The diverse magneto-optical selection rules in bilayer black phosphorus

The magneto-optical properties of bilayer phosphorene is investigated by the generalized tight-binding model and the gradient approximation. The vertical inter-Landau-level transitions, being sensitive to the polarization directions, are mainly determined by the spatial symmetries of sub-envelope functions on the distinct sublattices. The anisotropic excitations strongly depend on the electric and magnetic fields. A perpendicular uniform electric field could greatly diversify the selection rule, frequency, intensity, number and form of symmetric absorption peaks. Specifically, the unusual magneto-optical properties appear beyond the critical field as a result of two subgroups of Landau levels with the main and side modes. The rich and unique magneto-absorption spectra arise from the very close relations among the geometric structures, multiple intralayer and interlayer hopping integrals, and composite external fields

A Study on the Satisfaction of Supply Chain Management System from the View of Justice and Value

Due to the common, most enterprises have utilized information technology (IT) to enhance their competition and performance. Meanwhile, governments in Taiwan have encouraged enterprises to adapt e-commerce by putting policies and facilitating technology. Nevertheless, only few literatures discuss or evaluate the satisfaction of E-SCM after establishing information systems by enterprises. This research attempts to integrate three well-founded theories – Information System Success model (ISS), Organization Justice Theory and Consumer Value to develop our model. Using Structural Square Modeling (SEM) analysis performed on results of a questionnaire given to the providers of SCM who have established the E-SCM in their enterprises. The results showed that the distributive justice, procedural justice and interactive justice in the organization justice theory have a significant effect on the performance outcome in the E-SCM. It also showed that the system and service quality in the IS success model and the cost and service value in shopping value have a significant effect on the satisfaction of the E-SCM. The contribution of this study can be further research in academic and practical

An Empirical Study of Civil Servants’ Lifelong E-Learning Continuance Intention

E-learning is an effective way for job-training and continuous education. In recognizing the need for civil servants to embrace the lifelong learning to sustain competitiveness, many countries around the world have created policies to develop e-learning. This study is focus on civil servants’ e-learning continuance intention and through e-learning experience to achieve lifelong learning. Based on Information system (IS) success model proposed by Seddon (1997) and adding organizational factors (Incentive, Supervisor Support, and Technical Support) to survey civil servants’ e-learning behaviour. The sample for the study was taken from the civil servants in Taiwan who have the experience of using the lifelong e-learning websites. The results also support Seddon’s IS success model. Finally, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed

Sex difference in the associations among obesity-related indices with incidence of diabetes mellitus in a large Taiwanese population follow-up study

BackgroundObesity is a major risk factor for diabetes mellitus (DM), which is in turn a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease and stroke. As few studies have investigated sex differences in the association between obesity and incidence of DM, the aim of this longitudinal study was to explore this issue in a large group of Taiwanese participants.MethodsA total of 24,346 participants were enrolled in this study, of whom 8,334 (mean age, 50.6 ± 11.0 years) were male and 16,012 (mean age, 50.5 ± 10.1 years) were female. The following obesity-related indices were studied: body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body roundness index, conicity index (CI), body adiposity index, abdominal volume index, lipid accumulation product (LAP), and visceral adiposity index (VAI).ResultsThe analysis showed significant associations between all of these indices with incidence of DM (all p < 0.001). In the male participants, the strongest predictors for incidence of DM were LAP (AUC = 0.692), WHtR (AUC = 0.684), and WHR (AUC = 0.683). In the female participants, the strongest predictors were LAP (AUC = 0.744), WHtR (AUC = 0.710) and VAI (AUC = 0.710), followed by BRI (AUC = 0.708).ConclusionStrong associations were found between the studied obesity-related indices and incidence of DM, and sex differences were found. Hence, to better control DM, reducing body weight may be beneficial in addition to lifestyle modifications, diet control, and pharmacological interventions

A general model for treatment of protests and no-answer responses in contingent valuation method

This study formulates a general model to account for the protest responses and no-answer replies. The distinct characteristics of this model are general in three ways: simultaneously accounting for protest and no-answer responses, applicable to all kinds of elicitation formats in contingent valuation, and simplicity in estimation. Creation of inverse Mills ratio is the distinctive step in this general model. The inverse Mills ratio is continuously carried in the subsequent estimation for the modification of different types of elicitation formats in this general model. The results generally indicate that these ratios are significantly different from zero. This means that accounting for these Mills ratios does have an important role in such modification when protest responses and/or no-answer responses are both taken into account. The results show that overall total willingness to pay from the general model with inclusion of protest and no-answer responses under different types of elicitation formats are higher than those estimated by traditional treatment. The degree of underestimation of traditional treatment is between 26% and 67%. That is, the general model proposed here for treating protest and/or no-answer responses in contingent valuation method can account for the full information, which might be potentially omitted or inappropriately dealt with in the estimation

