An Investigation of Working Holiday Experiences: A Means-End Analysis Approach

Once a marginal activity undertaken by backpackers, working holiday tourism has now gradually become accepted by young people. This study extends the means-end approach to examine the factors associated with the tourists’ experiences. The main purpose is to learn more about the role and meaning of the benefits from this type of travelling. By using the “laddering” technique, a total of 60 subjects participated in one-on-one in-depth personal interviews and the interviewing data were then analyzed. These outcomes generally referred to positive consequences or benefits. Of these benefits, those involving being independent in personal finances, escapism, experiencing a different culture, developing a range of skills, and making relationships have received the most prior research attention. The subjects provided information regarding the higher-level meanings related to these intermediated-level benefits, such as self-change and being open-minded. The results also highlighted several key personal values (in particular, accomplishment, self-confidence, unforgettable memories and satisfying one’s curiosity) that appeared to serve as the higher level “ends” of the experiences. The study’s findings have important implications for researchers and practitioners interested in the study of working holiday tourism

Inhibition of Serine Protease Activity Protects Against High Fat Diet-Induced Inflammation and Insulin Resistance.

Recent evidence suggests that enhanced protease-mediated inflammation may promote insulin resistance and result in diabetes. This study tested the hypothesis that serine protease plays a pivotal role in type 2 diabetes, and inhibition of serine protease activity prevents hyperglycemia in diabetic animals by modulating insulin signaling pathway. We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study with 30 healthy controls and 57 patients with type 2 diabetes to compare plasma protease activities and inflammation marker between groups. Correlations of plasma total and serine protease activities with variables were calculated. In an in-vivo study, LDLR-/- mice were divided into normal chow diet, high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD with selective serine protease inhibition groups to examine the differences of obesity, blood glucose level, insulin resistance and serine protease activity among groups. Compared with controls, diabetic patients had significantly increased plasma total protease, serine protease activities, and also elevated inflammatory cytokines. Plasma serine protease activity was positively correlated with body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), tumor necrosis factor-α, and negatively with adiponectin concentration. In the animal study, administration of HFD progressively increased body weight, fasting glucose level, HOMA-IR, and upregulated serine protease activity. Furthermore, in-vivo serine protease inhibition significantly suppressed systemic inflammation, reduced fasting glucose level, and improved insulin resistance, and these effects probably mediated by modulating insulin receptor and cytokine expression in visceral adipose tissue. Our findings support the serine protease may play an important role in type 2 diabetes and suggest a rationale for a therapeutic strategy targeting serine protease for clinical prevention of type 2 diabetes

A New Photocatalytic System Using Steel Mesh and Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light for the Decolorization of Azo Dye Orange G

High color and organic composition, the effluents from the textile dyeing and finishing industry, can be treated by photocatalytic oxidation with UV/TiO2. The objective of this study was to prepare a new photocatalytic system by coating nanosized TiO2 particles on steel mesh support and using cold cathode fluorescent light (CCFL) irradiation at 365 nm in a closed reactor for the oxidation of azo dye C.I. Orange G (OG). Various factors such as reaction time, coating temperature, TiO2 dosage, pH, initial dye concentration, and service duration were studied. Results showed efficient color removal of the OG azo dye by the photocatalytic system with TiO2-coated temperature at 150°C. The optimal TiO2 dosage for color removal was 60 g m−2. An acidic pH of 2.0 was sufficient for photocatalytic oxidation whereas basic condition was not. The rate of color removal decreased with increase in the initial dye concentration. The TiO2-coated steel mesh can be used repeatedly over 10 times without losing the photocatalytic efficiency. Results of FTIR and IC indicated the breakage of N=N bonds, with sulfate as the major and nitrite and nitrate as the minor products, which implied degradation of dye molecules

Relationship between maximal incremental and high-intensity interval exercise performance in elite athletes

