Preparation of ZnO membrane by chemical bath deposition method via regulated acidity

In this study, the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method was used to deposit a ZnO membrane on an indium tin oxide glass substrate. The deposition reaction working temperature was 90°C and the temperature retaining deposition time was 60 min; NH4OH was used to control the pH value in the range 10~11, and after deposition, the specimen was thermally annealed in air. Annealing temperatures in the range of 100~500°C were adopted to investigate the thin-film growth behavior and the effect of processing temperature on the ZnO membrane performance during the annealing process. The process parameters related to the preparation of the ZnO membrane by CBD were the pH value, retaining temperature deposition time, working temperature for the deposition reaction, annealing thermal processing, and so on. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe and analyze the surface morphology and microstructure of the membrane cross section, and UV-Vis spectrometry was used to measure the optical transmission of the ZnO membrane in air at different annealing temperatures. We investigated the effects of different pH values on the growth of the ZnO membrane by CBD. The experimental results show that at a pH of 10.7, we can obtain a transparent and electrically conductive ZnO thin film with a thickness of 240 nm, which has very good optical transmission and high electrical mobility at an annealing temperature of 200°C. Keywords: Chemical bath deposition, ZnO membrane, pH valu

Adoption of mobile applications for identifying tourism destinations by travellers: an integrative approach

The purpose of the study is to provide an assessment of both how consumers adopt mobile tourism apps and how consumers use those apps to orient customer intentions to visit tourism destinations. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is used to explore customer intentions to adopt tourism apps. A survey of 630 tourism respondents found that the e-servicescape environment and e-word-of-mouth communication play major roles in determining intentions to adopt tourism apps and to visit tourism destinations. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness tend to be moderators of the effects of the e-servicescape environment and e-word-of-mouth communication on attitudes towards using apps. The results may be important references to conduct further validations, and critical for marketing managers when designing specific criteria to enhance mobile apps and their adoption. The different managerial implications – including apps to differential marketing tools, improving attitudes towards using tourism apps, and segmenting customers in order to design marketing strategies – are considered

The impact of universal National Health Insurance on population health: the experience of Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Taiwan established a system of universal National Health Insurance (NHI) in March, 1995. Today, the NHI covers more than 98% of Taiwan's population and enrollees enjoy almost free access to healthcare with small co-payment by most clinics and hospitals. Yet while this expansion of coverage will almost inevitably have improved access to health care, however, it cannot be assumed that it will necessarily have improved the health of the population. The aim of this study was to determine whether the introduction of National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan in 1995 was associated with a change in deaths from causes amenable to health care. METHODS: Identification of discontinuities in trends in mortality considered amenable to health care and all other conditions (non-amenable mortality) using joinpoint regression analysis from 1981 to 2005. RESULTS: Deaths from amenable causes declined between 1981 and 1993 but slowed between 1993 and 1996. Once NHI was implemented, the decline accelerated significantly, falling at 5.83% per year between 1996 and 1999. In contrast, there was little change in non-amenable causes (0.64% per year between 1981 and 1999). The effect of NHI was highest among the young and old, and lowest among those of working age, consistent with changes in the pattern of coverage. NHI was associated with substantial reductions in deaths from circulatory disorders and, for men, infections, whilst an earlier upward trend in female cancer deaths was reversed. CONCLUSIONS: NHI was associated in a reduction in deaths considered amenable to health care; particularly among those age groups least likely to have been insured previously