Cell-based analysis of Chikungunya virus E1 protein in membrane fusion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chikungunya fever is a pandemic disease caused by the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). E1 glycoprotein mediation of viral membrane fusion during CHIKV infection is a crucial step in the release of viral genome into the host cytoplasm for replication. How the E1 structure determines membrane fusion and whether other CHIKV structural proteins participate in E1 fusion activity remain largely unexplored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A bicistronic baculovirus expression system to produce recombinant baculoviruses for cell-based assay was used. Sf21 insect cells infected by recombinant baculoviruses bearing wild type or single-amino-acid substitution of CHIKV E1 and EGFP (enhanced green fluorescence protein) were employed to investigate the roles of four E1 amino acid residues (G91, V178, A226, and H230) in membrane fusion activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Western blot analysis revealed that the E1 expression level and surface features in wild type and mutant substituted cells were similar. However, cell fusion assay found that those cells infected by CHIKV E1-H230A mutant baculovirus showed little fusion activity, and those bearing CHIKV E1-G91D mutant completely lost the ability to induce cell-cell fusion. Cells infected by recombinant baculoviruses of CHIKV E1-A226V and E1-V178A mutants exhibited the same membrane fusion capability as wild type. Although the E1 expression level of cells bearing monomeric-E1-based constructs (expressing E1 only) was greater than that of cells bearing 26S-based constructs (expressing all structural proteins), the sizes of syncytial cells induced by infection of baculoviruses containing 26S-based constructs were larger than those from infections having monomeric-E1 constructs, suggesting that other viral structure proteins participate or regulate E1 fusion activity. Furthermore, membrane fusion in cells infected by baculovirus bearing the A226V mutation constructs exhibited increased cholesterol-dependences and lower pH thresholds. Cells bearing the V178A mutation exhibited a slight decrease in cholesterol-dependence and a higher-pH threshold for fusion.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cells expressing amino acid substitutions of conserved protein E1 residues of E1-G91 and E1-H230 lost most of the CHIKV E1-mediated membrane fusion activity. Cells expressing mutations of less-conserved amino acids, E1-V178A and E1-A226V, retained membrane fusion activity to levels similar to those expressing wild type E1, but their fusion properties of pH threshold and cholesterol dependence were slightly altered.</p

Ganho de produtividade e complexo de proteína‑polissacarídeos em Agaricus blazei

The objective of this work was to assess the productivity and polysaccharide‑protein complex content of Agaricus blazei on rice straw medium, in comparison to conventional sawdust, using four casing soils. The A. blazei strain used was BCRC36814T, purchased from the Food Industry Research and Development Institute, Hsin‑Chu, Taiwan. The two media were evaluated as to A. blazei productivity, harvesting time, and production costs. The experimental design used was a randomized complete block, with four replicates. Three local casing soils – Typic Paleudult (CCe), Typic Udorthent (Tq) and Oxyaquic Paleudult (TSp) – were compared to imported peat soil (PS, Saprists, Histosols), used as the control. The productivity of A. blazei using Tq and TSp soil was significantly higher. The TSp casing treatment resulted in earlier harvest by at least14 to 27 days, when compared to the other treatments. The polysaccharide content in CCe (13.2%) and Tqsoils (13.2%) did not differ significantly from the PS (13.4%) and TSp (10.6%) treatments. Local casing soilsdecreased the production costs of A. blazei cultivation. Composted rice straw can substitute sawdust as the culture medium for A. blazei production with increased yield.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade e o conteúdo do complexo proteínapolissacarídeosde Agaricus blazei em meio de palha de arroz, em comparação ao de serragem, tendo-se utilizado quatro tipos de solo como camadas de cobertura. Utilizou-se a linhagem BCRC36814T de A. blazei, procedente do Food Industry Research and Development Institute, Hsin‑Chu, Taiwan. Os dois meios foram avaliados quanto à produtividade, ao tempo de colheita e aos custos de produção de A. blazei. Utilizou-se o delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. As camadas de cobertura foram compostas por três solos locais – Argissolo Vermelho‑Amarelo distrófico (CCe), Neossolo Litólico distrófico (Tq) e Oxyaquic Paleudult (TSp) –, comparados a solo turfoso importado (PS, Saprists, Organossolos Háplicos), utilizado como controle. A produtividade de A. blazei com Tq e TSp foi significativamente maior. O tratamento com TSp resultou em colheita antecipada de 14 a 27 dias, em comparação aos outros tratamentos. O conteúdo de polissacarídeos em CCe (13,2%) e Tq (13,2%) não diferiu significativamente do em PS (13,4%) e TSp (10,6%). Os custos de produção foram reduzidos com uso das camadas de cobertura locais. O composto de palha de arroz pode substituir a serragem como meio para o cultivo de A. blazei, com aumento de produtividade

The impact of the synergistic effect of SO2 and PM2.5/PM10 on obstructive lung disease in subtropical Taiwan