This descriptive study aimed to explore the physiological factors that determine tolerance to exertion during high-intensity interval effort. Forty-seven young women (15–28 years old) were enrolled: 23 athletes from Taiwan national or national reserve teams and 24 moderately active females. Each participant underwent a maximal incremental INC (modified Bruce protocol) cardiopulmonary exercise test on the first day and high-intensity interval testing (HIIT) on the second day, both performed on a treadmill. The HIIT protocol involved alternation between 1-min effort at 120% of the maximal speed, at the same slope reached at the end of the INC, and 1-min rest until volitional exhaustion. Gas exchange, heart rate (HR), and muscle oxygenation at the right vastus lateralis, measured by near-infrared spectroscopy, were continuously recorded. The number of repetitions completed (Rlim) by each participant was considered the HIIT tolerance index. The results showed a large difference in the Rlim (range, 2.6–12.0 repetitions) among the participants. Stepwise linear regression revealed that the variance in the Rlim within the cohort was related to the recovery rates of oxygen consumption (), HR at the second minute after INC, and muscle tissue saturation index at exhaustion (R = 0.644). In addition, age was linearly correlated with Rlim (adjusted R = −0.518, p \u3c 0.0001). In conclusion, the recovery rates for and HR after the incremental test, and muscle saturation index at exhaustion, were the major physiological factors related to HIIT performance. These findings provide insights into the role of the recovery phase after maximal INC exercise testing. Future research investigating a combination of INC and HIIT testing to determine training-induced performance improvement is warranted

High serum levels of procalcitonin and soluble TREM-1 correlated with poor prognosis in pulmonary tuberculosis

SummaryObjectivesComparisons of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) would expand our knowledge of which biomarker is the best predictor for outcomes of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 243 PTB patients, in whom PCT, CRP, and sTREM-1 measurement were performed to evaluate their prognostic value for 6-month mortality.ResultsSerum PCT, CRP, and sTREM-1 levels on diagnosis of PTB were significantly higher in nonsurvivors (2.22 ± 6.22 vs. 0.13 ± 0.31 ng/mL, P = 0.043; 42.1 ± 59.4 vs. 12.5 ± 29.1 mg/L, P = 0.004; 332 ± 362 vs. 128 ± 98 pg/mL, P = 0.001, respectively) as compared with 6-month survivors. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, PCT ≧0.5 ng/mL (hazard ratio 4.13, 95% CI, 1.99–8.58) and sTREM-1 ≧129 pg/mL (hazard ratio 3.39, 95% CI, 1.52–7.58) remained independent mortality predictors. Serum PCT and sTREM-1 levels above the cutoffs were also associated with the presence of disseminated tuberculosis.ConclusionsAmong PTB patients, higher PCT, CRP, and sTREM-1 levels are observed in nonsurvivors than in 6-month survivors. Serum levels of PCT and sTREM-1 over the cutoffs are independently associated with a poor outcome. In addition, higher PCT and sTREM-1 levels would raise the clinical suspicion of disseminated tuberculosis

Postchemoradiotherapy Pathologic Stage Classified by the American Joint Committee on the Cancer Staging System Predicts Prognosis of Patients with Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

IntroductionTo determine whether the postchemoradiotherapy (post-CRT) pathologic stage predicts the outcomes of patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) undergoing preoperative CRT followed by surgery.MethodsFrom three phase II trials of preoperative CRT for locally advanced ESCC, 140 patients were included. Preoperative CRT comprised twice weekly paclitaxel and cisplatin-based regimens and 40-Gy radiotherapy in 20 fractions. The post-CRT pathologic stage was classified according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer, 7th edition staging system. The prognostic effects of clinicopathologic factors were analyzed using Cox regression.ResultsWith a median follow-up of 61.9 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort were 24.5 and 30.9 months, respectively. The post-CRT pathologic stage was 0 in 34.5%, I in 12.9%, II in 29.3%, III in 13.6%, and ypT0N1-2 in 6.4% of the patients. The median PFS was 47.2, 25.9, 16.0, 9.4, and 15.1 months, and the median OS was 57.4, 34.1, 26.2, 14.1, and 17.6 months for patients with post-CRT pathologic stage 0, I, II, III, and ypT0N1-2, respectively. In multivariate analysis, performance status (p < 0.001), tumor location (p = 0.016), and extranodal extension (p = 0.024) were independent prognostic factors for PFS, whereas performance status (p < 0.001) and post-CRT pathologic stage (p = 0.027) were independent prognostic factors for OS.ConclusionsThe post-CRT pathologic stage classified by American Joint Committee on Cancer, 7th edition staging system predicted the survival of locally advanced ESCC patients who underwent preoperative paclitaxel and cisplatin-based CRT followed by esophagectomy