Memory.zip

I want to turn the unintentional “digital traces” we leave on the Internet into a tangible format so that we can be more aware of the traces we are making. To do this, I have created a series of physical objects that capture those digital traces. My hope is that this series will eventually reflect our relationship with these traces and how we feel connected to the people we care for today

Can the Exploitation of Information Technology Enable Service Orientation in the Organization?

Service orientation has been related to several types of organizational development, such as customer orientation and market orientation. In addition to customer focus and cross-functional integration, the service orientation focuses more on operational excellence and innovation. Studies have shown that information technology (IT) plays an important role in the development of a service orientation. On the one hand, IT can enable a service orientation in an organization through operational innovation and close relationships with customers. On the other hand, empirical studies have revealed that organizations with low use of IT can also demonstrate high service orientation with a supportive organizational infrastructure. There are many factors affecting the effectiveness of the exploitation of IT. It is important to build a deep understanding of what a service orientation is at both the strategic and operational levels and to know how IT is applied in supporting these organizational focuses. This study attempts to build insights about how organizations engage in the use of IT for building service orientation. Useful analysis of the characteristics of service orientation and IT exploitation is proposed for building deep understanding of patterns of IT exploitation in facing challenges in the service economy

Theoretical System Dynamics Modeling for Taiwan Pediatric Workforce in an Era of National Health Insurance and Low Birth Rates

BackgroundIn an era of declining birth rates and a single-payer health care system, the pediatric workforce might overreact to its demands. System dynamics (SD) were therefore applied to establish models to predict the future need and demand for the pediatric workforce.Materials and methodsData of population and workforce were extracted from national databases and models developed using Vensim software.ResultsIn the past decade, the child-to-pediatrician ratio correlated with infant mortality in Taiwan (p < 0.001, r2 = 0.88, child-to-pediatrician ratio = 146 + 354 × infant mortality/1000 live births). Currently, the child-to-pediatrician ratio is 1742:1. Using the Millennium Development Goals (2.437/1000 live births) for infant mortality, the child-to-pediatrician ratio was estimated as 1009:1. The pediatric population model incorporated the birth and mortality rates in each age category, accurately predicted population changes between 1974 and 2010, and projected a decreasing trend until 2017. The pediatric workforce model, which considered rates of enrollment, completion, certification, and retention, predicted a decrease in the supply of pediatricians in the mid-2010s that could be delayed by policy incentives. When targeting the base scenario, the model indicated that discrepancies between demands and supply of pediatricians would occur in the late 2010s toward 2020. When targeting the Millennium Development Goals scenario, however, the discrepancies would be consistent.ConclusionEffective SD models were developed for the population and health care workforce. The strengths of the SD models are derived from simulation, which is subject to influence from new policies. Policies can, therefore, be examined and intervened in a timely manner

Insight into aspheric misfit with hard tools: mapping the island of low mid-spatial frequencies

This paper addresses computer numerical control (CNC) polishing of aspheric or freeform optics. Prior CNC grinding of the asphere tends to produce mid-spatial frequencies (MSFs) at some level. Precessions polishing can rectify these, but the very ability of the bonnet tooling to adapt to the local asphere enables it to do so, at least in part, to similar spatial frequencies in the MSFs. To accelerate smoothing, hard tools can, in principle, be used, but aspheric misfit is often assumed to preclude this. In this paper, we explore new insight into the role of abrasive particle size in accommodating misfit. First, we report on a glass-bending rig to produce a continuous range of complex surfaces, while withstanding process forces. Then, we describe how this was used to evaluate the triangle of misfit, abrasive size, and MSFs produced for hard rotating tools. This has revealed a regime in which such tools can be used without introducing significant new MSFs, as evidenced by manufacture of prototype off-axis aspheric segments for the European Extremely Large Telescope project

Ischemic conditioning by short periods of reperfusion attenuates renal ischemia/reperfusion induced apoptosis and autophagy in the rat

Prolonged ischemia amplified iscehemia/reperfusion (IR) induced renal apoptosis and autophagy. We hypothesize that ischemic conditioning (IC) by a briefly intermittent reperfusion during a prolonged ischemic phase may ameliorate IR induced renal dysfunction. We evaluated the antioxidant/oxidant mechanism, autophagy and apoptosis in the uninephrectomized Wistar rats subjected to sham control, 4 stages of 15-min IC (I15 × 4), 2 stages of 30-min IC (I30 × 2), and total 60-min ischema (I60) in the kidney followed by 4 or 24 hours of reperfusion. By use of ATP assay, monitoring O2-. amounts, autophagy and apoptosis analysis of rat kidneys, I60 followed by 4 hours of reperfusion decreased renal ATP and enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and proapoptotic and autophagic mechanisms, including enhanced Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, cytochrome C release, active caspase 3, poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP) degradation fragments, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin-1 expression and subsequently tubular apoptosis and autophagy associated with elevated blood urea nitrogen and creatinine level. I30 × 2, not I15 × 4 decreased ROS production and cytochrome C release, increased Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), Copper-Zn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and catalase expression and provided a more efficient protection than I60 against IR induced tubular apoptosis and autophagy and blood urea nitrogen and creatinine level. We conclude that 60-min renal ischemia enhanced renal tubular oxidative stress, proapoptosis and autophagy in the rat kidneys. Two stages of 30-min ischemia with 3-min reperfusion significantly preserved renal ATP content, increased antioxidant defense mechanisms and decreased ischemia/reperfusion enhanced renal tubular oxidative stress, cytosolic cytochrome C release, proapoptosis and autophagy in rat kidneys

Mutations in the PKM2 exon-10 region are associated with reduced allostery and increased nuclear translocation.

PKM2 is a key metabolic enzyme central to glucose metabolism and energy expenditure. Multiple stimuli regulate PKM2's activity through allosteric modulation and post-translational modifications. Furthermore, PKM2 can partner with KDM8, an oncogenic demethylase and enter the nucleus to serve as a HIF1α co-activator. Yet, the mechanistic basis of the exon-10 region in allosteric regulation and nuclear translocation remains unclear. Here, we determined the crystal structures and kinetic coupling constants of exon-10 tumor-related mutants (H391Y and R399E), showing altered structural plasticity and reduced allostery. Immunoprecipitation analysis revealed increased interaction with KDM8 for H391Y, R399E, and G415R. We also found a higher degree of HIF1α-mediated transactivation activity, particularly in the presence of KDM8. Furthermore, overexpression of PKM2 mutants significantly elevated cell growth and migration. Together, PKM2 exon-10 mutations lead to structure-allostery alterations and increased nuclear functions mediated by KDM8 in breast cancer cells. Targeting the PKM2-KDM8 complex may provide a potential therapeutic intervention