FACTORS AFFECTING THE TRANSFER OF INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS TO CHINA: A CASE STUDY OF HIGH-TECH ENTERPRISES

Due to the huge market potentiality, profuse production resource such as workforce and land, and low production costs in China, many international high-tech enterprises are moving their production line to China. Accompanying production offshoring is the transfer of Information Technology (IT) to ensure that the production processes remain efficient and effective at home and abroad. Many enterprises however encounter problems in transferring their IT to China, especially when the IT is an inter-organizational system (IOS), which is across organizational boundaries and involves the management of relationships among participants. In order to understand how to successfully transfer IOS to China, we aim to find out key relational factors of IOS performance in China through an observation of a binary relationship built upon an e-procurement system between a Taiwanese PC ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) and its Chinese suppliers. Based on the relational view of the firm, four relational factors are proposed and examined. The results show that IOS specific investments and effective IOS governance most strongly affects the result of IOS transfer to China, whereas complementary resource endowment has least influence

Bis{1-[(E)-o-tolyl­diazen­yl]-2-naphtho­l­ato}copper(II)

In the title complex, [Cu(C17H13N2O)2], the CuII atom is tetra­coordinated by two N atoms and two O atoms from two bidentate 1-[(E)-o-tolyl­diazen­yl]-2-naphtho­late ligands, forming a slightly distorted square-planar environment. The two N atoms and two O atoms around the CuII atom are trans to each other, with an O—Cu—O bond angle of 177.00 (9)° and an N—Cu—N bond angle of 165.63 (10)°. The average distances between the CuII atom and the coordinated O and N atoms are 1.905 (2) and 1.995 (2)Å, respectively

Effect of Roof Design Configurations On Natural Ventilation with an Obstacle Inside the Building Model

Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building.Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building

Effect of Roof Design Configurations On Natural Ventilation with an Obstacle Inside the Building Model

Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building.Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building

Burkitt's Lymphoma Mimicking a Primary Gynecologic Tumor

SummaryObjectiveBurkitt's lymphoma (BL) occurs mostly in children; bilateral ovarian involvement mimicking a gynecologic malignancy in adults is extremely rare. Here, we report a patient with BL mimicking a gynecologic tumorCase ReportA 50-year-old Taiwanese woman presented with the complaint of persistent lower abdominal distension with dull pain, easy satiety, and progressively increasing abdominal girth for 2 weeks. Amenorrhea was also noted for about 2 months, and her review of systems was negative for the common “B” symptoms associated with lymphoma. At our hospital, imaging studies revealed a huge pelvic mass (10.8 ×8.7 cm), suggesting a large subserous myoma or an ovarian tumor. Under the impression of pelvic mass, she underwent exploratory laparotomy. Primary ovarian sex-cord malignancy with cecum involvement was impressed by the primitive intraoperative frozen section report. Subsequently, an optimal cytoreductive operation with right hemicolectomy was performed. However, final histopathologic report was an extranodal multifocal BL.ConclusionAlthough extranodal BL in ovaries is a rare condition, it should be noted in the differential diagnosis of pelvic gynecologic malignancies

Preferential regeneration of photoreceptor from Müller glia after retinal degeneration in adult rat

AbstractTo determine whether photoreceptor degeneration can stimulate Müller glia to transdifferentiate into neurons in adult mammalian retina, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) was injected to induce complete loss of photoreceptors. Following MNU administration, Müller glia underwent reactive gliosis characterized by up-regulation of glial fibrillar acidic protein and nestin, and initiated proliferation through the cyclin D1 and D3 related pathways. Some Müller glia-derived cells were induced to express rhodopsin exclusively. These rhodopsin-positive cells exhibited synaptophysin around them, suggesting possible formation of synapses. After transplanted in to damaged retina, Müller glia migrated, grafted in host retina and produced rhodopsin. These results suggest that degeneration may promote preferential differentiation of Müller glia to photoreceptors and provide a potential therapeutic strategy for retinal degenerative diseases

