Revision of Polygonatum (Asparagaceae, Nolinoideae, Polygonateae) of Taiwan

Polygonatum is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, especially in eastern Asia. There has been no comprehensive taxonomic study of Taiwanese taxa for some time, and researchers could not agree on a consistent treatment of the genus. Therefore, we revised the genus by literature review and type specimen examination along with comparison of morphology, karyotype and pollen characteristics. Only one species P. arisanense Hayata was recognized in this study. P. chingshuishanianum Ying and P. formosanum (Hayata) Masamune & Simada are regarded as varieties of P. arisanense and are here presented as two new combinations, P. arisanense var. chingshuishanianum and P. arisanense var. formosanum

Taxonomic revision of Disporum Salisb. (Colchicaceae, Uvularioideae) of Taiwan

A taxonomic revision of Disporum of Taiwan is presented with two species and one variety being recognised. The diagnostic characters of Disporum include the colour of tepals, stolon morphology, the trichomes of filaments and style and leaf morphology. These characters, along with karyotype and pollen morphology, are discussed and evaluated amongst different taxa. As a result, D. kawakamii and D. shimadae are treated as independent species, rather than varieties of D. cantoniense and D. sessile, respectively. Disporum nantouense is treated as a synonym of D. sessile var. intermedium stat. nov. Detailed descriptions, type information, diagnostic key, line drawings, photos and distribution maps are provided

Cirsium tatakaense (Compositae), a new species from Taiwan

A new species of Cirsium, Cirsium tatakaense Y.H.Tseng & C.Y.Chang, from central-southern Taiwan is described and illustrated. This species is similar to C. kawakamii Hayata in leaf shape, achene and chromosome number (2n = 64), but can be readily distinguished from C. kawakamii by the narrower leaf lobes, usually higher number of florets and phyllaries, the purplish-red corolla (vs. white) and larger pollen grains. A key to the species of Cirsium in Taiwan is also presented

Composition and antifungal activity of balsam from Liquidambar formosana Hance

Abstract: Formosan sweet gum ( Liquidambar formosana Hance) is a tree species endemic in Taiwan. In this study, the composition of balsam from L. formosana has been determined by several chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Among the 26 compounds identified, three new triterpenoids were detected, namely, 2 α ,3 α -dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-al ( 1 ), 3 α -hydroxyolean-12-en-30-ol ( 2 ), and 3 α -hydroxyolean-2-oxo-12-en-28-al ( 3 ). The most abundant volatile compounds were β -caryophyllene (22.7 % ), α -pinene (23.3 % ), and β -pinene (19.6 % ), and the most abundant nonvolatile compounds were 3 α ,25-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid ( 12 , 19.1 % ), oleanonic aldehyde ( 9 , 14.0 % ), and betulonic acid ( 15 , 13.4 % ). The compounds 3 α ,25-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid and bornyl cinnamate were found to be inhibitory for white rot ( Lenzites betulina ) and brown rot ( Laetiporus sulphureus ) fungi

Antioxidant Activities and Phytochemicals of Leaf Extracts from 10 Native Rhododendron

Rhododendron, one of the most famous ornamental plants in the world, is traditionally a medicinal plant. However, the potential bioactivities of native Rhododendron in Taiwan have not been completely studied. In this study, the results revealed that Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum exhibited the best antioxidant activities among 10 native Rhododendron species in Taiwan. Furthermore, based on a bioactivity-guided isolation principle, nine specific phytochemicals were isolated and identified as (2R,3S)-catechin (1), (2R,3R)-epicatechin (1′), (2R,3R)-dihydromyricetin 3-O-β-l-arabinopyranoside (2), (2S,3S)-taxifolin 3-O-β-l-arabinopyranoside (2′), (2R,3R)-taxifolin 3-O-β-l-arabinopyranoside (3), myricetin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3′), rutin (4), hyperoside (5), and quercitrin (6). Of these compounds, 2 and 3 were found to be major bioactive compounds, and their concentrations in the n-butanol (BuOH) fraction were determined to be 52.0 and 67.3 mg per gram, respectively. These results demonstrated that methanolic extracts of Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum leaves have excellent antioxidant activities and great potential as a source for natural health products

