What drives stock prices? The Present Value Model revisited in a comparison of developed and emerging markets

Using a dynamic version of the present value model and a range of developed and Asian emerging markets, this paper considers what stock market prices ‘should have been’, given expectations on index cash dividends and on, more broadly defined, index earnings, and compares these fundamental prices with actual prices. Revealed deviations from fundamental value are investigated by considering types of investor behaviour which might drive such departures and whether they are influenced by spillover effects from other markets

A Study of Mazuism Religious Tourism in Taiwan: an Example of Dajia Jenn Lann Temple

Although the study of Mazuism has been popular among scholars, few have attempted to touch upon its religious tourist behaviour; however, as the purpose of their travel is to worship at the Mazu Temple, it is thus, a tourism destination. Therefore, from the perspective of religious sustainable operation, it is important to understand the tourist behavior patterns of religious tourists visiting Mazu Temple. The purpose of this study is to analyze the interrelationships between destination image, service quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioural intention. This study is conducted with convenience sampling methods for tourists visiting Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia, Taichung, Taiwan, and a total of 408 valid questionnaires are obtained. The valid questionnaires collected in this study are statistically analysed using descriptive statistics and PLS. The results show that destination image, service quality, perceived value, and satisfaction have positive impacts on tourists’ behavioural intention. According to the results of the above analysis, this study constructs a religious tourism behaviour model of Mazu believers and gives management advice to the Mazu Temple

Vertebral osteomyelitis caused by vancomycin-tolerant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: Experience with teicoplanin plus fosfomycin combination therapy

An 85-year-old female presented with fever and consciousness disturbance for 3 days. The patient's blood culture subsequently revealed persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia despite the administration of vancomycin or teicoplanin monotherapy. Gallium inflammation scan and magnetic resonance image of the spine disclosed osteomyelitis and discitis at the level of L4–5. Surgical debridement was not feasible in this debilitated patient. Because of the creeping minimal inhibitory concentration of vancomycin of the causative isolate (1.5 μg/mL) and clinical failure with glycopeptide monotherapy, we changed the antibiotic therapy to a fosfomycin and teicoplanin combination therapy. The patient showed improved clinical response in terms of her enhanced consciousness as well as subsidence of persisted bacteremia. Despite the potential side effects of fosfomycin (such as diarrhea and hypernatremia), it combined with a glycopeptide may be an alternative therapy for invasive refractory MRSA infections

Medical effects of poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) non-woven fabrics treated with bamboo activated charcoal

In this study, bamboo activated charcoal was mixed with acrylic resin in various proportions and deposited on poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) non-woven fabrics. A series of characterizations were carried out to estimate the performances of PET non-woven fabrics such as far infrared ray emission, heat retention, negative ions, deodorization of ammonia gas and tenacity. The results obtained indicate that the temperature difference on the surface of treated non-woven fabrics after exposure to a halogen lamp was between 4.28 to 8.26°C. The test for negative ions demonstrated that the concentration of negative ions released from treated non-woven fabrics was 420 to 630 ions/cm3. The deodorization rate of the treated non-woven fabrics was found to be between 85 to 92% and the rate was the same for 5 and 10 g/L of bamboo activated charcoal addition. An increase in resin concentration increased the abrasion strength and tensile strength; and reduced the tear strength of the treated non-woven fabrics. The bamboo activated charcoal concentration exhibited no effect on the physical properties of the treated non-woven fabrics.Key words: Poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET), non-woven fabrics, bamboo activated charcoal, far infrared ray, negative ions, deodorization

Urolithiasis Is a Risk Factor for Uroseptic Shock and Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Urinary Tract Infection.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common complication in patients with urolithiasis. This study aimed to compare clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes among UTI patients with or without urolithiasis. It also focused on identifying relationships among urolithiasis, uroseptic shock, and acute kidney injury (AKI). This retrospective study enrolled hospitalized UTI patients who underwent imaging in an acute care setting from January 2006 to March 2015. Of 662 participants enrolled, 113 (17.1%) had urolithiasis, 107 (16.2%) developed uroseptic shock, and 184 (27.8%) developed AKI. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in UTI patients, urolithiasis is associated with an increased risk of uroseptic shock (OR 1.80, 95% CI: 1.08-3.02, P = 0.025), AKI (OR 1.95, 95% CI: 1.22-3.12, P = 0.005), and bacteremia (OR 1.68, 95% CI: 1.08-2.64, P = 0.022). Urolithiasis is common in UTI patients and is associated with an increased risk of uroseptic shock and AKI

