The Presence of Borrelia valaisiana-Related Genospecies in Ticks and a Rodent in Taiwan

Chun-Man Huang,Hsi-Chieh Wang,Ying-Chun Lin,Shih-Hui Chiu,Ying-Shun Kao,Pei-Lung Lee,Hsiu-I Wang,Ruei-Chen Hung,Huang-I Chan,Ho-Sheng Wu,Chuen-Sheue Chiang,Jung-Jung Mu 한국미생물학회 2010 The journal of microbiology Vol.48 No.6

A field survey was conducted to investigate the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in six counties of Taiwan. Spirochetes were successfully isolated from one rodent ear sample out of 485 rodent ears and 53live, fed tick (Ixodes granulatus) samples. The spirochetes were confirmed to be B. burgdorferi s.l. by real-time PCR. In addition, 23 of 113 tick samples were tested positive for Borrelia DNA according to real-time PCR. The Borrelia isolate from the rodent and the 23 Borrelia DNA samples from the ticks were identified as B. valaisiana-related genospecies by phylogenetic analysis based on flagellin gene sequences. These findings suggest that the Borrelia valaisiana-related strains are maintained in a zoonotic cycle between tick vectors and reservoir hosts in Taiwan.

Information Technology and Electronics : Original Article ; Differentiation of Beef and Fish Meals in Animal Feeds Using Chemometric Analytic Models

( Chun Chieh Yang ),( Cristobal Garrido Novell ),( Dolores Perez Marin ),( Jose E Guerrero Ginel ),( Garrido Varo ),( Hyun Jeong Cho ),( Moon S. Kim ) 한국농업기계학회 2015 바이오시스템공학 Vol.40 No.2

Purpose: The research presented in this paper applied the chemometric analysis to the near-infrared spectral data fromline-scanned hyperspectral images of beef and fish meals in animal feeds. The chemometric statistical models weredeveloped to distinguish beef meals from fish ones. Methods: The meal samples of 40 fish meals and 15 beef meals wereline-scanned to obtain hyperspectral images. The spectral data were retrieved from each of 3600 pixels in the Region ofInterest (ROI) of every sample image. The wavebands spanning 969 nm to 1551 nm (across 176 spectral bands) wereselected for chemometric analysis. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) and the principal component analysis (PCA)methods of the chemometric analysis were applied to the model development. The purpose of the models was to correctlyclassify as many beef pixels as possible while misclassified fish pixels in an acceptable amount. Results: The results showedthat the success classification rates were 97.9% for beef samples and 99.4% for fish samples by the PLSR model, and 85.1%for beef samples and 88.2% for fish samples by the PCA model. Conclusion: The chemometric analysis-based PLSR and PCAmodels for the hyperspectral image analysis could differentiate beef meals from fish ones in animal feeds.

Preparation of polyaminated Fe3O4@chitosan core-shell magnetic nanoparticles for efficient adsorption of phosphate in aqueous solutions

Chun-Chieh Fu,Hai Nguyen Tran,Xing-Han Chen,Ruey-Shin Juang 한국공업화학회 2020 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.83 No.-

In this study, novel polyethylenimine (PEI)-grafted chitosan (CS) core-shell (called as Fe3O4/CS/PEI)magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and applied for adsorbing phosphate in water. The magneticand physicochemical properties of as-synthesized nanoparticles werefirst analyzed by means of asuperconducting quantum interference device, X-ray diffractometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscope, transmission electron microscope, zeta potential analyzer, andnitrogen sorptiometer. The followed experiments indicated that the amount of phosphate adsorbedincreased with increasing equilibrium pH to near 4.0 and then decreased when the pH was furtherincreased. The adsorption isotherms of phosphate on Fe3O4/CS/PEI particles were wellfit by the Langmuirequation, and its maximum adsorption was 48.2 mg g 1 at an equilibrium pH of 3.0 and 25 C. Theprimary mechanism for phosphate adsorption on Fe3O4/CS/PEI particles was electrostatic attraction. Thepreferential adsorption of phosphate in the presence of other excess anions including chloride, nitrate,carbonate, and sulfate was presented. Under the conditions studied, more than 90% of phosphate wasdesorbed from the laden Fe3O4/CS/PEI particles by 0.05 mol L 1 of NaOH solution. The remainedadsorption efficiency obtained in thefive-cycle reusability tests has demonstrated the promisingapplication potential of Fe3O4/CS/PEI particles.