The potential of mobile health applications to improve couples’ fertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the safety and effectiveness of mobile health applications in couples with infertility. Nineteen databases were searched from their inception to August 2022. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which mobile health was used as an intervention in infertile couples were included. A quantitative analysis of RCTs was employed using RevMan software. Study selection, data extraction and validation were performed by two independent reviewers according to the guidelines. The Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias were used to evaluate the methodological quality of the trials. Eight RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Among the eight RCTs, two RCTs were from the Netherlands and the remaining six RCTs were from China. Meta-analysis showed that mobile health interventions in infertile couples in China were found to be superior to usual care in terms of clinical pregnancy rate (p = 0.001), psychological status (SAS (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale): p < 0.001; SDS (Self-Rating Depression Scale) p < 0.001;), infertility knowledge levels (p < 0.001), quality of life (p < 0.001), and serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (p < 0.001). The effects on intervention groups using mobile health interventions in the Netherlands were not superior to the control groups that used usual care in terms of improving dietary factors (p > 0.05). In general, the positive effect of mobile health on improving clinical pregnancy rate, psychological status, infertility knowledge levels, quality of life and satisfaction with information was better than that of usual care. Mobile health interventions could be a viable supplement to the usual care for infertile couples. However, more high-quality RCTs need to be included in the future to provide additional evidence of the positive effects of mobile health in infertile couples

Skin sympathetic nerve activity precedes the onset and termination of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia and fibrillation

Background Skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA) is useful for estimating sympathetic tone in humans. Objective The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that (1) increased SKNA is associated with the onset and termination of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (AT) and atrial fibrillation (AF) and (2) sinoatrial node response to SKNA is reduced in patients with more frequent AT or AF episodes. Methods SKNA and electrocardiogram were recorded in 11 patients (4 men and 7 women; average age 66 ± 10 years), including 3 patients with AT (11 ± 18 episodes per patient) and 8 patients with AF (24 ± 26 episodes per patient). Results The average SKNA (aSKNA) 10 seconds before AT onset was 1.07 ± 0.10 μV and 10 seconds after termination was 1.27 ± 0.10 μV; both were significantly (P = .032 and P < .0001) higher than that during sinus rhythm (0.97 ± 0.09 μV). The aSKNA 10 seconds before AF onset was 1.34 ± 0.07 μV and 10 seconds after termination was 1.31 ± 0.07 μV; both were significantly (P < .0001) higher than that during sinus rhythm (1.04 ± 0.07 μV). The aSKNA before onset (P < .0001) and after termination (P = .0011) was higher in AF than in AT. The sinus rate correlated (P < .0001) with aSKNA in each patient (average r = 0.74; 95% confidence interval 0.65–0.84). The r value in each patient negatively correlated with the number of AT and AF episodes (r = −0.6493; 95% confidence interval −0.8990 to −0.08073; P = .0306). Conclusion Increased SKNA was observed both at the onset and termination of AT and AF. Patients with more frequent AT and AF episodes had a weak correlation between sinus rate and aSKNA, suggesting sinoatrial node remodeling by tachycardia

Phenotypic Differentiation Is Associated with Gender Plasticity and Its Responsive Delay to Environmental Changes in Alternanthera philoxeroides – Phenotypic Differentiation in Alligator Weed

Phenotypic plasticity is common in many taxa, and it may increase an organism's fitness in heterogeneous environments. However, in some cases, the frequency of environmental changes can be faster than the ability of the individual to produce new adaptive phenotypes. The importance of such a time delay in terms of individual fitness and species adaptability has not been well studied. Here, we studied gender plasticity of Alternanthera philoxeroides to address this issue through a reciprocal transplant experiment. We observed that the genders of A. philoxeroides were plastic and reversible between monoclinous and pistillody depending on habitats, the offspring maintained the maternal genders in the first year but changed from year 2 to 5, and there was a cubic relationship between the rate of population gender changes and environmental variations. This relationship indicates that the species must overcome a threshold of environmental variations to switch its developmental path ways between the two genders. This threshold and the maternal gender stability cause a significant delay of gender changes in new environments. At the same time, they result in and maintain the two distinct habitat dependent gender phenotypes. We also observed that there was a significant and adaptive life-history differentiation between monoclinous and pistillody individuals and the gender phenotypes were developmentally linked with the life-history traits. Therefore, the gender phenotypes are adaptive. Low seed production, seed germination failure and matching phenotypes to habitats by gender plasticity indicate that the adaptive phenotypic diversity in A. philoxeroides may not be the result of ecological selection, but of gender plasticity. The delay of the adaptive gender phenotype realization in changing environments can maintain the differentiation between gender systems and their associated life-history traits, which may be an important component in evolution of novel traits and taxonomic diversity