Teacher-Student Collaboration on Designing Instructional Multimedia Materials

The goal of this study was to engage students as multimedia designers and technology assistants to create instructional multimedia materials at a non-technology based College of Languages in Taiwan. A case study research design was used in order to examine how a particular discipline-based faculty and its students worked together to create the co-mentoring partnerships. Through the teacher-student collaboration, the faculty’s development of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) was also explored. The results of the study showed the teacher-student collaboration model provided this faculty with benefits including technology assistance, and the understanding of students’ creativities, interests, and varied needs for learning. The faculty’s participants also pointed out how a successful teacher-student collaboration model requires a good relationship between teacher and students, alongside students’ active participation. The students found the interdisciplinary learning experience beneficial to their learning achievements

Predicting customer lifetime value for hypermarket private label products

This study develops a model to predict customer lifetime value for hypermarket private label products. It examines the relationships among store awareness, store image variables (i.e., service quality, price/value, convenience, and product quality), private label image, repurchase intention, and customer lifetime value and investigates the moderating role of image fit. The originality of this study lies in filling the gap of previous research on antecedents of private label customers’ behavior by considering store awareness, image fit, and customer lifetime value. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. The results indicate the following. Store image variables (except product quality) and store awareness affect repurchase intention directly or indirectly through private label image. Image fit moderates the relationships between store image variables (except product quality) and private label image. Private label image facilitates customer lifetime value. This study provides several theoretical and practical implications for hypermarket private label product developments

Interplay between SIN3A and STAT3 Mediates Chromatin Conformational Changes and GFAP Expression during Cellular Differentiation

BACKGROUND: Neurons and astrocytes are generated from common neural precursors, yet neurogenesis precedes astrocyte formation during embryogenesis. The mechanisms of neural development underlying suppression and de-suppression of differentiation-related genes for cell fate specifications are not well understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By using an in vitro system in which NTera-2 cells were induced to differentiate into an astrocyte-like lineage, we revealed a novel role for Sin3A in maintaining the suppression of GFAP in NTera-2 cells. Sin3A coupled with MeCP2 bound to the GFAP promoter and their occupancies were correlated with repression of GFAP transcription. The repression by Sin3A and MeCP2 may be an essential mechanism underlying the inhibition of cell differentiation. Upon commitment toward an astrocyte-like lineage, Sin3A- MeCP2 departed from the promoter and activated STAT3 simultaneously bound to the promoter and exon 1 of GFAP; meanwhile, olig2 was exported from nuclei to the cytoplasm. This suggested that a three-dimensional or higher-order structure was provoked by STAT3 binding between the promoter and proximal coding regions. STAT3 then recruited CBP/p300 to exon 1 and targeted the promoter for histone H3K9 and H3K14 acetylation. The CBP/p300-mediated histone modification further facilitates chromatin remodeling, thereby enhancing H3K4 trimethylation and recruitment of RNA polymerase II to activate GFAP gene transcription. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results provide evidence that exchange of repressor and activator complexes and epigenetic modifications are critical strategies for cellular differentiation and lineage-specific gene expression

Investigating the Effects of Career Management Competencies on Employability among Students of Department of Air Transportation Management

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Crises and Chances: Year 2015, the first year of the “Taiwan Aging Power Era”