Development of multispectral imaging algorithm for detection of frass on mature red tomatoes

Yang, Chun-Chieh,Kim, Moon S.,Millner, Patricia,Chao, Kuanglin,Cho, Byoung-Kwan,Mo, Changyeun,Lee, Hoyoung,Chan, Diane E. Elsevier 2014 Postharvest biology and technology Vol.93 No.-

In this research, a multispectral fluorescence-based imaging algorithm was developed to detect frass contamination on mature Campari tomatoes. Tomato images were acquired using a hyperspectral fluorescence line-scan imaging system with violet LED excitation, then analyzed for wavelength selection. The fluorescence intensities at five wavelengths, 515 nm, 640 nm, 664 nm, 690 nm, and 724 nm, were used to compute three simple ratio functions to detect frass contamination. The contamination spots were created on the tomato surfaces using four low-concentration frass dilutions. The algorithms detected over 99% of the 0.2 kg/L and 0.1 kg/L frass contamination spots and successfully differentiated these spots from tomato skin surfaces, stem scars, and stems. However, differentiation of the 0.05 kg/L and 0.02 kg/L frass contamination spots was more difficult. Adjusting the algorithm to successfully detect 95% of the 0.05 kg/L spots also resulted in false-positive pixel detections occurring on 28% of the tomatoes. This study demonstrates that a simple multispectral fluorescence imaging algorithm based on violet LED excitation could be useful for rapid postharvest detection of frass contamination on tomatoes in processing lines. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Nucleophosmin modulates the alleviation of atopic dermatitis caused by the marine-derived compound dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol

Han-Chun Hung,Chien-Wei Feng,Yen-You Lin,Chun-Hong Chen,Kuan-Hao Tsui,Wu-Fu Chen,Chieh-Yu Pa,Jyh-Horng Sheu,Chun-Sung Sung,Zhi-Hong Wen 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, and its prevalence is increasing. AD usually elicits skin barrier dysfunction, dry skin and itching. As the mechanisms of AD remain unknown, there is an urgent need to find effective therapies. Because of the diversity and complexity of marine environments, the discovery of drugs from marine organisms as novel therapeutic agents for human diseases has seen renewed interest. Dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol (WA-25), the synthetic precursor of austrasulfone, which is a natural product isolated from a Formosan soft coral, has been shown to possess many therapeutic effects in our previous studies. However, the detailed mechanisms and therapeutic effects of WA-25 on AD are incompletely understood. We performed in vitro and in vivo studies to examine the effects of WA-25 on AD. We showed that WA-25 blocks inflammation and oxidative stress. Simultaneously, we also found that WA-25 reduces the AD scores and AD-induced transepidermal water loss (TEWL), scratching behavior, and alloknesis. WA-25 is more effective in cases of AD than are the drugs that are currently used clinically. Importantly, we also found that when nucleophosmin (NPM) was inhibited or when its expression was reduced, the anti-inflammatory and anti-AD effects of WA-25 were blocked. These data suggest that NPM plays dual roles in inflammation and AD. Overall, these results suggest that WA-25 is a potential anti-inflammatory and AD therapeutic agent that is modulated by NPM.

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.

Differentiation of Beef and Fish Meals in Animal Feeds Using Chemometric Analytic Models

Yang, Chun-Chieh,Garrido-Novell, Cristobal,Perez-Marin, Dolores,Guerrero-Ginel, Jose E.,Garrido-Varo, Ana,Cho, Hyunjeong,Kim, Moon S. Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery 2015 바이오시스템공학 Vol.40 No.2

Purpose: The research presented in this paper applied the chemometric analysis to the near-infrared spectral data from line-scanned hyperspectral images of beef and fish meals in animal feeds. The chemometric statistical models were developed to distinguish beef meals from fish ones. Methods: The meal samples of 40 fish meals and 15 beef meals were line-scanned to obtain hyperspectral images. The spectral data were retrieved from each of 3600 pixels in the Region of Interest (ROI) of every sample image. The wavebands spanning 969 nm to 1551 nm (across 176 spectral bands) were selected for chemometric analysis. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) and the principal component analysis (PCA) methods of the chemometric analysis were applied to the model development. The purpose of the models was to correctly classify as many beef pixels as possible while misclassified fish pixels in an acceptable amount. Results: The results showed that the success classification rates were 97.9% for beef samples and 99.4% for fish samples by the PLSR model, and 85.1% for beef samples and 88.2% for fish samples by the PCA model. Conclusion: The chemometric analysis-based PLSR and PCA models for the hyperspectral image analysis could differentiate beef meals from fish ones in animal feeds.