BackgroundChronic Obstructive lung diseases (COPD) are complex conditions influenced by various environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors. Ambient air pollution has been identified as a potential risk factor, causing 4.2 million deaths worldwide in 2016, accounting for 25% of all COPD-related deaths and 26% of all respiratory infection-related deaths. This study aims to evaluate the associations among chronic lung diseases, air pollution, and meteorological factors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study obtained data from the Taiwan Biobank and Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Database. We defined obstructive lung disease as patients with FEV1/FVC &lt; 70%. Descriptive analysis between spirometry groups was performed using one-way ANOVA and the chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. A generalized additive model (GAM) was used to evaluate the relationship between SO2 and PM2.5/PM10 through equations and splines fitting.ResultsA total of 2,635 participants were enrolled. Regarding environmental factors, higher temperature, higher relative humidity, and lower rainfall were risk factors for obstructive lung disease. SO2 was positively correlated with PM10 and PM2.5, with correlation coefficients of 0.53 (p &lt; 0.0001) and 0.52 (p &lt; 0.0001), respectively. Additionally, SO2 modified the relative risk of obstructive impairment for both PM10 [β coefficient (β) = 0.01, p = 0.0052] and PM2.5 (β = 0.01, p = 0.0155). Further analysis per standard deviation (per SD) increase revealed that SO2 also modified the relationship for both PM10 (β = 0.11, p = 0.0052) and PM2.5 (β = 0.09, p = 0.0155). Our GAM analysis showed a quadratic pattern for SO2 (per SD) and PM10 (per SD) in model 1, and a quadratic pattern for SO2 (per SD) in model 2. Moreover, our findings confirmed synergistic effects among temperature, SO2 and PM2.5/PM10, as demonstrated by the significant associations of bivariate (SO2 vs. PM10, SO2 vs. PM2.5) thin-plate smoothing splines in models 1 and 2 with obstructive impairment (p &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionOur study showed high temperature, humidity, and low rainfall increased the risk of obstructive lung disease. Synergistic effects were observed among temperature, SO2, and PM2.5/PM10. The impact of air pollutants on obstructive lung disease should consider these interactions

Independent Association of Overhydration with All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Adjusted for Global Left Ventricular Longitudinal Systolic Strain and E/E’ Ratio in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

Background/Aims: Fluid overload is common and associated with morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. The relationship between fluid overload and cardiac function is complex, and whether fluid overload is associated with adverse outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) independently of systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle (LV) remains unclear. Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between overhydration and all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality after adjusting for LV function in 178 maintenance HD patients. The relative hydration status (overhydration/ extracellular water, ∆HS) was measured using a body composition monitor, and then used to assess the fluid status. A ∆HS ≥7% was defined as fluid overload. Global left ventricular longitudinal systolic strain (GLS), and the early filling and early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/E’) ratio were assessed using speckle-tracking and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Results: During a mean follow-up period of 2.7 years, 24 patients died, including 11 CV deaths. An increased ∆HS was significantly associated with all-cause and CV mortality in the univariate analysis. This prognostic significance remains after multivariate adjusting for GLS and E/E’ ratio for all-cause (HR, 1.123; 95% CI, 1.063–1.186; p-value &#x3c; 0.001) and CV (HR, 1.088; 95% CI, 1.005–1.178; p-value =0.037) mortality. Moreover, ∆HS significantly improved the prognostic value beyond conventional clinical and echocardiographic parameters. Conclusion: A higher ∆HS was independently associated with increased all-cause and CV mortality after adjusting for systolic and diastolic function of the LV. This suggests that ∆HS may be a relevant target for improving outcomes in maintenance HD patients

Nuclear Export and Import of Human Hepatitis B Virus Capsid Protein and Particles

It remains unclear what determines the subcellular localization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein (HBc) and particles. To address this fundamental issue, we have identified four distinct HBc localization signals in the arginine rich domain (ARD) of HBc, using immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and fractionation/Western blot analysis. ARD consists of four tight clustering arginine-rich subdomains. ARD-I and ARD-III are associated with two co-dependent nuclear localization signals (NLS), while ARD-II and ARD-IV behave like two independent nuclear export signals (NES). This conclusion is based on five independent lines of experimental evidence: i) Using an HBV replication system in hepatoma cells, we demonstrated in a double-blind manner that only the HBc of mutant ARD-II+IV, among a total of 15 ARD mutants, can predominantly localize to the nucleus. ii) These results were confirmed using a chimera reporter system by placing mutant or wild type HBc trafficking signals in the heterologous context of SV40 large T antigen (LT). iii) By a heterokaryon or homokaryon analysis, the fusion protein of SV40 LT-HBc ARD appeared to transport from nuclei of transfected donor cells to nuclei of recipient cells, suggesting the existence of an NES in HBc ARD. This putative NES is leptomycin B resistant. iv) We demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation that HBc ARD can physically interact with a cellular factor TAP/NXF1 (Tip-associated protein/nuclear export factor-1), which is known to be important for nuclear export of mRNA and proteins. Treatment with a TAP-specific siRNA strikingly shifted cytoplasmic HBc to nucleus, and led to a near 7-fold reduction of viral replication, and a near 10-fold reduction in HBsAg secretion. v) HBc of mutant ARD-II+IV was accumulated predominantly in the nucleus in a mouse model by hydrodynamic delivery. In addition to the revised map of NLS, our results suggest that HBc could shuttle rapidly between nucleus and cytoplasm via a novel TAP-dependent NES