The Impact of Product innovation on Performance: The Influence of Uncertainty and Managerial Accounting Information Systems

This paper reports on a survey of Taiwanese high-tech firms, using a path analysis to examine the effects of managerial accounting information systems (MAIS) on the relationship between product innovation and organizational performance. Two of the major characteristics suggested by Chenhall and Morris (1986), broad scope and timeliness, are systematically related to the subject matter of this study, thus, employing these two characteristics to explore the connection between MAIS, product innovation and organizational performance. We find that product innovation has a positive effect on organizational performance through the use of MAIS, and find the extent of this positive effect is more significant in business environments marked by high levels of uncertainty. This study provides evidence to understand whether product innovation requires more extensive use of MAIS in highly uncertain environments and whether the use of MAIS can improve organizational performance. The results also help practicing managers realize the importance of MAIS in modern organizations and the benefits of using MAIS to the organization. Finally, we remind managers engaging in product innovation practices that they should place importance on the use of MAIS, because traditional cost control systems no longer help in solving the problems that are specific to the current, modern business environment

A junctionless SONOS nonvolatile memory device constructed with in situ-doped polycrystalline silicon nanowires

In this paper, a silicon-oxide-nitride-silicon nonvolatile memory constructed on an n+-poly-Si nanowire [NW] structure featuring a junctionless [JL] configuration is presented. The JL structure is fulfilled by employing only one in situ heavily phosphorous-doped poly-Si layer to simultaneously serve as source/drain regions and NW channels, thus greatly simplifying the manufacturing process and alleviating the requirement of precise control of the doping profile. Owing to the higher carrier concentration in the channel, the developed JL NW device exhibits significantly enhanced programming speed and larger memory window than its counterpart with conventional undoped-NW-channel. Moreover, it also displays acceptable erase and data retention properties. Hence, the desirable memory characteristics along with the much simplified fabrication process make the JL NW memory structure a promising candidate for future system-on-panel and three-dimensional ultrahigh density memory applications

AMP-activated protein kinase activation mediates CCL3-induced cell migration and matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in human chondrosarcoma

Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3), also known as macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, is a cytokine involved in inflammation and activation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. CCL3 has been detected in infiltrating cells and tumor cells. Chondrosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor that causes distant metastasis. However, the effect of CCL3 on human chondrosarcoma metastasis is still unknown. Here, we found that CCL3 increased cellular migration and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 in human chondrosarcoma cells. Pre-treatment of cells with the MMP-2 inhibitor or transfection with MMP-2 specific siRNA abolished CCL3-induced cell migration. CCL3 has been reported to exert its effects through activation of its specific receptor, CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5). The CCR5 and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor or siRNA also attenuated CCL3-upregulated cell motility and MMP-2 expression. CCL3-induced expression of MMP-2 and migration were also inhibited by specific inhibitors, and inactive mutants of AMPK, p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 or p38-MAPK), and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) cascades. On the other hand, CCL3 treatment demonstrably activated AMPK, p38, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, the expression levels of CCL3, CCR5, and MMP-2 were correlated in human chondrosarcoma specimens. Taken together, our results indicate that CCL3 enhances the migratory ability of human chondrosarcoma cells by increasing MMP-2 expression via the CCR5, AMPK, p38, and NF-κB pathways

Seismic behavior of pile in liquefiable soil ground by centrifuge shaking table tests

Dramatic failure of pile foundations caused by the soil liquefaction was founded and leading to many studies on the seismic behavior of pile. The failures were often accompanied with settlement, lateral displacement and tilting of superstructures. Therefore soil-structure interaction effects must be properly considered in the design of pile. Two centrifuge models were conducted by shaking table at an acceleration field of 80 g. The purpose of this study was to investigate the seismic response of piles attached with different tip mass and embedded in liquefied or non-liquefied deposits. From the results, it was found that the maximum bending moment of pile occurs at the depth of 4 m and 5 m for dry sand and saturated sand models, respectively. The more tip mass leads to the more permanent lateral displacement and the more residual bending moment

Contagion and downside risk in the REIT market during the subprime mortgage crisis

This study empirically tests the contagion effects in stock and real estate investment trust (REIT) markets during the subprime mortgage crisis by using daily stock- and REIT-markets data from the following countries and international bodies: the United States, the European Union, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and the global REIT market. We found a significant and positive dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) coefficient between stock returns and REIT returns. The results revealed that the REIT markets responded early to market shocks and that the variances were higher in the post-crisis period than in the pre-crisis period. Evidence supporting the contagion effects includes increases in the means of the DCC coefficients during the post-crisis period. The Japanese and Australian REIT markets possess the lowest time-varying downside systematic risks. We also demonstrated that the “DCC E-beta” captures more significant downside linkages between market portfolios and expected REIT returns than does the standard CAPM beta