A Study on the Management Effectiveness and Problems of Tribal Colleges in Taiwan

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the development background and objectives of indigenous tribal colleges, and to understand the effectiveness and problems of its management in Taiwan. After SWOT analysis, the main findings are as follows: 1. Advantages: the unique culture of indigenous people is an opportunity for economic development. In addition, the protection of laws and regulations is the main advantage of tribal college. 2. Weakness: under the current economic system, the indigenous people are limited in land use, inconvenient transportation, inadequate agricultural technology, and unsmooth sales channels, which limit their economic development. 3. Threats: because the population flows to the city, the tribal people do not understand what kind of institution the tribal university is, and some of the funds have to be paid by the learners themselves, resulting in the low participation of the tribal people. Moreover, the units that handle tribal college are almost different every year, which affects the preservation of data. 4. Opportunities: the existence of tribal college also provides an opportunity for the inheritance and reconstruction of indigenous culture. Based on the above analysis, this study puts forward relevant suggestions for the management of tribal colleg

Persistent and multisite homophobic harassment during childhood and adolescence and its association with school difficulties in gay and bisexual men in Taiwan

Background: Homophobic harassment can compromise mental health of sexual minority youths. Objectives: This study examined the rates of persistent and multisite homophobic harassment and their associations with school difficulties during childhood and adolescence among gay and bisexual men in Taiwan. Methods: Participants were recruited through advertisements on the Facebook, Bulletin Board Systems, and the home pages of health promotion and counseling centers for the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community. The experiences of traditional and cyber harassment based on gender role nonconformity and sexual orientation of 500 gay or bisexual men were examined. The associations of multisite and persistent harassment victimization with school difficulties were evaluated. Results: A total of 239 (47.8%) and 131 (26.2%) participants experienced persistent and multisite harassment victimization, respectively. Harassment victimization was significantly associated with low satisfaction with academic performance in any stage of study. Moreover, the participants who were harassed in senior high schools were more likely to miss classes or be truant than those who were not harassed. The victims of multisite harassment at senior high schools were more likely to miss classes or be truant than those of school-only harassment. Discussion: Prevention and intervention programs are warranted to reduce homophobic harassment in sexual minority youths

Analysis of Surface Texturization of Solar Cells by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The purpose of this paper is to develop a simple new model, based on the classic molecular dynamics simulation (MD), alternative to complex electron-photon interactions to analyze the surface texturization of solar cells. This methodology can easily propose the absorptance differences between texturing and nontexturing solar cells. To verify model feasibility, this study simulates square, pyramidal, and semicircular texturization surfaces. Simulations show that surface texturization effectively increases the absorptance of incident light for solar cells, and this paper presents optimal texturization shapes. The MD model can also be potentially used to predict the efficiency promotion in any optical reflection-absorption cases

Effects of Lower Limb Cycling Training on Different Components of Force and Fatigue in Individuals With Parkinson’s Disease

The strength of lower extremity is important for individuals to maintain balance and ambulation functions. The previous studies showed that individuals with Parkinson’s disease suffered from fatigue and strength loss of central origin. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lower extremities’ cycling training on different components of force and fatigue in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Twenty-four individuals (13 males, 11 females, mean age: 60.58 ± 8.21 years) diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease were randomized into training and control groups. The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force, voluntary activation level (VA), and twitch force of knee extensors were measured using a custom-made system with surface electrical stimulation. The general, central, and peripheral fatigue indexes (GFI, CFI, and PFI) were calculated after a fatiguing cycling protocol. Subjects received 8 weeks of low resistance cycling training (training group) or self-stretching (control group) programs. Results showed that MVC, VA, and twitch force improved (p \u3c 0.05) only in the training group. Compared to the baseline, central fatigue significantly improved in the training group, whereas peripheral fatigue showed no significant difference in two groups. The cycling training was beneficial for individuals with Parkinson’s disease not only in muscle strengthening but also in central fatigue alleviation. Further in-depth investigation is required to confirm the effect of training and its mechanism on central fatigue