<p>The birthrate in Taiwan is decreasing yearly. As a result the aging population problem is getting drastically worse. According to “Population Projections for R.O.C (Taiwan): 2010–2060”, the population growth rate will become negative after the total population peaks at 23.44 million in 2022. Does this mean that Taiwan will still be able to enjoy the benefits of population growth for the next 11 years, including a sufficient labor force to support Taiwanese industries during that period of time? Unfortunately, the answer may be “no”.  The problem is that over the next 11 years the population of Taiwan will change not only in terms of “amount”, but also in terms of “quality”.  Almost every country in Asia will encounter this common issue soon.</p> <p>According to “Taiwanese Future Population Projection (the medium-variant)” released by the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) in September, 2010, the dependency ratio in the population will reach its lowest point (34%) (turning point) in 2015. The dependency ration is the number of people aged 1–14 and those aged 65 and over, divided by the number of people aged 15–64. After the turning point in 2015, the more people who are dependent, the larger the dependent ratio will become and the heavier the burden of support for the labor forces in Taiwan will be.</p> <p>The labor force in Taiwan’s primary, secondary and tertiary industries will all be directly impacted by the country’s low birthrate and rapidly aging population. If one looks at the labor statistics in these three industry sectors prior to 2015, and then one takes the projected dependency ratio and uses it to project the labor force  available to the three industry sectors from 2015 to 2035, one can see that there is a significant impact.</p> <p>This impact will be explored in detail in this paper, as well as the idea that this change in the dependency ratio may also prove to be an opportunity for the automatic technology industry in Taiwan. The opportunities for businesses to capitalize on this demographic shift will occur not only in Taiwan, but throughout Asia.</p

Teacher-Student Collaboration on Designing Instructional Multimedia Materials: A Case Study of Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages

The goal of this study was to engage students as multimedia designers and technology assistants for their non-technology discipline faculty to create instructional multimedia materials at Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages (WUCL) in Taiwan. The results of the study showed the teacher-student collaboration model provided discipline faculty with benefits including technology assistance and the understanding of students’ creativities, interests, and varied needs for learning. The faculty participants also pointed out a successful teacher-student collaboration model needed a good relationship between the teacher and students and students’ active participation. The students also found the interdisciplinary learning experience beneficial to their learning achievements

The connection between the hassles–burnout relationship, as moderated by coping, and aberrant behaviors and health problems among bus drivers

Driving a bus is a stressful job, and may result in aberrant behaviors or health problems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of bus driver burnout on aberrant behaviors and health problems, as well as the role of self-criticism and confrontive and reappraisal coping as moderator variables in the hassle–burnout relationship. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect empirical data from bus drivers working at a Taiwanese motor transport company. The results confirm that burnout has a significantly positive relationship with both health problems and aberrant driving behaviors. In addition, although self-criticism positively moderates the relationship between job hassles and burnout, confrontive and reappraisal coping negatively moderate it