High expression FUT1 and B3GALT5 is an independent predictor of postoperative recurrence and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cancer may arise from dedifferentiation of mature cells or maturation-arrested stem cells. Previously we reported that definitive endoderm from which liver was derived, expressed Globo H, SSEA-3 and SSEA-4. In this study, we examined the expression of their biosynthetic enzymes, FUT1, FUT2, B3GALT5 and ST3GAL2, in 135 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues by qRT-PCR. High expression of either FUT1 or B3GALT5 was significantly associated with advanced stages and poor outcome. Kaplan Meier survival analysis showed significantly shorter relapse-free survival (RFS) for those with high expression of either FUT1 or B3GALT5 (P = 0.024 and 0.001, respectively) and shorter overall survival (OS) for those with high expression of B3GALT5 (P = 0.017). Combination of FUT1 and B3GALT5 revealed that high expression of both genes had poorer RFS and OS than the others (P < 0.001). Moreover, multivariable Cox regression analysis identified the combination of B3GALT5 and FUT1 as an independent predictor for RFS (HR: 2.370, 95% CI: 1.505-3.731, P < 0.001) and OS (HR: 2.153, 95% CI: 1.188-3.902, P = 0.012) in HCC. In addition, the presence of Globo H, SSEA-3 and SSEA-4 in some HCC tissues and their absence in normal liver was established by immunohistochemistry staining and mass spectrometric analysis

Mechanistic Studies on Regioselective Dephosphorylation of Phosphate Prodrugs during a Facile Synthesis of Antitumor Phosphorylated 2-Phenyl-6,7-methylenedioxy-1H-quinolin-4-one

Phosphorylation of 2-(3-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-6,7-methylenedioxy-1 H-quinolin-4-one ( 1) afforded diphosphate 2. We found that, upon treatment with methanol under mild conditions, 2 can undergo facile and highly regioselective dephosphorylation to give the monophosphate 3, with a phosphate group remaining on the phenyl ring. The details of the dephosphorylation process were postulated and then probed by LC-MS and HPLC analyses. Furthermore, as a preliminary study, the water soluble monophosphate prodrug 4 was tested for antitumor activity against a MCF-7 xenograft nude mice model

Effectiveness of mechanical chest compression for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in an emergency department

AbstractBackgroundTo increase the chance of restoring spontaneous circulation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with high-quality chest compressions is needed. We hypothesized that, in a municipal hospital emergency department, the outcome in nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with standard CPR followed by mechanical chest compression (MeCC) was not inferior to that followed by manual chest compression (MaCC). The purposes of the study were to test our hypothesis and investigate whether the use of MeCC decreased human power demands for CPR.MethodsA total of 455 consecutive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients of presumed cardiac etiology were divided into two groups according to the chest compressions they received (MaCC or MeCC) in this retrospective review study. Human power demand for CPR was described according to the Basic Life Support/Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support guidelines and the device handbook. The primary endpoint was recovery of spontaneous circulation during resuscitation, and the secondary endpoints were survival to hospital admission and medical human power demands.ResultsIn this study, recovery of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 33.3% of patients in the MeCC group and in 27.1% in the MaCC group (p = 0.154), and the percentages of patients who survived hospitalization were 22.2% and 17.6%, respectively (p = 0.229). A ratio of 2:4 for the human power demand for CPR between the groups was found. Independent predictors of survival to hospitalization were ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia as initial rhythm and recovery of spontaneous circulation.ConclusionNo difference was found in early survival between standard CPR performed with MeCC and that performed with MaCC. However, the use of the MeCC device appears to promote staff availability without waiving patient care in the human power-demanding emergency departments of Taiwan hospitals

Enhanced Antifungal Bioactivity of Coptis Rhizome Prepared by Ultrafining Technology

The aim of this study was to identify and quantify the bioactive constituents in the methanol extracts of Coptis Rhizome prepared by ultrafining technology. The indicator compound was identified by spectroscopic method and its purity was determined by HPLC. Moreover, the crude extracts and indicator compound were examined for their ability to inhibit the growth of Rhizoctonia solani Kühn AG-4 on potato dextrose agar plates. The indicator compound is a potential candidate as a new plant derived pesticide to control Rhizoctonia damping-off in vegetable seedlings. In addition, the extracts of Coptis Rhizome prepared by ultrafining technology displayed higher contents of indicator compound; they not only improve their bioactivity but also reduce the amount of the pharmaceuticals required and, thereby, decrease the environmental degradation associated with the harvesting of the raw products