A Highly Sensitive Underwater Video System For Use in Turbid Aquaculture Ponds

The turbid, low-light waters characteristic of aquaculture ponds have made it difficult or impossible for previous video cameras to provide clear imagery of the ponds\u27 benthic habitat. We developed a highly sensitive, underwater video system (UVS) for this particular application and tested it in shrimp ponds having turbidities typical of those in southern Taiwan. The system\u27s high-quality video stream and images, together with its camera capacity (up to nine cameras), permit in situ observations of shrimp feeding behavior, shrimp size and internal anatomy, and organic matter residues on pond sediments. The UVS can operate continuously and be focused remotely, a convenience to shrimp farmers. The observations possible with the UVS provide aquaculturists with information critical to provision of feed with minimal waste; determining whether the accumulation of organic-matter residues dictates exchange of pond water; and management decisions concerning shrimp health

Earthquake Doublet Sequences: Evidence of Static Triggering in the Strong Convergent Zones of Taiwan

Three earthquake sequences, each with two main earthquakes of almost the same magnitudes (ML from 5.9 to 7.0 with differences less than 0.1), have recently been observed in Taiwan. The two largest earthquakes in each sequence occurred with a short delay time between them, were strikingly similar in terms of magnitude, location and/or focal mechanism and are referred to as doublets. They were markedly distinct from typical single mainshock sequences. Our estimated static stress field generated by the first shock in the doublet shows that the second shock and most of their aftershocks were located within a region where static stress increased substantially. Thus, a possible explanation for earthquake doublet is that seismic energy for each shock had accumulated independently within adjacent crustal volumes, separated by an asperity, and that the second shock is triggered by the increased static stress after the first one. An important implication of doublet sequence is that works by emergency response teams after the first earthquake could be made more hazardous by the second

The Volcanic Earthquake Swarm of October 20, 2009 in the Tatun Area of Northern Taiwan

On October 20, 2009, a series of felt earthquakes with local magnitudes ranging from 2.8 - 3.2 occurred in the Tatun volcanic area off the northern tip of Taiwan. Although there was no damage caused by those earthquakes, many residents in the Taipei metropolitan area, particularly for people who live near the Yangminshan National Park, felt strong ground shaking. In order to know what the possible mechanisms were that generated those earthquakes, we carefully examined seismic data recorded by a dense seismic array in the Tatun volcanic area. During the period between October 18 and 22, 2009 we detected at least 202 micro-earthquakes. Most of the earthquakes were relocated using the double-difference method and were clustered in the shallow crust beneath the Dayoukeng area, which is the strongest fumarole in the Tatun volcanic area. Among these earthquakes, 72 focal mechanisms were determined by polarizing the first P-wave motion. Most earthquakes belonged to normal faulting. An extremely high b-value of 2.17 was obtained from those earthquakes. Based on the seismic variations in both the temporary and spatial distribution as well as an extremely high b-value, we conclude that the earthquake sequence on October 20, 2009 was a typically seismic swarm associated with possible active volcanism in the Tatun volcanic area

A Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, Prevents Dimethylnitrosamine-Induced Hepatic Fibrosis in Rats

Jia-wei-xiao-yao-san (JWXYS) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that is widely used to treat neuropsychological disorders. Only a few of the hepatoprotective effects of JWXYS have been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of JWXYS on dimethylnitrosamine- (DMN-) induced chronic hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis in rats and to clarify the mechanism through which JWXYS exerts these effects. After the rats were treated with DMN for 3 weeks, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) levels were significantly elevated, whereas the albumin level decreased. Although DMN was continually administered, after the 3 doses of JWXYS were orally administered, the SGOT and SGPT levels significantly decreased and the albumin level was significantly elevated. In addition, JWXYS treatment prevented liver fibrosis induced by DMN. JWXYS exhibited superoxide-dismutase-like activity and dose-dependently inhibited DMN-induced lipid peroxidation and xanthine oxidase activity in the liver of rats. Our findings suggest that JWXYS exerts antifibrotic effects against DMN-induced chronic hepatic injury. The possible mechanism is at least partially attributable to the ability of JWXYS to inhibit reactive-oxygen-species-induced membrane lipid peroxidation

A Low Velocity Zone along the Chaochou Fault in Southern Taiwan: Seismic Image Revealed by a Linear Seismic Array

The Chaochou fault is one of the major boundary faults in southern Taiwan where strong convergence has taken place between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. The surface fault trace between the Pingtung plain and the Central Range follows a nearly N-S direction and stretches to 80 km in length. In order to examine the subsurface structures along the Chaochou fault, a linear seismic array with 14 short-period stations was deployed across the fault to record seismic data between August and December 2001. Detailed examination of seismic data generated by 10 local earthquakes and recorded by the linear array has shown that the incidence angles of the first P-waves recorded by several seismic stations at the fault zone were significantly larger than those located farther away from the fault zone. This difference might reflect the lateral variation of velocity structures across the Chaochou fault. Further examination of ray-paths of seismic wave propagation indicates that a low-velocity zone along the Chaochou fault is needed to explain the significant change in incidence angles across the fault zone. Although we do not have adequate information to calculate the exact geometry of the fault zone well, the variation in incidence angles across the fault can be explained by the existence of a low-velocity zone that is about 3 km in width on the surface and extends downward to a depth of 5 km. The low-velocity zone along the Chaochou fault might imply that the fault system consists of several splay faults on the hanging wall in the Central Range

