Improved aerodynamic optimization for the design of wind turbine blades

A wind turbine rotor converts the kinetic energy of wind to drive a generator which in turn yields electricity. The aerodynamic analysis and the optimization of design parameters for the wind turbine blades are key techniques in the early stage of the development of wind turbine blades. In this study a computational procedure using artificial neural network and numerical optimization techniques was developed for three-dimensional blades design of a wind turbine. The procedure was applied for improving a previously studied wind turbine rotor design. Results showed that the aerodynamic performance of the new blade has remarkable improvement after optimization

Extreme Precipitation Events over East Asia: Evaluating the CMIP5 Model

Extreme hydrological events are a direct threat to society and the environment, and their study within the framework of global climate change remains crucial. However, forecasts present numerous uncertainties

Conflict of Laws on Occupational Accident Death Benefits: Presented with Actual Cases in Taiwan

When a worker dies due to an occupational accident the labor insurance death benefit being applied for by his her survivors subject to more conditions due to the revision of the Act When the survivor does not meet the requirements the labor insurance will not be paid At this time the survivor of the occupational accident worker shall instead turn to the employer for compensation to pay the labor insurance premium as the Bureau of Labor Insurance did not pay The employer had to pay out of its pocket to compensate the survivor for the absurdity of the death compensation by the Labor Standards Act A large company can take care of family members in terms of corporate responsibility or financial resources if it is a small and medium-sized enterprise or even a microenterprise it cannot pay this huge amount and family members have to fight for compensation through litigation However it is not commonly known that the premiums of the labor accident insurance are not shared by the government or workers and 100 of the total amount is paid by the employe

Factors influencing employee retention of academic home tutors in a private school

This study’s goal is to investigate the links between pay and benefits, worklife balance, professional development, and employee retention among academic home tutors in a Malaysian private school. Data from 80 respondents from this private school were gathered using a quantitative survey method. Statistical package for social science (SPSS) was employed throughout the study to analyze the data. The study results showed that salary & compensation and career enhancement positively correlate with employee retention. Meanwhile, work-life balance was not statistically linked with employee retention. The management should revise the human resource management practices by including these elements. The management should design salary & compensation packages that fit with individual knowledge, capabilities, and performance. The management may also consider offering flexible work schedules, such as training, mentoring, job mobility, and a reduction in working hours, as well as wellness assistance, such as counselling services and health and wellness initiatives. This will give employees the chance to advance their careers

Personality traits and job performance among academic staff in a private academic institution

This study investigates the association between the personality traits of academic staff members and their job performance in a Malaysian private educational institution. The personality traits were based on the Big Five model, which has five dimensions: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. About 110 participants from this institution were surveyed using a quantitative questionnaire, and their data were gathered. Throughout the study, the data were examined utilizing multiple regression analysis and factor analysis. According to the study’s findings, conscientiousness, and openness to experience significantly positively affect job performance. However, it was determined that extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism were not statistically significant and had no connection to job performance. As a result, in this institution, openness to experience is the most essential predictor of job performance. The findings of this study showed the management that openness to experience and conscientiousness are crucial for improving job performance inside the institution. Therefore, the management should pay more attention to these areas and recruit new employees with openness to experience and conscientious personality traits

Research on the Foreign Direct Investment Factors of Japanese Hotel Industry in Taiwan-Taking Okura Hotel as an Example

Due to the impact of COVID-19 in 2019, the global hotel industry has been severely impacted by the disconnection of the tourism industry. However, even with the impact of the epidemic, the Japanese hotel industry’s investment in Taiwan has not stopped. What are the factors that drive the Japanese hotel industry to defy the threat of the epidemic and choose Taiwan as its destination for foreign direct investment? This is the research goal of this article. This article intends to adopt Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM)migration theory to construct the possible factors of why the Japanese hotel industry chooses Taiwan as its foreign direct investment destination. These factors consist of three effects to describe Japan Okura hotel’s migration. First, the push effect refers to factors that induce people to leave their place of origin. Second, the pull effect refers to factors that attract people to a destination. Third, the mooring effect refers to intervention variables for push and pull effects that facilitate or inhibit the determination of movement. The finding is that push and pull factors still play an active role in promoting Okura Hotel’s investment in Taiwan, even if the influence of some factors is slightly reduced due to the shift in international conditions. With the development of globalization and high technology, mooring factors are no longer the reason that hinders Japanese Okura’s investment in Taiwan. Combined with push and pull factors, PPM migration model can fully explain why the Japanese hotel industry chooses to conduct foreign direct investment in Taiwan, even if it is affected by COVID-19.It’s just that COVID-19 has not stopped so far, and the unstable situation on both sides of the strait may impact the original PPM model and affect the results of the analysis. It is worth further observation and research by subsequent researchers

Cyclopeptides from Amanita exitialis

A new cyclic nonapeptide, amanexitide (1), along with the known cyclopeptides, α- and β-amanitins, was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Amanita exitialis, a newly described poisonous mushroom endemic to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Its amino acid composition and absolute configuration were determined by chemical degradation and derivatization followed by chiral GC analysis. Its amino acid sequence was elucidated by extensive analysis of ESIMS/MS and FTICRMS data. The occurrence of 1 in this mushroom is interesting because it has a structure closely related to antamanide, a cyclic decapeptide with antidote activity against amatoxins and phallotoxins, occurring in A. phalloides. [Image: see text

Serial increase of IL-12 response and human leukocyte antigen-DR expression in severe sepsis survivors

Introduction: Sepsis-induced immunosuppression may result in death. The mechanisms of immune suppression include loss of macrophage and monocyte expression of the major histocompatibility complex, increased anti-inflammatory cytokine expression and decreased expression of proinflammatory cytokines. In this study, we sought to determine the mechanisms of immune suppression in severe sepsis by repeated detection. Methods: We designed this prospective observational study to measure monocyte human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR expression, plasma cytokine levels and cytokine responses on days 1 and 7 in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy controls and patients with severe sepsis. Results: Of the 35 enrolled patients, 23 survived for 28 days and 12 died, 6 of whom died within 7 days. Plasma levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 and TNF-alpha were higher, but plasma IL-12 level was lower in septic patients than those in controls. Day 1 plasma levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-beta 1 in nonsurvivors were higher than those in survivors. Day 7 plasma IL-10 levels in nonsurvivors were higher than in survivors. IL-1 beta response was higher, but IL-12 and TNF-alpha responses were lower in septic patients than in controls. Day 1 IL-6 response was lower, but day 1 TGF-beta 1 response was higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors. Plasma IL-6 and IL-10 levels were decreased in survivors after 6 days. IL-6 response was decreased in survivors after 6 days, but IL-12 response was increased. Monocyte percentage was higher, but positive HLA-DR percentage in monocytes and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of HLA-DR were lower in septic patients than in controls. MFI of HLA-DR was increased in survivors after 6 days. Conclusions: Monocyte HLA-DR expression and IL-12 response from PBMCs are restored in patients who survive severe sepsis