Motivating and Sustaining Women\u27s Digital Literacy through ICT Learning

Digital literacy is one of the most important issues that women confront today. Lacking of digital literacy excludes women from lifelong learning and development. Our two-phase, multi-method study attempted to examine how ICT literacy affects women and identifies the key factors that motivate adult females to acquire ICT skills. The first phase identified important theoretical constructs that affect and sustain ICT learning and usage among women, using a qualitative approach based on Social Cognitive and Social Capital Theories. In the second phase, a quantitative study was conducted to validate the research model. Our findings suggest that social capital and learning satisfaction contribute significantly to ICT usage, and that this in turn has a positive impact on the level of well-being

The effects of postintubation hypertension in severe traumatic brain injury

Introduction. The effect of post-intubation hypertension in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients remains uncertain. We aimed to determine the relationship between post-intubation hypertension (mean arterial pressure (MAP) > 110mmHg) and outcomes in severe TBI. Methods. In this retrospective cohort study, adults who presented with isolated TBI and a MAP 70mmHg were assessed. Data were retrieved from our institutional trauma registry and the admission list of our neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU). Results. We enrolled 126 patients, 81 of whom had a MAP 110 mmHg after intubation and were assigned to group 1; 45 patients who had a MAP > 110 mmHg were assigned to group 2. Only age (P = 0.008), heart rate (HR; P = 0.036), and MAP before intubation (P 110 mmHg, P < 0.034, OR 3.119, 95% CI 1.087–8.953). Conclusion. Post-intubation hypertension was associated with longer ventilator-dependent and ICU stays in patients with severe TBI

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TIBIA ANGLES TO LOADING OF KNEE DURING SPLIT SQUAT

The aim of this study was to investigate the difference of knee joint force and moment during split squats of different front tibia angles. Twelve healthy male college students performed six repetitions of four different split squat types with a standard additional load of 25% BW added using a barbell. Using 10 camera 3D motion capture system and a force plate to collect data. The peak force and moment of knee flexion (sagittal plane) were calculated by using self-designed MATLAB programs. One-way ANOVA test was undertaken using SPSS 20.0 statistical software. The analysis results of the study indicated that all kinetic parameters of the four types split squats were achieved high significant differences (p less than .000). A better understanding of different loading in specific joints and correct exercise execution during training will help protecting practitioners from sport injury

Nonhomogeneous seawater Sr isotopic composition in the coastal oceans : a novel tool for tracing water masses and submarine groundwater discharge

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 12 (2011): Q05002, doi:10.1029/2010GC003372.Here we present high-precision (2σ = ±3 ppm) 87Sr/86Sr measurements in coastal waters, together with salinity, to evaluate water mass mixing and the influence of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in coastal waters and marginal seas. Nonhomogeneous Sr isotopic variations in water columns were documented in the Southern Okinawa Trough (SOT), South China Sea, and Kao-ping Canyon (KPC), where seawater 87Sr/86Sr varied up to 70 ppm. Seawater Sr isotopic composition changes only slightly in the upper 200 m of the SOT but was detectable and highly correlated with salinity, indicating a mixing between radiogenic North Pacific Tropical Water (high 87Sr/86Sr and high salinity) at 100–150 m and a less radiogenic component with low 87Sr/86Sr and low salinity at ∼200 m. Vertical profiles of seawater 87Sr/86Sr along the KPC show significant variations, suggesting dynamic mixing affected by continental inputs (i.e., river runoff and SGD) in this region. These results highlight the potential use of seawater Sr isotopes as a powerful tracer for determining mixing ratios and the dynamic mixing of oceanic water masses, especially in coastal and marginal seas.This research was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from Top University (NCKU), Taiwan, to K.‐F. Huang and funds from NSC and MOE, Taiwan, to C.‐F. You

KINETIC AND KINEMATIC DIFFERENCES OF TWO VOLLEYBALL-SPIKING JUMPS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the net muscle moments and work on the lower limbs in two different volleyball-spiking jumps by inverse dynamics. A Kistler force platform (600 Hz) was synchronized with a Peak high speed camera (120Hz) to collect the volleyball jumping action. Sixteen volleyball players (8 males and 8 females) were the subjects of the study. The results revealed that the work done in knee joints during eccentric contraction were greater than ankle and hip joints in both two volleyball jumps. In addition, the hip has a greater work contribution on both hop and step-close jump

Successful treatment of an early invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma with topical 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy

Our previous studies showed successful treatment of a series of 36 oral verrucous hyperplasia lesions and of an extensive oral verrucous carcinoma with a topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated photodynamic therapy (topical ALA-PDT) protocol (with a fluence rate of 100 mW/cm2 and a light exposure dose of 100 J/cm2) using a 635-nm light-emitting diode (LED) light source. In this case report, we tested whether an enhanced topical ALA-PDT protocol (with a fluence rate of 200 mW/cm2 and a light exposure dose of 200 J/cm2) could be used to treat an early invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with a verrucous appearance of the left lower posterior edentulous alveolar mucosa of a 67-year-old male former areca-quid chewer and ex-smoker. The main verrucous lesion showed complete regression after eight treatments with PDT. However, 10 extra treatments were needed to eradicate the multiple residual leukoplakia lesions on the edentulous alveolar mucosa. Moderate to severe post-PDT pain was noted during the initial eight treatments, and the patient needed analgesics (codeine phosphate, 30 mg three times daily) to control the pain. No recurrence of the OSCC lesion was found after a follow-up period of 4 years. We suggest that our enhanced topical ALA-PDT protocol may have good potential to be used as a treatment of choice for a superficially invasive OSCC without regional or distant metastasis before the commencement of other effective therapies