The Value of Academic Directors to Stakeholders: Evidence on Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting

This study explores the regulatory setting in Taiwan and examines the association between academic directors and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting. We find that firms with academic directors on the board are more likely to issue a stand-alone CSR report and obtain third-party assurance on their CSR reports. We also find a positive association between CSR reporting and academic directors with industry expertise. Further cross-sectional analyses indicate that the positive relation between academic directors (and their industry expertise) and CSR reporting is stronger in firms with higher growth, greater institutional ownership, and lower control-ownership divergence. Our findings that the presence of academic directors can promote better sustainability reporting suggest that academic directors contribute not only to shareholder value but also to wider stakeholder interests

Landslide Potential Evaluation Using Fragility Curve Model

The geological environment of Taiwan mainly contains steep topography and geologically fragile ground surface. Therefore, the vulnerable environmental conditions are prone to landslides during torrential rainfalls and typhoons. The rainfall-induced shallow landslide has become more common in Taiwan due to the extreme weathers in recent years. To evaluate the potential of landslide and its impacts, an evaluation method using the historical rainfall data (the hazard factor) and the temporal characteristics of landslide fragility curve (LFC, the vulnerability factor) was developed and described in this chapter. The LFC model was based on the geomorphological and vegetation factors using landslides at the Chen-Yu-Lan watershed in Taiwan, during events of Typhoon Sinlaku (September 2009) and Typhoon Morakot (August 2009). The critical hazard potential (Hc) and critical fragility potential (Fc) were introduced to express the probability of exceeding a damage state of landslides under certain conditions of rainfall intensity and accumulated rainfall. Case studies at Shenmu village in Taiwan were applied to illustrate the proposed method of landslide potential assessment and the landslide warning in practice. Finally, the proposed risk assessment for landslides can be implemented in the disaster response system and be extended to take debris flows into consideration altogether

Simultaneous measurement of phase retardation and optic axis of a phase compensation film using an axially-symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystal

A new method for simultaneously measuring the phase retardation and optic axis of a uniaxial compensation film is demonstrated using an axially-symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystal (SPNLC). By overlaying a tested compensation film with a calibrated SPNLC cell between crossed polarizers, two dark spots are clearly observed in a CCD image. From the orientation direction and distance of these two spots, the optic axis and phase retardation value of the compensation film can be determined. This method is particularly useful for those optical systems whose optic axis and phase retardation are dynamically changing

Isolated tracheal injury after whiplash

AbstractWhiplash, a sudden acceleration–deceleration movement that can cause diverse symptoms such as neck pain, cervicogenic headache, restricted neck movement, tingling of the arms (central cord syndrome), and dizziness. However, laryngotracheal injuries after whiplash are extremely rare. We report the case of a 25-year-old Taiwanese female who presented to the emergency department with severe posterior midline neck pain after a rear-end motorcycle collision. Her C-spine X-ray showed no definite fracture; furthermore, her neck noncontrast-enhanced CT scan revealed paratracheal free air. She was discharged uneventfully after a 12-h observation period. Laryngotracheal injuries after whiplash, a hyperextension–hyperflexion movement, are potentially life-threatening and could lead to airway obstruction. Such injuries should not be overlooked. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of isolated laryngotracheal injury after whiplash

A Constitutively Mannose-Sensitive Agglutinating Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Typhimurium Strain, Carrying a Transposon in the Fimbrial Usher Gene stbC, Exhibits Multidrug Resistance and Flagellated Phenotypes

Static broth culture favors Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium to produce type 1 fimbriae, while solid agar inhibits its expression. A transposon inserted in stbC, which would encode an usher for Stb fimbriae of a non-flagellar Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium LB5010 strain, conferred it to agglutinate yeast cells on both cultures. RT-PCR revealed that the expression of the fimbrial subunit gene fimA, and fimZ, a regulatory gene of fimA, were both increased in the stbC mutant when grown on LB agar; fimW, a repressor gene of fimA, exhibited lower expression. Flagella were observed in the stbC mutant and this phenotype was correlated with the motile phenotype. Microarray data and RT-PCR indicated that the expression of three genes, motA, motB, and cheM, was enhanced in the stbC mutant. The stbC mutant was resistant to several antibiotics, consistent with the finding that expression of yhcQ and ramA was enhanced. A complementation test revealed that transforming a recombinant plasmid possessing the stbC restored the mannose-sensitive agglutination phenotype to the stbC mutant much as that in the parental Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium LB5010 strain, indicating the possibility of an interplay of different fimbrial systems in coordinating their expression

Axially-symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystals

An axially-symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystal (SPNLC) device is demonstrated and its performances characterized. Through analyzing the structure of this axially-symmetric SPNLC, we constructed a 3-D model to explain the observed phenomena. The simulation results agree well with the experiment. Two potential applications of such an axially-symmetric SPNLC, namely tunable-focus negative lens and spatial polarization converter, are discussed