately 85% with a false-positive rate of 5%. Nuchal translucency measurement requires ongoing quality control and sufficient certificated obstetricians; therefore, first-trimester ultrasound is limited only in designated centers. The quadruple test, having comparable detection rate, should be considered for incorporation into second-trimester screening in Taiwan in the near future. Other screening approaches and combinations have also been utilized in the Western countries. In this review, we outline the various options with respect to DS screening and hope that this will provide practical information for physicians offering such screenings. [Taiwan J Obstet Cynecol 2008;47(2):157-1 62