Understanding Motivational Fluctuations among Young Rural EFL Learners: A Longitudinal Case Study

Hsiao-Wen Hsu 아시아테플 2019 The Journal of Asia TEFL Vol.16 No.4

This three year longitudinal study examines Taiwanese rural junior high school students’ motivational changes regarding learning English. The same questionnaire measuring their levels of motivation was conducted throughout fiv e semeste rs across three school years. Seven motivational aspects, including intrinsic, extrinsic, task value, control beliefs, self efficacy, expectancy and test anxiety, were measured each semester. The overall findings suggest that these rural students started w ith higher levels of intrinsic, extrinsic and task related motivation compared to the other motivational aspects; also that girls generally presented higher motivation levels than boys. More generally, students reported mild to low level motivatio n, which indicated that rural students’ EFL motivation would decrease during their school years. The results suggest both English teacher and homeroom teacher appear to play vital roles in affecting rural students’ motivation. Such findings signal a need f or Englis h teachers and educational authorities to reconsider the methods used for both developing and improving rural students’ motivation to learn English throughout their junior high school years. Other factors, including gender and English engagement a fter scho ol, were also found to be effective. This study also suggests practical recommendations for English learning and teaching in rural Taiwanese high schools, which may be effective in other EFL contexts.

Ovarian cancer risk score predicts chemo-response and outcome in epithelial ovarian carcinoma patients

Hsiao-Yun Lu,Yi-Jou Tai,Yu-Li Chen,Ying-Cheng Chiang,Heng-Cheng Hsu,Wen-Fang Cheng 대한부인종양학회 2021 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.32 No.2

Objective: Cytoreductive surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is a standard frontlinetreatment for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We aimed to develop an ovarian cancer riskscore (OVRS) based on the expression of 10 ovarian-cancer-related genes to predict thechemoresistance, and outcomes of EOC patients. Methods: We designed a case-control study with total 149 EOC women including 75chemosensitives and 74 chemoresistants. Gene expression was measured using thequantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We tested for correlation between theOVRS and chemosensitivity or chemoresistance, disease-free survival (DFS), and overallsurvival (OS), and validated the OVRS by analyzing patients from the TCGA database. Results: The chemosensitive group had lower OVRS than the chemoresistant group (5 vs. 15, p≤0.001, Mann-Whitney U test). Patients with disease relapse (13 vs. 5, p<0.001, Mann Whitney U test) or disease-related death (13.5 vs. 6, p<0.001) had higher OVRS than thosewithout. OVRS ≥10 (hazard ratio=3.29; 95% confidence interval=1.94–5.58; p<0.001) was theonly predictor for chemoresistance in multivariate analysis. The median DFS (5 months vs. 24 months) and OS (39 months vs. >60 months) of patients with OVRS ≥10 were significantlyshorter than those of patients with OVRS <9). The high OVRS group also had significantlyshorter median OS than the low OVRS group in 255 patients in the TCGA database (39 vs. 49months, p=0.046). Conclusions: Specific genes panel can be clinically applied in predicting the chemoresistanceand outcome, and decision-making of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Proton Pump Inhibitor-unresponsive Laryngeal Symptoms Are Associated With Psychological Comorbidities and Sleep Disturbance: A Manometry and Impedance-pH Monitoring Study

Wen-Hsuan Tseng,Wei-Chung Hsu,Tsung-Lin Yang,Tzu-Yu Hsiao,Jia-Feng Wu,Hui-Chuan Lee,Hsiu-Po Wang,Ming-Shiang Wu,Ming-Shiang Wu,Ping-Huei Tseng 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2023 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.29 No.3

Background/AimsLaryngeal symptoms are largely treated with empiric proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy if no apparent pathology shown on ear, nose, and throat evaluation and reflux-related etiologies are suspected. However, treatment response remains unsatisfactory. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and physiological characteristics of patients with PPI-refractory laryngeal symptoms. MethodsPatients with persistent laryngeal symptoms despite PPI treatment for ≥ 8 weeks were recruited. A multidisciplinary evaluation comprising validated questionnaires for laryngeal symptoms (reflux symptom index [RSI]), gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, psychological comorbidity (5-item brief symptom rating scale [BSRS-5]) and sleep disturbance (Pittsburgh sleep quality index [PSQI]), esophagogastroduodenoscopy, ambulatory impedance-pH monitoring, and high-resolution impedance manometry were performed. Healthy asymptomatic individuals were also recruited for comparison of psychological morbidity and sleep disturbances. ResultsNinety-seven adult patients and 48 healthy volunteers were analyzed. The patients had markedly higher prevalence of psychological distress (52.6% vs 2.1%, P < 0.001) and sleep disturbance (82.5% vs 37.5%, P < 0.001) than the healthy volunteers. There were significant correlations between RSI and BSRS-5 scores, and between RSI and PSQI scores (r = 0.26, P = 0.010, and r = 0.29, P = 0.004, respectively). Fifty-eight patients had concurrent gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms. They had more prominent sleep disturbances (89.7% vs 71.8%, P < 0.001) than those with laryngeal symptoms alone but similar reflux profiles and esophageal motility. ConclusionsPPI-refractory laryngeal symptoms are mostly associated with psychological comorbidities and sleep disturbances. Recognition of these psychosocial comorbidities may help optimize management in these patients.