從東亞儒學視域論鄭齊斗對孟子「知言養氣」說的解釋

黃俊傑(Huang Chun-chieh) 한국양명학회 2005 陽明學 Vol.- No.13

18세기 조선의 양명학자인 정제두는 유교경전에 대한 다양한 견해를 피력하였는데, 『맹자』「공손추상」 2장에 나타나 있는 맹자의 ‘지언양기’(知言養氣)설에 대해서도 나름대로의 식견을 나타내 보이고 있다. 본 논문에서는 맹자의 ‘지언양기’설에 대한 정제두의 해설을 분석하고, 이를 동아시아 유학사의 시각에서 조명해보고자 한다. 이를 위해 맹자의 사상에 대한 정제두의 분석을 먼저 살펴보고, 주희나 왕양명 등과의 비교를 통해 동아시아 사상사적 맥락 안에서의 정제두의 위치를 탐구해보고자 한다. 특히 그는 ‘마음으로써 말을 결정한다’ 혹은 ‘사람의 말은 모두 마 음으로부터 나온다’는 점을 강조하고, 또한 ‘마음을 가지고 기(氣)를 결정 한다’고 주장하였는데, 이러한 이해는 주자의 해석보다는 왕양명의 해석에 가까운 것으로 볼 수 있으며, 이는 곧 양명학적 맥락 안에서의 정제두의 사상의 특성을 보여주는 것이라 할 수 있다.

An Efficient Parallel Machine Learning-based Blockchain Framework

Chun-Wei Tsai,Yi-Ping Chen,Tzu-Chieh Tang,Yu-Chen Luo 한국통신학회 2021 ICT Express Vol.7 No.3

The unlimited possibilities of machine learning have been shown in several successful reports and applications. However, how to make sure that the searched results of a machine learning system are not tampered by anyone and how to prevent the other users in the same network environment from easily getting our private data are two critical research issues when we immerse into powerful machine learning-based systems or applications. This situation is just like other modern information systems that confront security and privacy issues. The development of blockchain provides us an alternative way to address these two issues. That is why some recent studies have attempted to develop machine learning systems with blockchain technologies or to apply machine learning methods to blockchain systems. To show what the combination of blockchain and machine learning is capable of doing, in this paper, we proposed a parallel framework to find out suitable hyperparameters of deep learning in a blockchain environment by using a metaheuristic algorithm. The proposed framework also takes into account the issue of communication cost, by limiting the number of information exchanges between miners and blockchain.

Liver lesions detected in a hepatitis B core total antibody-positive patient masquerading as hepatocellular carcinoma

Chun Han Nigel Tan,Gwyneth Shook Ting Soon,Wei Chieh Alfred Kow 한국간담췌외과학회 2017 Annals of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery Vol.21 No.3

Peliosis Hepatis (PH) is a rare vascular disorder of the liver, characterized by the presence of cystic blood-filled cavities distributed throughout the hepatic parenchyma. The pathogenesis of PH remains controversial. The preoperative diagnosis of PH is difficult, due to the non-specific imaging characteristics of PH and almost all cases are diagnosed on histology post resection. This study presents a case of PH masquerading as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The patient is a 45-year old Chinese lady, who presented with transaminitis. She was found to be hepatitis B virus core total antibody-positive with an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) of 29.4 ng/ml. Triphasic liver computed tomography showed several arterial hypervascular lesions and hypoenhancing lesions on the venous phase, particularly in the segments 6/7. Subsequently, a magnetic resonance imaging scan showed multiple lesions in the right hemiliver with an indeterminate enhancement patterns. Subsequently, she decided to undergo a resection procedure. Histopathology revealed findings consistent with PH with some unusual features. This case demonstrates a clinical conundrum, in which PH presented with a raised AFP, in a patient with risk factors for the development of HCC. The clinical suspicion of PH should be high in patients, who present with multiple hepatic lesions with variable enhancement patterns.