Functional analysis of novel SNPs and mutations in human and mouse genomes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>With the flood of information generated by the new generation of sequencing technologies, more efficient bioinformatics tools are needed for in-depth impact analysis of novel genomic variations. FANS (Functional Analysis of Novel SNPs) was developed to streamline comprehensive but tedious functional analysis steps into a few clicks and to offer a carefully designed presentation of results so researchers can focus more on thinking instead of typing and calculating.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>FANS <url>http://fans.ngc.sinica.edu.tw/</url> harnesses the power of public information databases and powerful tools from six well established websites to enhance the efficiency of analysis of novel variations. FANS can process any point change in any coding region or GT-AG splice site to provide a clear picture of the disease risk of a prioritized variation by classifying splicing and functional alterations into one of nine risk subtypes with five risk levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>FANS significantly simplifies the analysis operations to a four-step procedure while still covering all major areas of interest to researchers. FANS offers a convenient way to prioritize the variations and select the ones with most functional impact for validation. Additionally, the program offers a distinct improvement in efficiency over manual operations in our benchmark test.</p

Flood Vulnerability and Risk Maps in Taipei City, Taiwan

This paper presents the process of constructing a flood risk map in Taipei City. The study calculates the social vulnerability index (SVI) for flooding at a district level, based on five factors including (1) female population (2) alone living elderly (3) low-income households (4) household income and (5) house-hold possessions. The index is determined according to the factor ratios in a district comparing to the statistical average across Taipei City. By combining the SVI with spatial varied flood potential information simulated by a hydraulic model, the flood risk index is obtained for district level that has an area of about 0.2 km2. Results show that the flood risk in Taipei City changed from 2002 to 2010 due to changes in the demographic structure. During the period from 2002 to 2004, the most obvious change of flood risk occurred in the Wanhua district due to the increase in the ratio of household possessions, which escalated the vulnerability to flooding. Between 2005 and 2007, the ratio of household possessions dropped in the Nankang district such that the flood risk reduced mostly in the region

Garlic Oil Alleviates MAPKs- and IL-6-mediated Diabetes-related Cardiac Hypertrophy in STZ-induced DM Rats

Garlic oil has been reported to protect the cardiovascular system; however, the effects and mechanisms behind the cardioprotection of garlic oil on diabetes-induced cardiaomyopathy are unclear. In this study, we used streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats to investigate whether garlic oil could protect the heart from diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy. Wistar STZ-induced diabetic rats received garlic oil (0, 10, 50 or 100 mg kg_1 body weight) by gastric gavage every 2 days for 16 days. Normal rats without diabetes were used as control. Cardiac contractile dysfunction and cardiac pathologic hypertrophy responses were observed in diabetic rat hearts. Cardiac function was examined using echocardiography. In addition to cardiac hypertrophy-related mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathways (e.g., p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and extracellularly responsive kinase (ERK1/2)), the IL-6/MEK5/ERK5 signaling pathway was greatly activated in the diabetic rat hearts, which contributes to the up-regulation of cardiac pathologic hypertrophy markers including atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and leads to cardiac contractile dysfunction. Garlic oil treatment significantly inhibited the up-regulation in MAPK (e.g., p38, JNK and ERK1/2) and IL-6/MEK5/ERK5 signaling pathways in the diabetic rat hearts, reducing the levels of cardiac pathologic hypertrophy markers such as ANP and BNP, and improving the cardiac contractile function. Collectively, data from these studies demonstrate that garlic oil shows the potential cardioprotective effects for protecting heart from diabetic cardiomyopathy

The potential impact of primary headache disorders on stroke risk

Distribution of PHDs. (DOC 55 kb

Protective effects of Scoparia dulcis L. extract on high glucose-induced injury in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress and the accumulation of inflammatory factors result in blood-retinal barrier dysfunction and the pathogenesis of DR. Scoparia dulcis L. extract (SDE), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been recently recognized for its various pharmacological effects, including anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative activities. However, there is no relevant research on the protective effect of SDE in DR. In this study, we treated high glucose (50 mM) in human retinal epithelial cells (ARPE-19) with different concentrations of SDE and analyzed cell viability, apoptosis, and ROS production. Moreover, we analyzed the expression of Akt, Nrf2, catalase, and HO-1, which showed that SDE dose-dependently reduced ROS production and attenuated ARPE-19 cell apoptosis in a high-glucose environment. Briefly, we demonstrated that SDE exhibited an anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory ability in protecting retinal cells from high-glucose (HG) treatment. Moreover, we also investigated the involvement of the Akt/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in SDE-mediated protective effects. The results suggest SDE as a nutritional supplement that could benefit patients with DR