JNK Inactivation Induces Polyploidy and Drug-Resistance in Coronarin D-Treated Osteosarcoma Cells

Inhibition of proliferating cells is a critical strategy for cancer therapy. In this study, we demonstrated that coronarin D, a natural component extracted from the rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium, significantly suppressed the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells. The treatment with coronarin D resulted in the activation of caspase-3 and apoptosis. This treatment induced the accumulation of cyclin B1 and DNA condensation indicating the treated osteosarcoma cells were arrested in mitotic phase. Furthermore, the treatment with coronarin D increased the levels of phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) in human osteosarcoma cells. Pretreatment with JNK inhibitor blocked the accumulation of cyclin B1 and DNA condensation, resulting the accumulation of tetraploid cells in coronarin D-treated osteosarcoma HOS cells, indicating JNK inactivation blocked the mitotic entry and arrested cells in the 4 N state. After adaptation, the arrested tetraploid cells continued to duplicate their DNA resulting in polyploidy. Interestingly, when the arrested mitotic cells induced by coronarin D were treated with JNK inhibitor, the accumulated cyclin B1 and DNA condensation were immediately eliminated. These arrested 4 N cells loss the ability to undergo cytokinesis, and ultimately continued to duplicate DNA upon prolonged arrest resulting in the production of polyploid populations. JNK inactivation, either by the pretreatment with JNK inhibitor or the treatment with JNK inhibitor in coronarin D-induced mitotic cells, both caused resistance to coronarin D-induced cell death. Taken together, our findings indicate that coronarin D induces the apoptosis and mitosis arrest in human osteosarcoma cells. JNK has a crucial role in coronarin D-induced mitosis arrest and apoptosis. We hypothesize that functional evaluation of JNK may produce more specific and effective therapies in coronarin D-related trail for treatment of human osteosarcoma

A Soil-Isolated Streptomyces spororaveus Species Produces a High-Molecular-Weight Antibiotic AF1 against Fungi and Gram-Positive Bacteria

The overuse of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic resistance, not only in bacteria but also in fungi. Streptomyces are known to produce numerous secondary metabolites including clinically useful antibiotics. In this study, we screened for antibiotic-producing actinobacteria from soils in Taipei and discovered a Streptomyces strain SC26 that displayed antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi, but the compounds are heat-labile. Upon UV mutagenesis, a late-sporulation mutant SC263 was isolated with the same antibiotic spectrum but increased in thermostability. The nature of the antibiotic is not clear, but its activity was resistant to proteolytic, nucleolytic and pancreatic digestions, and was retained by the 100 kDa membrane during filtration. To gather more information on SC263, the genome was sequenced, which produced three contigs with a total of 8.2 Mb and was assigned to the species of Streptomyces spororaveus based on the average nucleotide identity to the reference species S. spororaveus NBRC 15456

The Impact of Nationwide Education Program on Clinical Practice in Sepsis Care and Mortality of Severe Sepsis: A Population-Based Study in Taiwan

<div><p>Objectives</p><p>We investigated the effect of a nationwide educational program following surviving sepsis campaign (SSC) guidelines. Physicians’ clinical practice in sepsis care and patient mortality rate for severe sepsis were analyzed using a nationally representative cohort.</p> <p>Methods</p><p>Hospitalizations for severe sepsis with organ failure from 1997 to 2008 were extracted from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), and trends in sepsis incidence and mortality rates were analyzed. A before-and-after study design was used to evaluate changes in the utilization rates of SSC items and changes in severe sepsis mortality rates occurred after a national education program conducted by the Joint Taiwan Critical Care Medicine Committee since 2004. A total of 39,706 hospitalizations were analyzed, which consisted of a pre-intervention cohort of 14,848 individuals (2000-2003) and a post-intervention cohort of 24,858 individuals (2005-2008).</p> <p>Results</p><p>The incidence rate of severe sepsis increased from 1.88 per 1,000 individuals in 1997 to 5.07 per 1,000 individuals in 2008. The cumulative mortality rate decreased slightly from 48.2% for the pre-intervention cohort to 45.9% for the post-intervention cohort. The utilization rates of almost all SSC items changed significantly between the pre-intervention and post-intervention cohorts. These changes of utilization rates were found to be associated with mild reduction in mortality rate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p><p>The nationwide education program through a national professional society has a significant impact on physicians’ clinical practice and resulted in a slight but significant reduction of severe sepsis mortality rate.</p> </div

The Geophysical Database Management System in Taiwan

The Geophysical Database Management System (GDMS) is an integrated and web-based open data service which has been developed by the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), Taiwan, ROC since 2005. This service went online on August 1, 2008. The GDMS provides six types of geophysical data acquired from the Short-period Seismographic System, Broadband Seismographic System, Free-field Strong-motion Station, Strong-motion Building Array, Global Positioning System, and Groundwater Observation System. When utilizing the GDMS website, users can download seismic event data and continuous geophysical data. At present, many researchers have accessed this public platform to obtain geophysical data. Clearly, the establishment of GDMS is a significant improvement in data sorting for interested researchers

Effects of utilization rate changes for items in the SSC guidelines on changes in mortality rates in Taiwan (pre-intervention cohort (2000-2003, before SSC program) vs. post-intervention cohort (2005-2008, after SSC program), n=39,706).

<p>Effects of utilization rate changes for items in the SSC guidelines on changes in mortality rates in Taiwan (pre-intervention cohort (2000-2003, before SSC program) vs. post-intervention cohort (2005-2008, after SSC program), n=39,706).</p