Chemoprevention of Colitis-Associated Dysplasia or Cancer in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

( Shun-wen Hsiao ),( Hsu-heng Yen ),( Yang-yuan Chen ) 대한소화기학회 2022 Gut and Liver Vol.16 No.6

The association between inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer is well known. Although the overall incidence of inflammatory bowel disease has declined recently, patients with this disease still have a 1.7-fold increased risk of colorectal cancer. The risk factors for developing colorectal cancer include extensive colitis, young age at diagnosis, disease duration, primary sclerosing cholangitis, chronic colonic mucosal inflammation, dysplasia lesion, and post-inflammatory polyps. In patients with inflammatory bowel disease, control of chronic inflammation and surveillance colonoscopies are important for the prevention of colorectal cancer. The 2017 guidelines from the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation suggest that colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer should be performed when inflammatory bowel disease symptoms have lasted for 8 years. Current evidence supports the use of chemoprevention therapy with mesalamine to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis. Other compounds, including thiopurine, folic acid, statin, and tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor, are controversial. Large surveillance cohort studies with longer follow-up duration are needed to evaluate the impact of drugs on colorectal cancer risks. (Gut Liver 2022;16:840-848)

Damage detection for beam structures based on local flexibility method and macro-strain measurement

Ting Yu Hsu,Wen I Liao,Shen Yau Hsiao 국제구조공학회 2017 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.19 No.4

Many vibration-based global damage detection methods attempt to extract modal parameters from vibration signals as the main structural features to detect damage. The local flexibility method is one promising method that requires only the first few fundamental modes to detect not only the location but also the extent of damage. Generally, the mode shapes in the lateral degree of freedom are extracted from lateral vibration signals and then used to detect damage for a beam structure. In this study, a new approach which employs the mode shapes in the rotary degree of freedom obtained from the macro-strain vibration signals to detect damage of a beam structure is proposed. In order to facilitate the application of mode shapes in the rotary degree of freedom for beam structures, the local flexibility method is modified and utilized. The proposed rotary approach is verified by numerical and experimental studies of simply supported beams. The results illustrate potential feasibility of the proposed new idea. Compared to the method that uses lateral measurements, the proposed rotary approach seems more robust to noise in the numerical cases considered. The sensor configuration could also be more flexible and customized for a beam structure. Primarily, the proposed approach seems more sensitive to damage when the damage is close to the supports of simply supported beams.

Treatment outcomes of patients with stage II pure endometrioid-type endometrial cancer: a Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (TGOG-2006) retrospective cohort study

Hung-Chun Fu,Jen-Ruei Chen,Min-Yu Chen,Keng-Fu Hsu,Wen-Fang Cheng,An Jen Chiang,Yu-Min Ke,Yu-Chieh Chen,Yin-Yi Chang,Chia-Yen Huang,Chieh-Yi Kang,Yuan-Yee Kan,Sheng-Mou Hsiao,Ming-Shyen Yen 대한부인종양학회 2018 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.29 No.5

Objective: Choice of hysterectomy and adjuvant treatment for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 stage II endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) is still controversial. Aims of this study were to evaluate survival benefits and adverse effects of different hysterectomies with or without adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), and to identify prognostic factors. Methods: The patients at 14 member hospitals of the Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group from 1992 to 2013 were retrospectively investigated. Patients were divided into simple hysterectomy (SH) alone, SH with RT, radical hysterectomy (RH) alone, and RH with RT groups. Endpoints were recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), adverse effects and prognostic factors for survival. Results: Total of 246 patients were enrolled. The 5-year RFS, OS, DSS and recurrence rates for the entire cohort were 89.5%, 94.3%, 96.2% and 10.2%, respectively. Patients receiving RH had more adverse effects including blood loss (p<0.001), recurrent urinary tract infections (p=0.013), and leg lymphedema (p=0.038). Age over 50-year (HR=9.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2–70.9) and grade 3 histology (HR=7.28; 95% CI, 1.45–36.6) were independent predictors of OS. Grade 3 histology was an independent predictor of RFS (HR=5.13; 95% CI, 1.38–19.1) and DSS (HR=5.97; 95% CI, 1.06–58.7). Patients receiving adjuvant RT had lower locoregional recurrence (p=0.046), but no impact on survival. Conclusion: Different treatment modalities yield similar survival outcomes. Patients receiving SH with RT had lower locoregional recurrent with acceptable morbidity. Age and tumor grading remained significant predictors for survival among patients with FIGO 2009 stage II EEC.