Anticancer drugs for the modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress

Prior research has demonstrated how the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) functions as a multifunctional organelle and as a well-orchestrated protein-folding unit. It consists of sensors which detect stress-induced unfolded/misfolded proteins and it is the place where protein folding is catalyzed with chaperones. During this folding process, an immaculate disulfide bond formation requires an oxidized environment provided by the ER. Protein folding and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a protein oxidative byproduct in ER are crosslinked. An ER stress-induced response also mediates the expression of the apoptosis-associated gene C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) and death receptor 5 (DR5). ER stress induces the upregulation of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor and opening new horizons for therapeutic research. These findings can be used to maximize TRAIL-induced apoptosis in xenografted mice. This review summarizes the current understanding of the interplay between ER stress and ROS. We also discuss how damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) function as modulators of immunogenic cell death and how natural products and drugs have shown potential in regulating ER stress and ROS in different cancer cell lines. Drugs as inducers and inhibitors of ROS modulation may respectively exert inducible and inhibitory effects on ER stress and unfolded protein response (UPR). Reconceptualization of the molecular crosstalk among ROS modulating effectors, ER stress, and DAMPs will lead to advances in anticancer therapy

Anti-bacterial activity of inorganic nanomaterials and their antimicrobial peptide conjugates against resistant and non-resistant pathogens

This review details the antimicrobial applications of inorganic nanomaterials of mostly metallic form, and the augmentation of activity by surface conjugation of peptide ligands. The review is subdivided into three main sections, of which the first describes the antimicrobial activity of inorganic nanomaterials against gram-positive, gram-negative and multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. The second section highlights the range of antimicrobial peptides and the drug resistance strategies employed by bacterial species to counter lethality. The final part discusses the role of antimicrobial peptide-decorated inorganic nanomaterials in the fight against bacterial strains that show resistance. General strategies for the preparation of antimicrobial peptides and their conjugation to nanomaterials are discussed, emphasizing the use of elemental and metallic oxide nanomaterials. Importantly, the permeation of antimicrobial peptides through the bacterial membrane is shown to aid the delivery of nanomaterials into bacterial cells. By judicious use of targeting ligands, the nanomaterial becomes able to differentiate between bacterial and mammalian cells and, thus, reduce side effects. Moreover, peptide conjugation to the surface of a nanomaterial will alter surface chemistry in ways that lead to reduction in toxicity and improvements in biocompatibility

A Study on the Influencing Factors of Outsouring Partnerships of Banking Collection Industries