Study on Quality Control Markers in Commercial Ganoderma lucidum Products

　　本論文目的為釐清總糖、(1,3)-β-D-葡聚醣或 LZ-8 含量是否可做為代表產品活性之指標，並找到判別產品適當的活性檢測濃度範圍。第一部分測量各產品總糖含量，並對活性多醣 (1,3)-β-D-葡聚醣，以專一性之 aniline blue 螢光呈色法分析其含量。結果發現樣品間此兩種成分含量差異很大。第二部分進行活性試驗，調整樣品總糖濃度或 (1,3)-β-D-葡聚醣濃度一致時，各樣品活化小鼠腹腔巨噬細胞和巨噬細胞株 RAW 264.7 分泌 TNF-α 和 IL-6 的效果卻有顯著差異。因此，總糖與 (1,3)-β-D-葡聚醣含量不宜做為評估市售靈芝產品的活性指標。接著，將各市售靈芝產品以相同稀釋倍率與細胞共培養，結果顯示樣品能顯著活化小鼠腹腔巨噬細胞和 RAW 264.7 分泌 TNF-α 及 IL-6。進一步測試樣品稀釋倍率與活性的相關性，發現稀釋範圍介於 300-2500 μg/mL (30-250 mg 市售靈芝產品溶於 100 mL 磷酸鹽緩衝生理鹽水)，可以有效辨別各樣品是否具有活性。 　　在活化小鼠脾臟細胞的部分，市售靈芝產品皆無法顯著提升 TH1 和 TH2相關細胞激素 IFN-γ、IL-2 和 IL-4 的分泌量。此外，以膠體電泳及西方轉漬法分析，皆證實市售靈芝產品中靈芝蛋白 LZ-8 含量極低。第三部分欲以高效液相層析儀 (HPLC) 分析菌絲體中 LZ-8 含量。結果顯示，無論是否添加標準品 LZ-8 於菌絲體溶液中，皆無法偵測到 LZ-8 的存在。將菌絲體溶液通過玻璃纖維去除多醣，再添加標準品 LZ-8 後，以 HPLC 分析則可測到添加的標準品 LZ-8。因此，推測菌絲體中影響 HPLC 分析 LZ-8 含量的物質可能為多醣類。進一步以 exo-(1,3)-β-D-glucanase 和 endo-(1,3)-β-D-glucanase 切除 (1,3)-β-D-葡聚醣後，仍無法分析到菌絲體中的 LZ-8，所以僅能確定干擾分析的物質並非 (1,3)-β-D-葡聚醣，但該物質實際結構仍有待釐清。 　　綜合上述實驗結果，因總糖、(1,3)-β-D-葡聚醣和 LZ-8 皆不適合做為靈芝產品品管指標，故建議應直接分析樣品活性，可選擇巨噬細胞株 RAW 264.7 與樣品共培養後，測量 TNF-α 和 IL-6 分泌量，評估產品之活性優劣，適當產品範圍為 30-250 mg 市售靈芝產品溶於 100 mL 磷酸鹽緩衝生理鹽水，此方法可用於靈芝產品製程品管，以確保產品品質一致性。Ganoderma lucidum, a medicinal fungi, has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for its health promoting constituents, including polysaccharides, proteins, triterpenes, sterols, and fatty acids. However, G. lucidum contains various and complex bioactive compounds. It was difficult to distinguish the bioactivity of commercial G. lucidum products from specific component. Most products were claimed on the basis of their total sugar or crude polysaccharides contents, but immunomodulatory protein (LZ-8) and (1,3)-β-D-glucan, were not shown in the nutrition facts. In this study, we decided to examine whether the contents of total sugar or (1,3)-β-D-glucan could be used as the quality and functional indicators, and what would be the appropriate concentrates for the evaluation in product activities. First, we determined content of total sugar and content of (1,3)-β-D-glucan in commercial products with phenol-sulfuric acid method and fluorometric method. Our results showed that there were significant differences on the contents of total sugar and (1,3)-β-D-glucan in the eight commercial products. Samples with the same contends of total sugar or (1,3)-β-D-glucan had different capability to induce secreation of TNF-α and IL-6 in murine macrophages and RAW 264.7. Therefore, the quantity of total sugar and (1,3)-β-D-glucan might not be an appropriate functional indicators. Our results also revealed that the approach of diluting the commercial product solutions which were cultured with murine macrophages to 30 to 250 mg commercial product in 100 mL PBS could be used to distinguish bioactivities of commercial products. Further, the eight commercial products could not increase production of cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-4) by murine splenocytes. In addition, SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis of these samples showed that commercial G. lucidum products could rarely include immunomodulatory protein LZ-8. In the third part, mycelia from G. lucidum were lysed by ultrasonic reactor and analyzed for the content of LZ-8 by HPLC. LZ-8 peak have been observed as lysis solution filtered through glass fiber membranes and added 100 μg/mL standard LZ-8 to the solution. As shown above, we assumed that the component which interfered the HPLC analysis of LZ-8 should be polysaccharide. Sample solution was further treated with exo-(1,3)-β-D-glucanase and endo-(1,3)-β-D-glucanase in order to remove the potented interfering substance, but no LZ-8 peak have been observed. As a result, it was inferred that the interfering substance might be polysaccharides but not (1,3)-β-D-glucans. In conclusion, the content of total sugar, (1,3)-β-D-glucan, and LZ-8 could not be the functional indicators. The appropriate dosages of sample cultured with murine macrophages were 30 to 250 mg of commercial product in 100 mL PBS and could be used to assess product activities. In the third part, we inferred that polysaccharids might be the main factor to interfer the HPLC analysis of the free form of LZ-8