[[abstract]]由於新銀行開放設立、東南亞金融風暴及經濟不景氣之影響，銀行逾放比節節高昇，國內金額龐大的不良債權， 使得銀行資產品質惡化， 已逐漸侵蝕淨值， 甚至影響業務正常經營，銀行業歷經了空前的挑戰與危機。面對不良債權節節高昇，及政府政策與社會環境的快速改變，銀行業現行催收組織及催收策略亦須快速變革，才能有效因應。 有關「消金逾期放款/呆帳之催理」，據呂李祥【民94】之研究發現，採委外方式由催收公司辦理為最好；另有關催收成本之研究，亦以委外由催收公司辦理為最低。因此，委外催收公司為銀行處理不良債權之最佳選擇，亦為銀行業不可或缺之重要夥伴。 而近幾年來，由於銀行發卡浮濫導致卡債風暴，加以長期存在的其他種類債務糾紛，終於形成嚴重的社會問題而引發輿論重視。銀行所委外之催收公司人員以辱罵當事人、電話密集騷擾等不當催收行為所致之客訴抱怨，亦於社會新聞中常有所聞。然而，受銀行委託之催收公司除追求帳款回收績效外，如何避免為銀行樹立敵人，並締造銀行、委外公司及債務人三贏的局面，則是發卡銀行於選擇合作夥伴時之最大的挑戰。其中銀行業與委外催收公司間之夥伴關係滿意度，為本研究之 課題。 本研究旨在依據社會交換理論，探索影響金融機構與委外催收業者間的夥伴關係的重要因素，並應用社會交換理論探討使用委外催收業者服務的銀行業者在與「與過去自行產出的經驗的比較水準」及「與其他方案的比較水準」。定為是一種結果標準(standard of outcome)，評估由交換關係預期得到的結果若大於過去經驗期望的比較水準，彼此間會產生感激、責任感以及信任。雙方並願停留在此一關係中各變數之間如何互相影響，同時又參考 Lee & Kim (1999) 提出的夥伴關係品質影響委外作業的成功及滿意的研究結論針對金融業委外催收的業務做進一步的探討[[abstract]]Impacted by New banks establishing Asian Crisis and Economy depression the non-performing card debt of domestic banks has been growing up the delinquent rate of the financial institution is getting worse The banking experiences unprecedented challenge and crisis Being confronted with the increasing non-performing loans（NPL） and the fast changes of government policy and social environment the banking collect organization and collection strategy must also be fast improved in order to respond effectively According to the study of Lee-shiang Lu on「The strategy on Banking dealing non -performing loans」 finding that adopt outsourcing Collection Agency is the best way for handling dealing non -performing loans; and outsourcing Collection Agency handle cost is the lowest for collection for business So outsourcing Collection Agency is the best choice for the bank in dealing with bad creditors and is also banking’s indispensable important partner In the past years banks which were lured by high interest rates on credit and cash cards issued cards without adequate checks on customers’ credit-worthiness consumers bad loans began to increase sharply and the dispute over obligation of other kinds existing excessively for a long time formed the serious social concern and caused the public opinion to pay attention to at last Outsouring collection agency’s employees intensively harass and abuse creditors result in complaints also often seen in social news However the ones that are entrusted by bank’s outsouring collection agency besides pursuing the performance of retrieving the funds on account how to avoid establishing enemy for the bank and found the situations of three wins of company and debtor outside the bank committee is the greatest challenge while choosing the cooperative partner of hairpin bank Partnership satisfaction among outsouring collection agency and the banking therefore is my important subject for research This research is based on society exchange theory to investigate the key elements to influence partnership of financial institution and press for company And also investigate banking business by outsourcing collection agency with collection in-house and the other alternative solutions Observe and evaluate the standard of outcome Appreciation responsibility and trust will be built if the result of exchange relationship expectation is higher than the experience got from the past How influence will be if each other is willing to sustain in this relationship At the same time this study also consults the conclusion homework of Lee & Kim (1999) ”Partnership quality influence committee success and satisfaction research” to make further study on banking outsourcing collect for busines

Incidence of and predictors for short-term readmission among preterm low-birthweight infants

[[abstract]]Background:  Readmission temporally close to discharge can best reflect the quality of care received in the last hospitalization, and has been considered a valuable indicator for the quality of care received. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of and predictors for readmission within 31 days after discharge among preterm low-birthweight (PLBW) infants (ICD-9-code: 765.0x) in Taiwan. Methods:  Based on Taiwan's National Health Insurance claim data, a population-based cohort including a total of 18 421 PLBW infants born and hospitalized in 2000–02, was analyzed. The cumulative incidence rate (CIR) of readmission and the hazard ratio of readmission in relation to potential predictors were calculated. Results:  The total number of participants readmitted within 15 or 31 days after discharge was 1763 and 2484, representing a CIR of 9.6% and 13.5%, respectively. Significant predictors for readmission within 15 or 31 days were essentially similar. Male gender, weight <1000 g, presence of congenital abnormalities, and lung disease were significant risk factors for readmission. Shorter length of hospital stay (<35 days) was associated with a reduced risk of readmission, and there were significant geographic and hospital variations of readmission, with higher rates noted in the most urbanized area and at regional hospitals. Conclusion:  The short-term readmission rate among Taiwanese PLBW infants is higher than in Western countries. Future studies should be conducted to investigate the causes of apparent geographic and hospital variations of readmission rates in order to make more specific interpretations

Cynanchum mooreanum Hemsl. (Asclepiadaceae), a New Recorded Species in Taiwan

Cynanchum mooreanum Hemsl. is a perennial liana of Asclepiadaceae. Based on literature study this species is endemic to Mainland China. Recently, we found a new distribution record of this species in central Taiwan. It grows in open and dry grasslands. In this article we provide description, photos, distribution map, key and line drawing. This is a new recorded species to the flora of Taiwan